Bandon Grammar rugby team create history in Junior Cup final against CBC
Bandon captain Mark Whelton and teammates celebrate the Munster Schools Junior final win. Picture: Larry Cummins
Bandon Grammar School claimed a historic first major trophy as a dominant second-half display secured the Munster Schools Junior Cup against CBC in Virgin Media Park on Wednesday afternoon.
The Grammar did it the hard way, eliminating the roll-of-honour top three one after the other; taking down three-in-a-row champions PBC in the quarter-final, Rockwell College in the semi, and denying Christians a Senior-Junior double in the final.
Shane Murphy and Matthew Buttimer grabbed the tries as Jamie Hicks, brother of Munster Academy star Dylan, kicked 10 points. Impressive winger Seán Riordan scored two tries in defeat.
Bandon piled on the pressure from the opening whistle.
Hicks’ fierce carries set the platform and when they used the powerful centre as a decoy, they found space down either wing only for Riordan and Shea Lynch to come up with clutch tackles.
Winning captain Mark Whelton produced a line-out steal on the five-metre line before Alex Bramoullé drove over but Cormac McCabe’s terrific defending held him up.
It was a brief reprieve as Shane Murphy took the tap-and-go penalty and burst across for the ninth-minute opener.
Hicks nailed the conversion into the wind and soon added a penalty, earned by Daniel Kent, for a 10-0 lead.
Out of the blue, a flowing Christians’ line-out move got them back into the game.
Max O’Riordan’s offload was somehow held by Tiernan Murphy and they worked the ball wide from Hugh Downey to Riordan to score. Harry Quinlan added the tricky conversion.
Shane Murphy got under Christian Murphy from a tap-and-go to prevent another try but Christians snatched the lead on half-time.
It originated from a scrum won against the head in the Bandon 22.
Tiernan Murphy almost ducked through before the scrum-half threw a skip pass for Riordan, who looked backed onto the wing but brilliantly dodged over. Quinlan’s conversion stayed wide to leave it 12-10 at half-time.
A couple of infringements cost Bandon valuable territory early in the second half but when Christians strayed offside along the 10, it gave Hicks a kick for the lead.
Backed by the wind, the centre didn’t need to worry about distance as he split the posts.
The superb breakdown work of Ruaidhrí McElwaine produced his third turnover penalty but they couldn’t land a blow in the opposition half.
Instead, Bramoullé’s turnover was rewarded with a penalty, Billy Canniffe kicked into the 22, and Whelton’s eighth line-out take set the maul.
As the crowd cheered them on, Buttimer took the ball to dive over. Hicks’ conversion made it a two-score game at 20-12.
Bramoullé exited on a stretcher soon after but was back with a bandaged knee for the celebrations.
There were a couple of nervy moments before then.
Jack Punch was held up over the line by Buttimer and Riordan was twice denied a hat-trick by Hicks and Jack Hurley’s tackles.
But after 10 minutes of stoppages, it was Bandon’s time to celebrate.
Tries: S Murphy, M Buttimer; Cons: J Hicks 2; Pens: J Hicks 2.
Tries: S Riordan 2; Con: H Quinlan.
L Dukelow; C Woodland (J Keating 60+5), É Burke, J Hicks, A Bramoullé (J Gilsenan 56); B Canniffe (J Hurley 60+7), D L’Estrange (B O’Leary 60+5); D Burke (J Canniffe 53), A Coleman, B Hayes (D Kingston 60+8); I Wade (N Baker 60+5), M Whelton (c); S Murphy, D Kent, M Buttimer.
H Downey; S Riordan, R Kinirons, S Lynch (J Earle 45), M O’Riordan (S Lynch 62); H Quinlan, T Murphy (M Murphy 49); Christian Murphy, J Punch, D Field (C Coyne 40); A Maher (Christophe Murphy 53), C Kelly; L Carroll (c) (H Loftus 43), C McCabe (M Keane 51); R McElwain.
B Bennett (MAR).
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