PBC added another accomplishment to mark themselves out as a special generation by inflicting a record 54-point whitewash on their fierce rivals CBC to sail into a seventh consecutive Munster Schools Senior Cup final.
Christians may have been the reigning champions, but Pres have been installed as hot favourites since winning the NextGen Global Schools Challenge Premier Rugby Series in Spain.
They have backed up that status by sweeping their six games to date with an average score of 52 points, while conceding a combined total of 39 across seven hours of rugby.
They avenged last year’s final defeat with eight unanswered tries, including three intercept efforts. Two of those were supplied by winger Bobby O’Callaghan.
St Munchin’s stand between them and further silverware back at Virgin Media Park in three weeks’ time.
Christians featured four of last year’s Senior Cup final-winning pack, but entered without their starting half-back pairing. Scrum-half Dave O’Connell was injured, while fly-half Conor Mulvihill was fit enough to be named on the bench after suffering a broken wrist.
Once Pres got the ball into their hands, they looked dangerous. With their first attack, they went down the blindside before Frankie Óg Sheahan was stopped five metres short. With their second, they scored.
Good work from Daniel Murphy, O’Callaghan, and Sheahan earned back-to-back penalties inside the 22. Tom Murray secured the line-out and their maul went to work, delivering Ronan Twomey’s fourth try in two games. Murphy slotted the conversion.
A Murphy grubber kick almost released Olan Healy down the right flank, but the winger knocked on before grounding the ball. When Christians botched their clearance, it presented Pres with a five-metre scrum. Off the second phase, David Nolan found Murphy, who stepped through the stretched defensive line to score before adding the conversion.
A Pres worry emerged when Twomey was withdrawn from the field before having his shoulder strapped up. Replacement hooker Nathan MacCarthy would later depart after suffering a similar blow.
As if having to deal with Pres wasn’t enough, Christians were their own worst enemy at times. In both the 26th and 30th minutes, just as they appeared to be gaining territory and momentum, loose passes were intercepted by O’Callaghan. The left winger couldn’t be caught either time, sprinting away for 70- and 90-metre run-ins and leaving Murphy with the simplest of conversions. They led 28-0 at half-time.
It didn’t get much better for Christians after the break. They ran the bench with six early changes. A brilliant move involving Caleb McKinnie and replacement half-backs Mulvihill and Darragh Twomey appeared to have released the latter towards the line, only to knock on under pressure.
In the 47th minute, Pres picked off a third intercept try with Eddie Dooley robbing the ball on his own 10 before winning the footrace to the far corner. Murphy’s conversion came up short in the wind.
Sheahan produced the best try yet in the 54th minute. After turning over possession, the hat-trick seeking O’Callaghan broke down the left before scrum-half Sheahan grubber-kicked through to touch down. Murphy’s conversion made it 40-0.
Murray and McKinnie were sin-binned on either side before Pres came again for one final flourish.
From an improvised attack, a hole appeared for Healy to exploit for try number seven. Nolan added the extras.
The fly-half created another try in the last play. His dink from the halfway line connected with Alex Moloney, who managed to kick ahead to break the half-century mark. Nolan tapped over with the final act.
: PBC: Tries: R Twomey, D Murphy, B O’Callaghan 2, E Dooley, F Óg Sheahan, O Healy, A Moloney; Cons: D Murphy 5, D Nolan 2.
: D Murphy (L O’Brien 66); O Healy, A Moloney, H Galvin-McCarthy (G McSweeney 51), B O’Callaghan (D O’Leary 55); D Nolan, F Óg Sheahan (G Coughlan 66); F O’Sullivan (M Riordan 66), R Twomey (N McCarthy 24) (J Healy 60), D Sheehy (M Fitzgerald 63); T Murray, C Bruhn (R Dillon 51); E Dooley, C Bohan (B Waters 52), R MacFarlane-O’Shea (capt).
: A O’Shea (J Martin 41-47) (M O’Leary 51) (S O’Flynn 69-70); D Barry (S O’Flynn 70+2), C Taylor, C McKinnie (A O’Shea 68), E O’Sullivan; C Walsh (C Mulvihill 39), S O’Flynn (D Twomey 24); S Fitzpatrick (C Murphy 41), D Guiney (T Kelly 55), K Manley (M Murray 55); M Manning (H McCarthy 39), D Mac Coitir (capt); R O’Sullivan (R McElwain 61), J O’Callaghan, S Healy (J Neville 41).
: P O’Connor (MAR).
