Despite Christian Brothers College crossing for a stoppage time try, Pres managed to hold on and now sit at the top step of Munster Schools Rugby with a record setting 32nd title, two points the difference in a pulsating end to a sensational final.

It was Pres that took the spoils but Christians gave them a right test. The long awaited rematch from last year and certainly they performed better than the one sided result we saw last campaign.

Presentation Brothers College fought till the bitter end, they almost left it behind them having led 26-12 at the break, Christians with two tries shy of the final whistle almost made it a dramatic conclusion to this heart stopping Pinergy Munster Schools Senior Cup Final.

The current holders had the ideal start, having dealt with early pressure getting a lineout in the CBC end proved dividends. A terrific take at the lineout and Pres kickstarted their flowing attack, quick hands finding Neville O’Leary. O’Leary used his pace and quick feet toi burst through and his carry took him close to the Christians line. 

CBC did well however in their defence to turnover the ball, Daire O’Callaghan looking to clear the danger near his own five metre line, Gene O’Leary Kareem pounced on the kick however and the block allowed the Pres captain to race in for the opening try. Converting for a 7-0 lead inside two minutes.

A lead that was short lived. After the purple smoke had cleared, Christians started to get possession in the Pres half, applying some serious pressure as their forwards attempted to pierce their way through the blockade. PBC were diligent in defence but a penalty would haunt them shy of the tenth minute.

Christians looked to go wide but the pass to an open Alex O’Connell was underhit on the right flank, play brought back for a tap go penalty in front of the posts. Cian Walsh made the first big hit from the set play and after phase after phase camped on the Pres line Ian Morton crossed the whitewash. Charlie Patrick O’Shea converted to level the tie.

Very much end to end in the opening quarter, when Pres had possession inside the Christians ten metre line they always posed a threat. Beautiful flowing passing with electric movement to carve a team open. 

A third try would arrive just minutes after CBC equalised, James O’Leary somehow bursting through a gap in the Christians rearguard and his sheer strength combined with his pace  saw the centre dot down. O’Leary Kareem with the close range conversion for the 14-7 advantage. 

The ever changing narrative to this contest certainly made the already entertaining spectacle that little bit more magic. While the narrative changed in similar fashion to the earlier lead again it was not long before Christians got their second try.

Pres trying to clear their line but unable to deal with the pressure and a knock on following an attempted clearance kick gave CBC a dangerous scrum inside the Pres 22. Christians with the strong put in and the electric captain Danny Rock powered away at the tail destined for the line. Held short of the line, CBC recycled well and sprayed play to the right wing, PBC opened up on that side and Bill McCarthy crossed with 22 minutes on the clock. O’Shea levelling matters again from the tee.

Momentum looked to be with the school from Sidney Hill as they applied serious pressure inside the Pres half. The holders very much boxed inside their own half but after numerous phases had managed to get close to half way and a penalty to touch gave them yardage in the CBC end of Virgin Media Park.

As the minutes ticked closer to half time Pres soon rubber stamped their lead on the tie. Numerous phases of attack close to the Christians line resulted in James O’Leary crossing for his second try. O’Leary Kareem missed the resulting conversion but Pres were not done yet.

Following the restart Pres turned defence into attack. Looking to run possession into the Christians end, John Wigginton Barrett was roaming on the right wing and as Pres worked the ball to Wigginton Barrett the result was magical. The winger evaded an initial barrage of CBC players before putting the afterburners to race down the touchline, cutting inside and using his quick feet to banana skin the last CBC man in defence to race under the posts for their fourth try. O’Leary Kareem made it 26-14, a lead they took to the intermission. 

The second half was certainly more of a cagey affair now that Pres had built their lead. While both pressed early, neither could find the gap for a score. Following a high tackle in the centre of the field, CBC captain Danny Rock was sent to the bin. Numerical advantage now with the leaders.

Pres took that possession into the CBC end and kept knocking on the door and again opting wide this time for the right channel, Neville O’Leary showed his sheer strength and terrific determination to get over for a fifth try for Pres. O’Leary Kareem struck a beautiful conversion near the touchlone for a 33-14 lead.

While their lead was furthered, Christians were quick to reply. Bursting down the far touchline gave them ground to work a score, in the blink of an eye they transitioned well toward the Centre looking for the line. Again a penalty advantage would occur and CBC set up a dangerous tap go penalty. A powerful front row acting as battering rams to shove for the line and Conor Kenneally added their third try, Charlie Patrick O’Shea converting and while Pres did have a healthy cushion, Christians were still there.

By god were they there. A sensational finish to proceedings as Christians almost saw the game end in a draw. Ronan O’Keeffe dotted down in the corner near the end of normal time to cut the gap down to seven as Charlie Patrick O’Shea missed the conversion. The out-half in stoppage time kicked crossfield for O’Keeffe to collect and score in the corner, the conversion again missed the mark and the cruel hand of fate saw Christians suffer a heartbreaking defeat.

Post Match

Ger Burke

Inspired by captain Gene O’Leary Kareem notching 18 points, Presentation Brothers College will defend their Munster Schools Senior Cup in a rematch with local rivals Christian Brothers College.

A rematch of last year’s semi final and despite showing shades of the narrative from 12 months ago Pres avoided any late comeback. Last season they were 35-10 ahead at the break and won 35-29.

Tries from John Wigginton Barrett, a brace from Gene O’Leary Kareem and an Alex Alderson try in stoppage time, Pres were in the driving seat. Munchins battled well but after the second Pres try they failed to hold shape at the back.

Despite for a time being down to 13 men in that second half, Pres showed little signs of complacency, they did concede a try but just had enough in the tank as they thwarted Munchins grabbing crucial scores.

Right from the off Munchins coughed up possession from the kick-off with a knock on, Pres would show their strengths as they ran the ball up the field. Lovely flowing moves with John Winngton Barrett showing a great burst of pace down the left wing, he raced clear down the touchline and brought play close to the Munchins 22. 

Pres had to recycle moving laterally with James O’Leary and Gene O’Leary Kareem passing around the midfield. Pres kept the pressure on and tried to race down the opposite flank as Neville O’Leary produced a wonderful goosie looking to evade the tackle.

Possession was all with the Cork school and as they passed wide to the far touchline, Wigginton Barrett gathered and put the afterburners on to race through a gap and dart over the line for the opening score after five minutes. Gene O’Leary Kareem converted for a 7-0 lead.

That margin lasted mere minutes. From the restart Munchins put PBC under severe pressure, kicking to the corner after Pres infringed at the breakdown, it gave Tom Wood the chance to hit deep and set up a dangerous 5m lineout. A first attacking lineout for the Shannonsiders, their driving maul hit Pres inches from their line and with pressure constantly building Adam O’Shaughnessy operated at the tail of the move and touched down for their opening try. Wood saw his conversion on the left touchline drag wide.

As the quarter of an hour mark approached, Pres were knocking on the door for a score. O’Leary burst through a host of Munchins players as they put pressure on in the Munchins end of the field. Moments prior they looked in with O’Leary Kareem gathering steam with ball in hand but as he offloaded shy of the line the ball was knocked on. Munchins were heroic in their defending. 

Pres would breach that line a few short minutes later. Again they found the wing to good effect, Neville O’Leary, Deccie Fitzgerald and Wigginton Barrett all combined to move play shy of the Munchins five, the forwards gained ground but Munchins did well to hold out. That was until Liam Tuohy found O’Leary Kareem and the skipper crossed the whitewash for the second try in the 20th minute. Converting the try for a 14-5 lead.

After this score the floodgates looked to have opened. Munchins unable to deal with the sheer attacking threat that Pres possessed. O’Leary Kareem added his second try again from close range, converting in the process. From the restart James O’Leary gathered and pierced a way through the Munchins cover, waiting for the run of brother Neville O’Leary on his shoulder, he gathered and sped clear down the line, he had to use his sheer pace to evade the tackles and dot down, O’Leary Kareem not table to convert on this occasion. 

Munchins were doing their utmost to grab a score, however in stoppage time Presentation Brothers College managed to hit another body blow before the interval. O’Leary Kareem again finding space to race down the field, he offloaded to Deccie Fitzgerald, with Alex Alderson for support he found his number 8 and he added their fifth try with the last act of play, O’Leary Kareem converting for a 33-5 lead at the interval.

PBC showed little signs of slowing down after the interval. Inspired by another drive from O’Leary Kareem they added a sixth try, the skipper passing wide for Neville O’Leary and he used his pace to drive down the left wing and cross the whitewash, his pace taking him the distance. 38-5 as the conversion missed the mark.

The tempo looked to have slowed down as the minutes ticked by in the half, the game ignited when all hell broke loose after Harry Murphy looked to be hit late after clearing initial danger from inside his 5m line.

The referee sent Maurice Minogue and Rory McDermott to the bin as both were involved in an altercation amongst both sets of players. Minutes later Oscar Squires saw yellow and with a penalty to touch and PBC down to 13, Munchins had a chance. They again used their lineout maul to great effect with Oisin Minogue crossing. Wood converted to cut the gap to 26 points after 54 minutes.

Benches were emptied and the minutes ticked by, Pres bagged one final try in stoppage time as Mark Hetherington went over and Harry Murphy converted to see out a dominant win. In the end the game was the way of the Leesiders, with CBC on the horizon again, going off last year’s contest, the final will make for interesting viewing.

Post Match:

Ger Burke

Christians Brothers College Cork are back in the final of the Munster School Senior Cup, they showed their experience and power to overcome Crescent College Comp in a titanic battle in Virgin Media Park.

We did not need a replay this year. Christians getting the job done on home soil as a second half try and penalty from Charlie Patrick O'Shea was enough to keep them ahead.

After last year's final defeat, Tommy Crowe's side are back in the decider. It could well be a rematch of that 2023 decider if PBC win their tie with St Munchins tomorrow.

Cagey start to proceedings, Christians made the first initial drive as Michael Foy bulldozed his way through, Crescent held firm but the move soon grinded to a halt when CBC threw the ball out of play moving down the right wing.

Crescent spent a lot of time boxed into their end of the field, when they did manage to get into the Christians end, an error at the lineout caused the ball to be turned over, it proved a costly mistake.

It was the turn of the Leesiders to take the ball back into the Crescent half, after numerous phases, a gap opened up for scrum-half Christopher Barrett, he showed why he played on the wing last year, putting on the afterburners to race through the Crescent rearguard, Fionn Rowsome gave chase but despite his best efforts Barrett managed to ground for the opening try. Charlie Patrick O’Shea saw the conversion drag inches right of the right hand upright.

Momentum stayed with Christians and they pressed on following that move, it almost looked they fashioned a second try with 12 minutes elapsed, the wingers combining on the right channel, a flowing move with Bill McCarthy passing to Alex O’Connell on his shoulder, O’Connell pumped the legs and crossed the whitewash, the try however ruled out due to a forward pass in the build up.

Crescent had their best foray into the Crescent half when an Evan Cusack penalty to touch on halfway brought them to the Christians 5m line in the 19th minute, again an error occurred in their lineout and the Cork outfit had a penalty to clear their lines. 

With 27 minutes elapsed, Christians from almost nothing looked to have a chance to grab a second try. McCarthy had space down the left wing and raced towards the Crescent line, they had cover back there and the offload for O’Connell saw the winger power his way close to the line. Crescent showed sheer diligence to defend smartly, but did cough up a penalty.

They opted for touch to continue the move, which would soon grind to a halt when in the transition that followed they infringed at the breakdown and Crescent had the chance to breathe.

It did not last long.

Shy of the interval, Crescent had an attacking lineout midway between the Christans 10m and halfway line. The ball was batted away by a Crescent hand in the lineout, however onto the ball like a rocket was the Christians hooker Darragh Prenter. He showed tremendous pace to race clear having taken possession and dotted their second try in the corner.  

Crescent did manage to get on the board in stoppage time, Christians conceding a penalty and Cusack made no mistake dissecting the posts, reducing the deficit 10-3 at the break.

With just five minutes gone in the second half Christains struck again. Just as the rain arrived, Christians who had plenty of early possession in the Crescent half made it count, taking a lineout inside the 22m line and driving inches from the line, spraying left they were held up but O’Shea spotted a gap and struck their third try, his conversion missed the mark again but with a 15-3 lead, the hosts were well on top.

Luck was just not on the hand of Crescent, as they searched for the reply, they ended up being halted shy of the line Awarded a penalty on two occasions they opted for the tap and go approach, powering every inch to break that CBC rearguard, in the end the side from Leeside cleared the danger. 

Christians were down to 14 men temporality when Michael Foy was shown a yellow card, Crescent saw their opportunity and made sure to take points.

With 56 minutes elapsed Crescent managed to get over for their try. After numerous phases again camped shy of the line, they opted for the far touchline with Cusack spraying to Ryan Scanlon and the winger marched his way over the whitewash. Cusack missed the conversion which followed, 15-8 the margin.

Just as it looked like momentum was with Crescent after that try, minutes after the hour mark, the Limerick school were punished for not rolling away and the Leesiders had a penalty in a scorable position. O’Shea with three important points for a double digit lead. 

That proved the final score in a closely fought contest, Christians booking their ticket for successive Munster School Senior Cup Finals.

Post Match:

Tommy Crowe