Killaloe cruise to Junior title

RUGBY: Bank of Ireland Munster Girls Junior Cup final

St. Anne’s CC, Killaloe 46

Coláiste Íde, Dingle 0

Report: Thomas Conway at Musgrave Park

MATCH DIGEST

Player of the Match: Charlie Dillon (St. Anne’s)

SCORERS – St Anne’s CC Killaloe: Tries: C Dillion (3), Pearl, Hennelly (3). Convs: C Dillon (4) Pen: C Dillon (1)

Who would have known that watching a Munster Schoolgirls’ Junior Cup final could be such fun. The action on the pitch was one thing. St. Anne’s were comfortably the better side in this final, but in the stands they were comfortably the more vocal. The banter, the chanting, the non-stop chorus of song and applause, was altogether mighty. It contributed to the occasion and constructed an atmosphere not dissimilar to a packed house in Thomond Park or the Aviva or any other of rugby’s great citadels.

And evidently, the St. Anne’s players fed off the buzz. They played with verve and loose abandon, confronting Dingle with constant running and relentless movement. Their inter-play was second-to-none, their game management top class. They deserved every drop of this victory. Absolutely no question.

By the time Charlie Dillion snuck in for her second and St. Anne’s third try, on 27 minutes, the game had effectively ended as a contest. St. Anne’s were 15-0 up and looking virtually unassailable. And yet they continued to play with such raw passion and outright conviction.

Just two minutes later, Mia Hennelly would charge through the centre to pin down their fourth. Dillon nailed the conversion, shoving them yet further ahead. Dingle attempted to mount a revival, but it was just no use. This game wasn’t so much a game as it was a procession for the Killaloe school.

They were on the scoreboard within sixty seconds, courtesy of a sublime individual try from centre Mia Hennelly, and from there they never looked back. Playing a high-octane, high-tempo brand of rugby, they ran Dingle ragged, moving the ball rapidly from the back of the ruck and slicing through their opposition at every opportunity. Lucy Pearl dotted down a second try on eight minutes, breaking from inside the 22 and landing some metres right of the posts. Even then, at such an early stage, the Killaloe school were completely and utterly dominant. For Dingle there would be no route back, and although they exhibited the odd glimmer of promise, the disparity between both sides was glaring.

As for the second-half, it was a somewhat stagnant affair, with Dingle showing snippets of potential but never realistically threatening the St. Anne’s line. You had to feel for the Kerry school. They tried their hearts out, but they just weren’t up to it. St. Anne’s were a level above, something which was evident each and every time they carried the ball in hand. Dillon shot through to seal her hat-trick on 41 minutes, before zipping over another impressive conversion to send the East Clare school 29-0 up.

As the clock ticked down, the scores piled up. Somewhat like Dillon, Mia Hennelly, the St. Anne’s centre, was having a field day. She scored two further tries in the closing stages, completing a much deserved hat-trick and cementing the Killaloe victory.

But really and truly, it was Charlie Dillon who stole the show. The diminutive out-half turned in an awesome performance, also landing a hat-trick and staging a second-half exhibition with her kicking. Having missed her first several conversion attempts, Dillon seemed to grow in confidence as the game wore on, adjusting her technique and eventually landing several difficult placed-kicks amid sweeping wind and the occasional rain shower.

Ultimately, the 46-point winning margin reflected the sheer dominance of St. Anne’s, as opposed to the relative weakness of the opposition. This game was all about Killaloe, from start to finish. They were faster, slicker, and stronger, and for many of the players, this Junior Cup title may be only the start. The possibilities are infinite in the coming years. Watch this space.

TEAMS - St. Anne’s Community College, Killaloe: Aoife Coleman, Emer Gilmartin, Lucy Pearl, Mia Hennelly, Sophie O’Neill, Charlie Dillon, Grace Dillon; Amy Lynch, Clara Bigot, Emily Darcy, Muireann Houlihan, Isobel Quinn, Clodagh Ryan, Lauren Dowling, Tuathla Ryan.

Reps: Evie Hass for G Dillon (36); Meg Mulcahy for Houlihan (48), Ellie Hennelly for Darcy (51).

Coláiste Íde, Daingean: Katie Ní Cholgain, Alana Ní Shuilleabhain, Roisin Ní Dhonnchaidh, Cáit Ní Laoire Nic Aodh, Georgina Ni Chiarnain, Sheila Ní Laoire Nic Aodh, Caoilinn Ní Laoire, Lauren Brett, Shauna Ní Neill, Lillain Ní Loinsigh, Sophia Seymour, Lucy Nic Chártaigh, Lauren Ní Leamhna, Derville Ní Loinsigh, Annie Ni Raghailligh, Aoibhinn Ní Aodh Ní Riain.

Rep: Aoibhinn Ní Aodh Ní Riain for Ní Raghaillaigh (34).

Referee: Dave Carroll.