Rice College did enough on Tuesday to retain the Supermac's Connacht Schools Junior Cup, discipline the over-riding feature of Tuesday's replay.

In near tropical conditions, Rice College Westport and Sligo Grammar's youngsters battled temperatures just below 20degC, and each other for the duration. The March 14 first-up final nearly went Grammar's way 10-3 before Rice flyer Diarmad McGreal skipped through in extra time to go within two, and allow skipper Tom McHale to add the extras and draw scores level.

The 6-3 scoreline in Westport's favour second time around came down to kicks, although Grammar captain Matthew Cosgrove only missed the one.

Rice opened the game with the afterburners in hyperdrive, dangerous given temperatures were already near 20. Having hemmed Sligo in their lefthand corner, Rice won a penalty, opted for the tap ahead of the scrum, and lined up the usual suspects for a crack at the chalk. Unforgivably, the charging runner put the ball to ground at least two metres from the defence, and Sligo breathed again. 

Even more bizarrely, Rice won the ensuing tighthead, number eight Jack Cashman peeled off the back but on the ground forced a pass straight into the support-runner's knees. Sligo made no mistake with the next one, and cleared 55m downfield.

Rice's reluctance to play the patience and percentage game may well have sunk them if not for a close goal-line call which went against Sligo right on the Rice line. Rice found themselves in the same lefthand corner early as Sligo shoved flanker Conor Burke over the line. Rice earnt themselves a reprieve in the form of a five-metre scrum holding up two attempts at the line, Sligo failing to hammer home the advantage thereafter five out.

Attacking play was few and far between, Rice's Eyna Varley responsible for two scything runs, and Sligo nine Ryan Feehily dangerous throughout the 60 minutes, be it kicking, distributing or stopping advancing Mayo men. Continuity was non-existent, McElwee preferring caution with bodies on the ground than waiting for the unseen ball to appear.

Backchat gifted Tom McHale 10m grace on one occasion, and he duly obliged by slotting the resultant goalkick. Rice too were not immune, suffering for voicing their own frustrations with 10minutes to go.

That little separated these two sides is a given. Ten-all in the first game and a three-point distinction in the second says much for each's ability to snuff out opposition scoring chances. Tuesday's fixture came down to discipline, and Westport's relatively clean off-side and ruck record said much for their victory.

And while experience may not be a word overly common in schools junior rugby finals, four Westport players won their second medals this week. Captain McHale, James Dowd, Niall Feehan and Conor Burke.

While Rice College's Varley, Sean Brogan, Dowd, Burke and McHale deserve special mentions for their efforts in broken play, Sligo's scrumhalf Ryan Feehily was leagues ahead of anyone else on the paddock. Feehily should become a staple feature of Grammar's senior team, if not the schools League and Cup finals. The shame for Feehily, and the Sligo supporters, was that Rice simply had more contenders nipping on his heels than did his own Grammar team.

Sligo IT Hosts National Schools Blitz

Sligo IT hosted more than 500 children Friday, March 9.

Youngsters from 24 schools flocked to the Connacht's northernmost blitz for a great day of touch rugby. The blitz is an annual fixture on the Connacht calendar - a Sligo RFC and Connacht initiative geared toward sparking rugby enthusiasm in its youngest demograph.

Run in co-operation between Connacht Rugby and the Sligo Sports Partnership, Blitz organiser Ross Mannion said the Blitz was a fitting finish to a winter which has taken in more than 30 schools in the Sligo catchment.

Touch rugby is a non-contact variation of the traditional game, similar to tag rugby and focuses on ball-handling, spatial awareness, and athletic competition.

"It was a great day for all involved, all the children and teachers were brilliant and a credit to their schools and families. Everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves," Mannion said.

"Hopefully we'll see a lot more of them in the coming years playing rugby with Sligo Rugby Club." Mannion also thanked teachers and principals for their input and encouragement.

"We are indebted to the Sligo Sports Partnership too, they make any sort of community event like this an absolute breeze at our end and pretty much shoulder any logistic headache. They do a great job."

Aside from Connacht Branch personnel, Sligo's Summerhill transition students James Hampson and Darren Harte also slotted in well as assistants. (contributed - Ross Mannion)

Marist Athlone secured the Supermac’s Connacht Schools Senior League and Cup double courtesy of December and March finals finesse.

Coach Mick Loftus was typically circumspect about the magnitude of this achievement, but a tiny smirk betrayed the tough veneer, Loftus only too aware history had long toyed with the Midland mob.

“I guess, it’s well, you know what it is. It’s…yeah. It’s pretty good.”

Loftus' charges were no strangers to success having hoisted silverware earlier this winter, but the last time Marist claimed Cup honours was in 1977. That bogey no longer looms, Wednesday’s victory further sweetened by the fact Sligo Grammar featured opposite.

“To do it is a big ask, the double doesn’t happen very often. But to do it against a decorated rugby college, one of Connacht’s finest, well it’s thrown us right on the middle of the map. We’re now one of Connacht’s “rugby” strongholds,” he said after the game.

Of the match itself, it was a titanic struggle of men and might, no better characterised than by those leading. Grammar skipper Thomas Ferrari is part of the First XV furniture these days, one of the most capped premier schoolboy footballers in the province. He has busted, bruised and broken himself on near enough to every ground in the Connacht catchment, and did himself (and his team) justice on Wednesday.

Machine-cut as a mobile front-rower, Ferrari played out this final (and the December league stoush) in the back-row, and looked every bit as useful there as any on the paddock. While he spent much of his afternoon defending a well-oiled Athlone engine room, his ball-carrying deep in Marist territory drew three and four defenders and he was unfortunate not to ground one over the line.

Opposite him was the always-safe and oft-devastating Robbie Henshaw, (13).

His winter has been one to remember, peppered with provincial honours and international caps, a league title and follow-up cup victory. Despite various under-age call-ups beyond the Supermac’s Connacht Schools competition, he looked every bit a livewire schoolboy come full-time, relishing the win and the realisation of a dream which started three years ago.

Defensively, Marist had the edge throughout, denying extra inches come contact time. They too asserted more control in the midfield, Henshaw’s right arm proving meddlesome in broken play, his reach alone keeping would be tacklers at bay. Using it several times in the same phase, Henshaw's piston said in not-so-many-words "if you're going to tackle me, you best do it properly." It is a rarity in any grade to see ball-carriers dictate the terms of the tackle, and on Wednesday Henshaw was very much in charge.

Ably-backed by man mountain Ryan Sheridan the pair of them comprised a major problem for the Grammar brains trust.

Sligo needed to be at their best. In set-piece, they were. Scrums gave little to either side, except clean (but slow) ball, and lineouts were disappointing for both sides.

The most even match-up of the day was at the back of the scrum, Grammar nine Enda Gavin orchestrated all distribution with a wisdom belying his 17 years, and Marist’s Robert Ashe every bit the little general opposite. While they never met head on, each showed serious mettle against hulking opposition and would have drawn little if any criticism for their respective performances.

Marist opened their account seven minutes in, Kevin Cooper scorched through fractured defence from 12m out cutting back on the angle to score 18m in from the right hand touch. The kick went astray. Their second try (from Cooper's brother Brian) came late in the first half, again on the 15m line, albeit the other side of the pitch, slick hands and superior numbers the telling factor.

Counting against Sligo was a poor goalkicking performance from the usually-reliable Colm Egan. He sent two wide in the first half, and on winning a confidence-boosting penalty “gimme” 16m from the posts in line with the left upright bizarrely sent it wide. It didn’t get any better for Egan shortly after when headgeared second-rower Diarmaid O'Dowd-Hill beat two, drew two and gifted a short ball to Egan with enough pace to at least break the line if not take him the four or five steps to the tryline, and he spilled it short of the contact.

Too many errors stunted Sligo continuity, and a failure to adequately cater to Marist’s dangermen hindered Grammar’s opportunities to stretch tiring defence.

Marist made fewer mistakes, surrendered territory on occasion preferring possession instead, and trusted their heavies to hang on to it. And hang on to it they did. Whereas Athlone’s superbacks shone sporadically, Wednesday’s victory came in large part from the executive engine room which performed anonymously

– but effectively – from the opening whistle to the very end. A complete Marist performance from one to eight (plus subs), stifled any real Sligo opportunity beyond third and fourth phase.

That said, with a Supermac’s junior league title, and a cup final berth in the replay, Sligo’s First XV glory days may return soon enough.

When Rice College landed at The Sportsground on Wednesday they did so to upset the Sligo Grammar junior League/Cup double campaign.

After 60 minutes of normal time they failed to do so, 10-3 down with time up on the clock. The next three minutes however yielded half a fairytale finish as Westport centre Diarmuid McGreal skirted cross-field to sideline screams imploring him to pass. He ignored the soundtrack, mixing his own instead.

Ten metres from the Clann Terrace sideline he dashed 90degrees to his right, shot through the Sligo Grammar cover-defence and weaved his way to the tryline.

His five points put Westport’s youngsters within two of the Grammar contingent and one conversion away from a replay. Team-mate, captain and kicker Tom McHale, who had not enjoyed an overly productive day with the boot, struck it nicely. A moment off the tee it never looked like missing.

Grammar’s double will have to wait.

The Supermac’s Connacht Schools Junior Cup final pitted League champions Sligo Grammar against a resurgent Rice College outfit who looked the more cohesive on attack throughout, but failed time and again to retain possession long enough in the face of desperate Grammar defence.

Grammar, by contrast, was the more sizable pack but hovered too long and too often in towering talisman Matthew Cosgrove’s shadow.

Cosgrove as eight, captain, and kicker (both goal and clearance) two-tried his way to victory over Castlebar’s St Gerald’s in December’s League final. Nine minutes into Wednesday’s final, he looked about right to repeat the feat scoring within minutes of a blistering run down the right-hand touch.

Rice kicked into overdrive off the restart stung by the cheap score and no doubt the realisation if four had failed to stop Cosgrove six metres out, they best commit five.

Eight minutes later Rice posted their first points, a Tom McHale penalty to narrow the gap to four. Cosgrove sought to extend it at 22minutes when he opted for the shot 41metres from the Rice line. His mighty strike, straight as a die, cleared the bar by about a metre and a half, seven points now the deficit with seven minutes left in the half.

Rice again returned the blow with interest. For the remainder they camped deep in Sligo’s redzone, and even crossed the line but robust wrap tackles denied the score. Two missed penalties hung heavy over the Rice halftime show.

The second half proved slow for those on scoreboard duty but arguably made for better viewing than the opening thriller. Rice, confident in their abilities to create more as a 15, adopted a kitchen sink approach throughout the final 30. Grammar, wary of a wounded Westport, devoted much of their second half energy to preserving a lead rather than extending it. To their credit, they did so for the duration, but for the final play.

McHale, who had struggled in the first half with his line spraying two either side of the uprights, added the extras and the despondent Grammar could do little else but watch it sail through the posts and await the replay.