CRESCENT COLLEGE COMPREHENSIVE booked their Munster Senior Cup quarter-finals with five tries in Thomond Park this afternoon.
While St. Clement’s gave everything on the pitch, the result was not to be as their city rivals pulled clear to win with relative ease in the end.
Played in blustery conditions at Thomond Park, missed opportunities were the theme of the first half. Crescent, who played into the wind, kept the ball in hand early on, but poor handling let them down on a number of occasions in the opening quarter.
Clement’s defended well when required, but looked nervy with ball in hand, and after a clearance kick on the back of a five-metre scrum was blocked down, Crescent scrum-half Mark Edwards pounced for the opening try.
Ken Sutton / INPHO
Ken Sutton / INPHO / INPHO
Crescent owned the ball for the following 15 minutes, with Edwards marshaling his pack around the pitch, playing in behind when necessary. And after 25 minutes number 8 and captain John Blake crossed for his sides second try after a series of offloads in the ’22.
Winger Mark Shanahan converted to make it 14-0 and Clement’s appeared to have no answer to the Crescent onslaught. But Captain Adam Hehir knew what was at stake and after a stellar break from the centre gave his side possession deep in the Crescent half for the first time.
Crescent's Karl Moloney under pressure from James Neville Ken Sutton / INPHO
Ken Sutton / INPHO / INPHO
Linking with his centre partner Shane Brosnahan again, Hehir got in behind the Crescent defence and, after quick ruck ball, back row Dillon Cotter showed a clean pair of heels and a powerful fend to dot down under the posts to make it 14-7 at half time.
Clement’s roared out of the traps in the second half, but the storm was weathered and discipline on both sides became an issue as the game became a stop-start struggle in the half’s opening 15 minutes.
Crescent soon regrouped. And after stringing phases together openside Karl Moloney received the ball just outside the Clement’s ’22, cut an exceptional line to step the fullback and score in the corner. Shanahan expertly converted to make it 21-7 and there was now clear daylight between the teams.
John Bateman of St Clement's gets the ball away as he's tackled by Tommy O'Hara. Ken Sutton / INPHO
Ken Sutton / INPHO / INPHO
Crescent were in no mood to let up with 15 minutes remaining. They opted for the corner off a penalty and after a line-out maul was held up just short, they rumbled on through phases until prop Conor Fitzgerald barged over to make it 26-7.
Clement’s began to run the ball at will with nothing to lose, and Cotter again went on a rampaging run only to be stopped short of the line.
However, the final say went to Comp winger Aaron Cosgrove as he capitalised on a loose ball to cross for his sides fifth and final try and secure a tie against PBC in next week’s quarter-final.
Scorers:
Crescent:
Tries: Mark Edwards, John Blake, Karl Moloney, Conor Fitzgerald, Aaron Cosgrave.
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Conversions: Mark Shanahan (3)
Clements:
Tries: Dillon Cotter
Conversion: John Bateman.
Conor Clancy of St. Clement's is tackled by Bryan Fitzgerald of Crescent College Ken Sutton / INPHO
Ken Sutton / INPHO / INPHO
Replacements: Adam Ahern, Dylan Daly Conway, Colin Byrne, John Flynn, Alex Lloyd, Cian Donnelly, Craig O’Brien, Sean Wilmott, Alex Kiely, Christopher Heelan, Micheal Rogal.
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Five-star Crescent cruise into Munster Senior Cup quarter-final
Crescent College 31 – 7 St. Clement’s
CRESCENT COLLEGE COMPREHENSIVE booked their Munster Senior Cup quarter-finals with five tries in Thomond Park this afternoon.
While St. Clement’s gave everything on the pitch, the result was not to be as their city rivals pulled clear to win with relative ease in the end.
Played in blustery conditions at Thomond Park, missed opportunities were the theme of the first half. Crescent, who played into the wind, kept the ball in hand early on, but poor handling let them down on a number of occasions in the opening quarter.
Clement’s defended well when required, but looked nervy with ball in hand, and after a clearance kick on the back of a five-metre scrum was blocked down, Crescent scrum-half Mark Edwards pounced for the opening try.
Crescent owned the ball for the following 15 minutes, with Edwards marshaling his pack around the pitch, playing in behind when necessary. And after 25 minutes number 8 and captain John Blake crossed for his sides second try after a series of offloads in the ’22.
Winger Mark Shanahan converted to make it 14-0 and Clement’s appeared to have no answer to the Crescent onslaught. But Captain Adam Hehir knew what was at stake and after a stellar break from the centre gave his side possession deep in the Crescent half for the first time.
Linking with his centre partner Shane Brosnahan again, Hehir got in behind the Crescent defence and, after quick ruck ball, back row Dillon Cotter showed a clean pair of heels and a powerful fend to dot down under the posts to make it 14-7 at half time.
Clement’s roared out of the traps in the second half, but the storm was weathered and discipline on both sides became an issue as the game became a stop-start struggle in the half’s opening 15 minutes.
Crescent soon regrouped. And after stringing phases together openside Karl Moloney received the ball just outside the Clement’s ’22, cut an exceptional line to step the fullback and score in the corner. Shanahan expertly converted to make it 21-7 and there was now clear daylight between the teams.
Crescent were in no mood to let up with 15 minutes remaining. They opted for the corner off a penalty and after a line-out maul was held up just short, they rumbled on through phases until prop Conor Fitzgerald barged over to make it 26-7.
Clement’s began to run the ball at will with nothing to lose, and Cotter again went on a rampaging run only to be stopped short of the line.
However, the final say went to Comp winger Aaron Cosgrove as he capitalised on a loose ball to cross for his sides fifth and final try and secure a tie against PBC in next week’s quarter-final.
Scorers:
Crescent:
Tries: Mark Edwards, John Blake, Karl Moloney, Conor Fitzgerald, Aaron Cosgrave.
Conversions: Mark Shanahan (3)
Clements:
Tries: Dillon Cotter
Conversion: John Bateman.
Teams:
Crescent College Comprehensive:
15 Timothy Duggan
14 Mark Shanahan
13 Tommy O’Hora
12 Bryan Fitzgerald
11 Aaron Cosgrove
10 Michael Fenton
9Mark Edwards
1 Conor Fitzgerald
2 Jack Henchy
3 Thomas Connolly
4 Brendan Kelly
5 Scott Leahy
6 Joseph Gannon
7 Karl Moloney
8 John Blake (C)
Replacements: Eoghan O’Halloran, Ben Leahy, Pearse McMullen, Cian McDonagh, Daniel Feasey, Fintan Coleman, Jamin Hoffman, Sheehan Faloon, Ronan Reynolds, Wiktor Nowak.
St. Clement’s:
15 James Neville
14 Adam Barry
13 Aran Hehir (C)
12 Shane Brosnahan
11 Adam Marshall
10 John Bateman
9 Evan Griffin
1 Aron Stacey
2 Derry Gleeson
3 Conor Clancy
4 Aidan Quinlivan
5 Denis Mortell
6 Dillon Cotter
7 Enis Haixaij
8 Micheal Kiely
Replacements: Adam Ahern, Dylan Daly Conway, Colin Byrne, John Flynn, Alex Lloyd, Cian Donnelly, Craig O’Brien, Sean Wilmott, Alex Kiely, Christopher Heelan, Micheal Rogal.
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