Blackrock College 34 Gonzaga College 8
Where to start? Has to be the number nines. This massive (man-sized) Blackrock pack would make any scrumhalf look decent, but in Patrick Paterson Leinster rugby appears to have unearthed another gem.
And in the one position they perhaps need it the most, they may have found two.
Gonzaga’s James Kenny is another who possesses the physique, in the Conor Murray mould, to make an impact in the representative ranks.
They’re second cousins by the way and both from Blackrock stocks; Kenny’s grandad is Johnny Woods while Patterson’s is another famous scrumhalf Donie Grehan.
Their mothers are first cousins. Good breeding, narky nines, the pair of them were at each other from the first scrum.
But Kenny was ruthlessly man marked here by the mobile Blackrock backrow of Cian Reilly, Alan Francis and Michael McGagh.
An example is needed to explain all the fuss about. Gonzaga – arguably the best side they have ever produced – went into an early lead thanks to a penalty by outhalf Michael O’Kennedy before Patterson led a ruthless response.
A nicely stalled pass put openside Francis pounding into open field before the nephew of the current Sports Journalist of the Year offloaded to his supporting scrumhalf. The try was coming. A relentless burst by three huge forwards saw tighthead Joe Byrne stopped an inch shy of the line.
John Fairley picked and dived over.
Peter O’Reilly, the outhalf being one of 23 ball carrying threats, slotted the conversion and Gonzaga never got close to them again.
Patterson controlled much of ‘Rock’s offence until he was yellow carded on 24 minutes by referee Helen O’Reilly after arising from a ruck on his own line with the ball.
No problem. O’Reilly slotted into scrumhalf and Andrew Murphy eventually secured a turnover that made it no surprise to learn he is Jordi’s cousin.
The depth of talent and physicality makes Blackrock seem more impressive than ever, but this group has been coming with the school owning the Junior Cup silverware since 2013.
Patterson returned to put the contest out of Gonzaga’s reach with a fantastic reverse pass that saw Liam Turner – the latest 13 off the production line – bashing past the last defender.
The move was born up front but it was Patterson’s lateral run that clustered defenders and created the gap for Turner.
Victory looked certain by half-time, with Blackrock leading 17-3, as several green clad supporters on the terrace unfurled a large banner that read (apostrophe and all): “We Weren’t That Drunk.”
Whatever that means.
The game was entertainment enough with Blackrock running in three second half tries to Gonzaga’s one.
It will be fascinating to see what tactics Phil Werahiko’s Belvedere employ against them at the RDS on St Patrick’s Day (kick-off 2pm).
Hopefully Ruadhán Byron’s forwards will go toe for toe with Reilly’s eight.
That would make for a brilliant game.
But Justin Vanstone’s team can beat you the other way as well. Their hard running fullback Tom Roche eventually cut loose for two tries in between another superb individual effort by powerful replacement centre Ross Deegan (whose size and pace would make him an automatic starter on any other schools team in Ireland).
David Lynch did cross for a Gonzaga try on the only occasion they showcased their quality backline.
“Tough game, one of the more tiring games I’ve played,” said Reilly on live television afterwards. “10 days until the final. Will go home and recover now.
“Awful lot of to work on, Zaga exposed us, ripped us apart once. But a good challenge physically.”
And defending champions Belvedere? “The final is always tightly contested no matter who it is but that gives it a bit of extra bite.”
Scoring sequence – 7 mins: M O'Kennedy pen, 0-3; 10 mins: J Fairley try, 5-3; P O'Reilly con, 7-3; 15 mins: P O'Reilly pen, 10-3; 35 mins: L Turner try, 15-3; P O'Reilly con, 17-3. Half-time. 42 mins: T Roche try, 22-3; 45 mins: M Phelan try, 27-3; P O'Reilly con, 29-3; 47 mins: D Lynch try, 29-8; 52 mins: T Roche try, 34-8.
BLACKROCK COLLEGE: T Roche; T Maher, L Turner, J Moriarty, D Heavy; P O'Reilly, P Patterson; G Coyne, S McLoughlin, J Byrne; J Fairley, A Murphy; M McGagh, A Francis, C Reilly (capt). Replacements: T Clarkson for J Byrne (half-time), R Deegan for L Turner (37 mins), S Molony for S McLoughlin (43 mins), C Delaney for G Coyne (58 mins), J Burke for A Francis (59 mins), R Fahy for P Paterson (60 mins), M Carroll for D Heavey, G Jones for J Fairley (both 64 mins).
GONZAGA COLLEGE: D Lynch; H Twomey, B O'Donnell, E Barr, S Galvin; M O'Kennedy, J Kenny; M Gleeson, C Gleeson (capt), S Clear; E Buggy, C Fassbender; I O'Grady, M Keegan, R Kidney. Replacements: J Veale for M Keegan (47 mins), M Meagher for M Gleeson (51 mins), F McHugh for E Barr (53 mins), E Allen for H Twomey, J Connolly for F McHugh (both 62 mins), C Fassbender for R Kidney (64 mins), M Holly for I O'Grady (67 mins).
Referee: Helen O'Reilly (Leinster).
