Terenure’s Seven-Try Success Sends Them To The Summit

Terenure College’s terrific start to the new season continued with an emphatic 47-12 victory over Cork Constitution at Lakelands Park.

ENERGIA ALL-IRELAND LEAGUE MEN’S DIVISION 1A: Saturday, October 8

TERENURE COLLEGE 47 CORK CONSTITUTION 12, Lakelands Park
Scorers: Terenure College: Tries: Jordan Coghlan, Harrison Brewer, Craig Adams, Callum Smith, Caolan Dooley, Adam La Grue, Conall Boomer; Cons: Callum Smith 6
Cork Constitution: Tries: Billy Scannell, Greg Higgins; Con: Aidan Moynihan
HT: Terenure College 47 Cork Constitution 0

Scoring all seven tries inside the opening 40 minutes, Sean Skehan’s men had a couple of maul efforts from Jordan Coghlan and captain Harrison Brewer. There were further scores from Craig Adams, Callum Smith, Caolan Dooley, Adam La Grue and Conall Boomer.

A stunned Cork Constitution trailed 47-0 at half-time, but did improve during the second half and gained some consolation with tries from Billy Scannell, off a lineout maul, and Greg Higgins.

Terenure College came out of the traps quickly, not waiting around before opening their account for the day. Some good back-line play got them motoring into opposition territory.

The ball made its way out to the wing and into the unlikely hands of hooker Levi Vaughan, who was like a tank in motion before he was stopped illegally by a high tackle.

Terenure, now just a few metres out from the try-line, opted to kick to the corner. The decision paid dividends as they scored an unstoppable maul try, grounded by number 8 Coghlan. Smith added the extras for a seven-point lead with just a couple of minutes on the clock.

‘Nure looked so dangerous in the first half, every time they touched the ball there was a sense of inevitability about them breaking through. Centres Colm de Buitléar and Peter Sylvester were helping to provide that attacking shape all game.

They crossed the whitewash twice more inside the opening quarter, but not before Cork Con had almost scored. Harry O’Riordan and Cathal O’Flaherty got the visitors over the gain-line, and captain Aidan Moynihan’s offload out of a tackle had Higgins driving toward the line.

John Beamish crashed it up close, yet second row Brewer was well positioned to bite down on the ball at the breakdown and win a clearing penalty. The pace of the game was unrelenting at times.

In the 12th minute, a smart chip kick from Adams was followed up with a brilliant chase from de Buitléar who swallowed up O’Riordan, earning the home side another penalty in a dangerous position.

In very similar fashion to their opening try, Terenure’s well-drilled lineout drive did all the work. Coghlan brought down Vaughan’s throw, the surge came through and Brewer got the grounding. Smith converted again from out on the left.

A few minutes later ‘Nure were in again to make it 21-0. Some lovely twinkle-toed running from La Grue earned their entry back into the 22. Their red zone efficiency was brilliant all day and this visit was no different, resulting in a try for in-form flanker Boomer.

Cork Con had chances to respond, yet Alan Bennie was able to pinch possession at the back of their scrum and a subsequent lineout throw from Scannell was crooked. Instead, ‘Nure reached the half hour mark with the bonus point in the bag.

A slick midfield move off a lineout sent Adams scampering through. His pass went airborne, with Michael Hand and La Grue unable to claim it, but it fell into the waiting arms of Dooley who finished off neatly in the right corner.

Try number five followed soon after. This time Vaughan steamrolled them back into the Con half. Quick recycling and nice hands kept the move going, before Brewer’s pull-back pass invited Smith to dummy and ghost through a gap to score at the posts.

La Grue then intercepted a pass from Munster’s Paddy Patterson to scorch over from the Terenure 10-metre line, and Adams squeezed in the seventh before the break.

It was a surging midfield break from Smith, who finished with 17 points, that set up Adams to dash towards the left corner. He fended off George Coomber initially, absorbed the full-back’s tackle and twisted his way over to touch down.

Smith’s superb touchline conversion proved to be ‘Nure’s final scoring act. Credit to Jonny Holland’s Cork Con team, they dominated possession for most of the closing half despite a yellow card.

An early knock-on thwarted Con, but a Higgins turnover penalty launched them forward in the 45th minute and the resulting lineout maul delivered five points for Scannell. Moynihan converted to the right of the posts.

Right on the hour mark, Con looked on the cusp of a second try. Their maul was causing some damage, yet ‘Nure’s tackles were sticking and Higgins, launched forward from Patterson’s quick tap, was held up over the line.

Bruce Matthews’ sin-binning for a high tackle saw Terenure win some territory back at last, and they were a whisker away from scoring again. De Buitléar spearheaded a great team break but replacement Sean McNulty was held up by Hand.

Con’s persistence paid off with a 76th-minute try that took them into double figures. Moynihan hung up a kick which gave Higgins a straightforward finish, nipping in from the left corner.

TERENURE COLLEGE: Adam La Grue; Caolan Dooley, Colm de Buitléar, Peter Sylvester, Craig Adams; Callum Smith, Alan Bennie; Marcus Hanan, Levi Vaughan, Adam Tuite, Harrison Brewer (capt), Michael Melia, Conall Boomer, Luke Clohessy, Jordan Coghlan.

Replacements: Sean McNulty, Liam Hyland, Michael Murphy, Adam Melia, James Thornton, Henry McErlean.

CORK CONSTITUTION: George Coomber; Daniel Hurley, Harry O’Riordan, Greg Higgins, Michael Hand; Aidan Moynihan (capt), Paddy Patterson; Brendan Quinlan, Billy Scannell, Luke Masters, Sean Duffy, Cathal O’Flaherty, Matisse Lamarque d’Arrouzat, John Beamish, Jack Kelleher.

Replacements: Tadgh McCarthy, Alessandro Heaney, James Murphy, Andrew Treacy, Louis Kahn, Bruce Matthews.