PBC prove too good for Bandon in senior schools cup to win by huge margin

PBC 41 

Bandon Grammar School 5 

Pres entered with high expectations and lived up to the billing with a 35-point victory over Bandon Grammar School to advance to the Munster Schools Senior Cup semi-finals on Wednesday afternoon in Virgin Media Park.

Hooker Ronan Twomey nabbed a hat-trick as a power-packed Pres display proved too much for a West Cork school, who had bad luck with injuries across the 70 minutes.

Last year’s Junior Cup champions could still prove a factor on the opposite side of the draw as they head for a quarter-final against Castletroy College.

Both of these teams had completed unbeaten group-stage campaigns before Christmas, although Pres’s form was particularly compelling. They scored 34 tries and conceded just six across four games before adding international silverware by winning the NextGen Global Schools Challenge Premier Rugby Series in Spain.

They began with the wind and immediately pinned Bandon Grammar back with some big hits and Frankie Óg Sheahan’s dink in behind. After two minutes, they were ahead. Pres pounced on the first opposition mistake, an overthrown line-out, with Twomey collecting at the tail to dive over. Daniel Murphy’s conversion missed.

Pres were 10-0 ahead by the 11th minute. Off the back of an opposition scrum, David Nolan instigated a choke tackle, with the assistance of Alex Moloney and Cormac Bohan, to turn over possession. 

Pres forced a penalty from the subsequent scrum and Nolan kicked into the 22. From there, the maul took control. Twomey’s throw found Tom Murray and once they picked up momentum, Twomey was at the base to finish his second try in the corner. Murphy’s touchline conversion slipped wide.

Despite playing into the breeze and gaining precious little opportunity to attack, Bandon Grammar stabilised from there with some impressive defensive interventions from Fionn Lucey.

But approaching half-time, Moloney was tackled in the air, Nolan found touch outside the 22, and a copy-and-paste maul resulted in a penalty try for 17-0.

That sparked a series of yellow cards, with Adam Barry sin-binned for collapsing the maul. 

It was 14-a-side from the restart as Bobby O’Callaghan was carded for a deliberate knock-on.

Eddie Dooley appeared to have nabbed an intercept try, only for referee Tomás O’Sullivan to call play back for a penalty. 

That allowed Bandon Grammar to negotiate their first 22 entry.

Pres’s maul defence proved the equal of their attack to stop the advance, while Louis Dukelow was denied a try by a forward pass. 

However, Pres captain Rian MacFarlane-O’Shea was sin-binned to reduce their numbers to 13. 

They received a let-off from the tap-and-go penalty as Zach Piper attempted to vault the defence and conceded a penalty.

Bandon Grammar faced a 17-point deficit as they turned to play with the wind. 

They, momentarily, had a 15-v-13 advantage, although that lasted for one brief play. They were accumulating knocks, though, with Sam Barry, Aodhán Brennan, Conor Smyth, and Piper forced off.

The 14-man Pres would score next. Twomey brilliantly offloaded for Bohan to march into the 22. 

Then, Dooley bounced off one tackler and, supported by Fionn O’Sullivan, drove over the line. Murphy missed into the wind to leave it at 22-0 as they were restored to a full complement.

They were twice held up thereafter. Moloney bolted through with sublime footwork only to be blindsided by Jamie Hicks’ try-saving tackle. 

Then, Harry Galvin-McCarthy got over only to be prevented from grounding the ball by Mark Whelton.

But Twomey had his hat-trick moments later when surging over the line. Murphy’s conversion made it 29-0.

Seán Dooley delivered a series of big moments to get Bandon Grammar on the board. 

He charged down a Pres clearance, won a line-out, and then got on the end of the move to crash over. Billy Canniffe’s conversion missed.

But Pres rounded out the win with Murray and Moloney tries as Nolan slotted the latter conversion.

Scorers: PBC: Tries: R Twomey 3, penalty try, E Dooley, T Murray, A Moloney; Cons: D Murphy, D Nolan. 

Bandon Grammar School: Try: S Dooley.

PBC: D Murphy (G McSweeney 67); Olan Healy (D O’Leary 64), A Moloney, H Galvin-McCarthy, B O’Callaghan (G Coughlan 67); D Nolan, F Óg Sheahan (L O’Brien 67); F O’Sullivan (M Fitzgerald 64), R Twomey (M Riordan 67), D Sheehy (N MacCarthy 60); T Murray (R Dillon 64), C Bruhn (B Waters 58); E Dooley, C Bohan (J Healy 67), R MacFarlane-O’Shea (capt).

BANDON GRAMMAR SCHOOL: L Dukelow (D L’Estrange 55); F Lucey, S Barry (D Fuller 29), M Kennedy, N van der Westhuizen (J Hicks 49); C Smyth (B Canniffe h-t), L Linehan; J Deasy (F McCarthy 55), A Barry, J van der Velde (S O’Callaghan 43); S Dooley (J van der Velde 64), A Brennan (B Giles 34) (S Brady 53); M Whelton (capt) (A Gambura 67), A Gambura (R Collins 49), Z Piper (M Buttimer 37).

Referee: T O’Sullivan (MAR).