T GERARD’S BAG QUARTER FINAL SPOT IN SCT WITH VICTORY OVER CUS.

St Gerard’s deservedly beat CUS in a tactical affair at Stradbrook yesterday .
CUS played the first half with a strong wind behind them that gave them a huge tactical advantage.
However it was St Gerard’s who scored first early when Steve Crosbie slotted his first penalty after just 5 minutes from just outside the 22 metre line in front of  the posts. With the head wind it must have felt like 40 metres!

Less than 5 minutes later a penalty was awarded from a similar spot that Crosbie duly kicked.
CUS retaliated well on around the 20 minute mark with a good try in the corner which their out half failed to convert.
A CUS penalty followed shortly thereafter  from sloppy St Gerard’s play that gave CUS an 8-6 edge.
St Gerard’s regrouped and just before half time, after a good run of cohesive play Steve Hackett Delaney charged over to give Gerard’s a slender 11-8 lead going into the interval.

Jack Conan ( grandson of Boss Conan a teacher in late 1960s and son of a past pupil) was a colossus at No 8. Feeding great ball to his scum half often when the set scum was under pressure.

With the wind at their backs St Gerard’s always looked the stronger in the second half. An early try by Oisin O’Neill  secured the two score lead that always had CUS on the back foot fighting an uphill battle. Crosby’s boot was a bit off in the second half but he did manage to kick a penalty with 10 minutes to go leaving his side 19-8 to the good. CUS did respond with a solid effort of constant pressure that resulted in an well deserved and executed try 2 mins before regulation. St Gerard’s very cleverly kept the ball in the forwards and held on to possession for most of injury time, and victory was theirs!

There were moments of slick well timed and executed play but also patches of slopping tackling and unnecessary knock ons. This team looks like they have more to give and we look forward to their next
encounter agains. final score 19 -13.

Next Match V Kings Hospital

on

Tuesday 15th Feb at 15:00

Donnybrook.

ST GERARD’S — D Simmonds; C Shiel, J Desmond, R Martin, I Byrne (R O’Brien 45); S Crosbie (capt), C O’Rourke; S King, O O’Neill, D Murray; H Wojnar (J Roberts 45), J Prendergast; S Hackett-Delaney, D Symes, J Conan.

CUS — R Magee; S Bodkin (B Kiely 41, J Fallon-Doran 62), D Beakey, J McAllister, C Driver; M Hiney, T Guiry (D Moore 47); J Bodkin (D Gahan 47), B Keelan (M McCann 18), T Doyle; M Beakey (Foster 69), N Foster (K Cooke 62); K Beakey, A Quinlan (D Byrne 64), R Sheedy (capt).

REF — E Kenny (IRFU).

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