Knock On

Youth Inter Provincial final

Connacht 19
Leinster 7

After last year’s all conquering inter-provincial success, the latest batch of under 18 rugby players from the west of Ireland announced the provinces arrival on the national scene as permanent force at this level by repeating the feat in some style in Mullingar on Saturday.

In no uncertain terms Connacht got to grips with a promising and talented Leinster side and through a mixture of heads up, uncompromising and well thought out rugby, built up a half time lead they were never going to relinquish. A second half full of unmerciful breakdown work and big hits insured their 16 point lead was never threatened and a tenth victory in a row was secured.

There were hairy moments for sure but rarely have underage teams from the west played the game with such brash confidence and unyielding determination. The Connacht rugby academy is excelling and the dividends have the potential to be greater than could have ever been imagined.

Enormous credit must go to the Connacht Branch development office at this juncture for their work over the past five years in putting in place the structures that has yielded these triumphs and even more credit must go to manager Johnny Brennan and coaches Jimmy Duffy, Tony Dolan, Sean Duignan and Joe Walsh.

For the second year in a row, they have molded the characters and nurtured the abilities of some of Connacht’s best sporting talents. They have done it with a set up that is as professional and meticulously detailed as anyone could imagine. The players did the work on the field and they are the ultimate heroes but the scene was set in the build up.

The site of the team, led by captain Mark Dolan, marching in towards the dressing room following the pre match warm up was fiercely impressive and left a distinct feeling even at that stage that they were not going to be beaten. In one tightly packed group they walked purposefully, heads up, eyes intensely focused and shoulders relaxed. Brennan and assistant manager Michael Behan followed.

The coaches waited on the field. Their job was done in the hotel that morning and on the field in the build up. Game plan was in place, tactics ingrained in the minds and warm ups completed. At this stage it was time for the rally cry from the heart and for that they have a manager like no other in Glawegians man Johnny Brennan.

The first step when they returned to the dressing room in that ten minute period was putting on the jersey. A task so simple but one which is treated with the utmost respect. One by one captain Dolan called out the numbers and one by one they unfolded the green shirt and put it on. Then it was the turn their manager to remind them that this was a day the would never forget and note that the west was and always would be well and truly awake.

From the outset Connacht were in the ascendancy, the sweeping winds were at their backs and Buccaneers out half Adam Kennedy was getting incredible distance on his touch finders. Leinster were fired up as well in those early stages but found themselves on the back foot and under pressure in the set piece play.

The first try came from some quick thinking from scrum half Mark Dolan. The scoreline was 3-0 at that stage, Kennedy having opened the scoring with a penalty on six minutes and Connacht had a scrum five metres outside the Leinster 22” and to the left of the posts

Leinster had left an opening on the blindside, Dolan spotted the chance, made the call and Joe Kenny broke from the base passed to his captain who found winger Kevin Russell with just enough space to sprint home as only he can. The conversion was missed but a two score lead was established.

The pressure continued with Sean Preston for Leinster harshly seeing yellow soon after but to their immense credit the men in blue dug deep on their line and forced a penalty to relieve the pressure. Connacht were wasting chances and only managed three points from Kennedy with the extra man.

It took a while for the dominance at the breakdown to yield that much needed second try and one or two key line breaks had been wasted by the 36th minutes before Finn Gormley finally secured try number two. The relief was palpable. It was made again by good service from Dolan and a superb quick pass from inspirational full back Brendan Carpenter. At 16-0 the lead seemed insurmountable.

Not so, as Leinster finally got some territory just before the break. All through the contest they had shown power and tremendous composure in their lineout and maul led by captain Daniel O’Byrne and this late chance allowed them to set up a blindside move which was almost finished off by lively winger Eamon Daly only for him to be forced into touch by Gormley’s crucial tackle.

After the break Connacht held firm and forced one turnover after another with some brave and forceful play in the tackle. Rory Keirns at seven was a menace to the opposition throughout, a bundle of energy and was in the thick of almost every ruck. Karl Egan was also a huge asset around the park and his lineout throwing was tremendous under pressure.

In the backline Eoin Griffin and Colin Conroy showed their talents in defence on a day when open running play wasn’t as prevalent and it’s clear that both players have the all round game to match anyone at this level while prop James Robinson and second row Shane Casey also excelled.

It is victories such as these that highlight the importance of a professional rugby team in the west of Ireland for emerging players to aspire to and their next step is under 20s where Connacht could well be a real force in the coming years. That said no one in this camp is losing the run of themselves.

When the contest ended and the trophies had being presented, the players got back to that dressing room for a traditional blast of the fields of Athenry before Mark Dolan stood again and one by one, called on his players to take off their jerseys, fold them and hand them back to their manager. They had represented the eagle and sword crest with great pride and many of them will do so again in the future.

Connacht: B Carpenter (Westport); K Russell (Corinthians), C Conroy (Galwegians), E Griffin (Corinthians), F Gormley (Corinthians); A Kennedy (Buccaneers), M Dolan (Buccaneers); T Thompson (Buccaneers), K Egan (Corinthians), J Robinson (Corinthians); S Casey (Castlebar), E McKeown (Galwegians); S Connolly (Galwegians), R Kerins (Sligo), J Kenny (Buccaneers).

Replacements: D Henshaw (Buccaneers) Egan; A Spring (Sligo) for Kenny; S O’Meara (Galwegians) for Gormley; C Murphy (Corinthians) for Kennedy.

Leinster: R Kennedy (Longford); E Daly (Barnhall), K Domican (Naas), A Boyle (St Bridgets), B Doyle (Wicklow); N Earls (Wicklow), G Kennedy (Ashbourne); D O’Byrne (Naas), P Beatty (Barnhall), S Preston (Guinness); D Johnston (Greystones), D Kiely (Naas); D Farrell (Longford), J McSherry (Wicklow), A Mulligan (Bective).

Replacement: D Quinns (Mullibgar) for Johnston; A Robberts (Greystones) for Kennedy.