Provincial Schools Cups 2013-2014 [MOD NOTE POST 1]

FR2

Garbally, Ard Scoil, Clongowes, Methody Belfast

Against the grain in Leinster, but i like the look of this Clongowes side!

Hagz

I think this is Ulster's version of Ross O'Carroll Kelly

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VBhQeAi_PI

DiarmuidBoy89

Anyone fancy Clongowes +9 @10/11 tomorrow?

easy peasy

DiarmuidBoy89 wrote: »

Anyone fancy Clongowes +9 @10/11 tomorrow?

Yep, I think thats a good bet. Fancy Clongowes to score on the break tomorrow, very quick out wide. They might even do the full job.

It'll need to be like St. Michaels 2 years ago though, spend a lot of the game making tackles and then take their chances when they come.

Can't see them losing by more than 9 though.

freyners

Bridge93 wrote: »

I'd think having only seen scores it'll be Garbally in Connacht. Then I think Cresent, Methody and Blackrock.
Hope I'm wrong on the 3 outside Leinster! Would be great to have a few lesser seen names on the trophies.

Sligo have won the cup more recently than Garbally. Garbally have really only recovered from the boarding school closure in the last 2 years so it would be nice to see them win again, especially for an alumnus

funtime93

easy peasy wrote: »

Yep, I think thats a good bet. Fancy Clongowes to score on the break tomorrow, very quick out wide. They might even do the full job.

It'll need to be like St. Michaels 2 years ago though, spend a lot of the game making tackles and then take their chances when they come.

Can't see them losing by more than 9 though.

I disagree.Michaels pack wasn't THAT much smaller than Clongowes that day whereas tomorrow Rock's pack are far bigger.Their backs are under-rated aswell.Rock by 15

DiarmuidBoy89

Plenty of markets on the senior cup final today, anyone see any value?

sdevine89

Like the look of over 37.5.

jc4517

Anyone know where one might watch this match if they were unable to get to the match and weren't currently subscribed to Setanta Ireland?

matthew8

50 minutes gone 17-14 to Clongowes (14-3 Rock at HT). Anyone watching who can let me know how it's been going? I'm getting my updates from the Leinster twitter page.

sdevine89

sdevine89 wrote: »

Like the look of over 37.5.

Winner winner.

funtime93

22-17 to Rock nearly over.

BIGGIEsmall

FT: Rock win 22-17.

funtime93

All over 22-17

Hagz

Great game. Like Peter Smythe said, a draw would have been a fair result. A couple of lovely tries from Keenan and O'Donoghue.

easy peasy

funtime93 wrote: »

I disagree.Michaels pack wasn't THAT much smaller than Clongowes that day whereas tomorrow Rock's pack are far bigger.Their backs are under-rated aswell.Rock by 15

Money in the bank. Clongowes haven't lost a cup game by more than 6 points in 10 years. (edit.apologies, lost by 8 last year.)

Well done to Blackrock, I can't decide whether rock were overrated/they didn't play to their potential/cwc were fantastic on the day.

Regardless, fantastic game. Clongowes will rue the soft 2nd try before half time.

As good a final as I can remember, this competition is nearly semi-pro quality,

Bridge93

easy peasy wrote: »

Money in the bank. Clongowes haven't lost a cup game by more than 6 points in 10 years.

Well done to Blackrock, I can't decide whether rock were overrated/they didn't play to their potential/cwc were fantastic on the day.

Regardless, fantastic game. Clongowes will rue the soft 2nd try before half time.

As good a final as I can remember, this competition is nearly semi-pro quality,

Bit of everything I feel. Think Rock were talked up a bit too much from Irish Times etc, and they certainly didn't play to their potential.
But Clongowes were fantastic in all facets. Superb in defence when Rock could've/should've been way out of sight, and wonderful in attack, always looking threatening and clinical when they got the chances.
I thought their pack dealt with Rocks brilliantly, nullifying Timoney, O' Connor and Loughman to a certain extent. Backline made their tackles and caused Rock a lot of issues. Cleary and Hughes were fantastic in particular.

Stand outs for Blackrock I thought were Keane, Oliver, Carberry and Power. What a player Jack Power looks like becoming.
Clongowes will be disappointed with the second try conceded especially as I said earlier they defended so well up until then and could've been well behind.

On balance of the whole game I felt Rock deserved it just, but a draw would've been fair and I wouldn't have complained if Clongowes came away with it. Rock with more ball, Clongowes doing more with it. Fantastic game including from the officials who besides a few odd penalties had a good day.
Rock worthy champions but not the team they were built up to be.

Hagz

Yeh Jack Power looks class. Natural footballer and a serious turn of pace. I think he might be better suited to full-back in the long run but I'm not sure.

[Jackass]

What a great final. Nobody likes to see 'Rock win the cup :pac:

What size crowd would you say was at the match? I'd have it at around 10,000. Not a bad money spinner for Leinster branch.

Amazing that schools rugby in Leinster can get bigger crowds than professional league games in most of Wales and Scotland.

bilston

Ulster final on now on BBC2.

The Methody No.5, Alex Thompson, is enormous

matthew8

2 tries for the Methodist inside centre. 12-0 and Sullivan haven't even been bad.

Gordon Gecko

Was at the final yesterday - incredible value to see such a good game of rugby from the committee box for 15 quid! In so far as a draw being a fair result I disagree. The first half was all 'Rock and it took serious effort from Clongowes to limit them to 14-3 at the break. Keenan's try was a superb piece of work and really underlined that those 'Rock backs were in a class of their own this year. The 'Rock scrum half had something of a mare in the 2nd half giving some really sloppy balls which let Clongowes get their foot in the door. Clongowes showed a lot of guts and sheer bottle to take the lead but it seemed like every time 'Rock managed to get the ball past 10 they made huge gains up the field. They very nearly had another try through Loughman and I think could have been on for more had their line-out worked better. A great final though, hopefully we're in for another one next Sunday!

Inspector Coptoor

65 mins gone in Munster Final & Crescent are 21-0 up & will take their 2nd title in 2 years.

Ard Scoil have been brave and haven't given up but they're much smaller all over the park & the writing was in the wa early in the first half.

matthew8

Methodist-Sullivan is great. 6 tries in the game now and 22-12 to Methodist. Only criticism is the standard of place kicking isn't nearly as good as you'd get in Leinster schools.

Inspector Coptoor

21-7 FT in Munster schools Final.
Crescent get 2 in a row in the first all limerick final.

The Lost Sheep

Inspector Coptoor wrote: »

65 mins gone in Munster Final & Crescent are 21-0 up & will take their 2nd title in 2 years.

Ard Scoil have been brave and haven't given up but they're much smaller all over the park & the writing was in the wa early in the first half.

Shame for ASR. From seeing them earlier in the year rated them better
Mad this was first ever All Limerick final

matthew8 wrote: »

Methodist-Sullivan is great. 6 tries in the game now and 22-12 to Methodist. Only criticism is the standard of place kicking isn't nearly as good as you'd get in Leinster schools.

Don't think that is a fair criticism especially if you haven't seen much or any of the Ulster schools play other than this game

Only the Senior Connacht final to be played as well as the Junior finals in all the provinces

Hagz

Is it a common trend of Ulster schools rugby not to kick? It was strange seeing Sullivan try and run it out of their 22 time and time again.

awec

Did methody win again?

IanOBo

Munster final was very entertaining. Ard Scoil didn't do themselves justice but Crescent were definitely the better team. There were some MONSTER hits. Good crowd too. Great atmosphere

bilston

awec wrote: »

Did methody win again?

Yeah, comfortably enough.

The big Methody 12, Conor McKee, will get a lot of the headlines but I thought their full back, Conor Kelly, looked really good.

Josh Bingham looks assured as an out half and created a try with a lovely bit of footwork, he has already played for Ulster U20s, but as mentioned his place kicking was abysmal.

Some decent players on both sides who we may see more of in the future.