Jes boys recover to take title

Date Published: {J}

Coláiste Iognáid 23

Sligo Grammar 13

Rob Murphy at

the Sportsground

THERE is no stopping the Jes. Time and again, they go away re-invent themselves and come back to the well for more. A new team with its own personality emerged this season after last year’s comprehensive defeat to the Grammar, and they completed the comeback trail in Wednesday’s final at the Sportsground to win their 12th Connacht Schools Senior Cup.

The success brings them joint second on the all-time winners list, tied with their city rivals St Joseph’s, Galway. They have been the dominant force of the past two decades and they proved as much here, coming back from a 13-3 deficit after 20 minutes and powering to victory in the second half.

Holders Sligo Grammar came into the contest as underdogs with just one of last year’s starting line up still in situ. They didn’t appear overawed, however, and with the wind at their backs dominated the opening quarter with some hair raising rugby and two memorable tries. The start had the neutrals stunned and the favourites rattled.

Out half Colm Egan was their spark throughout and he got the ball rolling with a long range penalty. Robert Butler responded with a drilled kick into the elements to level matters but two tries in three minutes rocked the Coláiste Iognáid to the core.

The first came from a scrum on the 22 and was started and finished by a break from number eight David Heath. The attack from the scrum focused on the short side, three phases later the sniping and hugely impressive Enda Gavin found a gap at the fringe broke through and brilliantly offloaded to Heath.

The second try was instigated by a superb Colm Egan turnover in the tackle, the out half ripped the ball away and then found himself in the clear. He rounded the first defender, made 30 metres before drawing the cover and releasing the supporting John Healy who sprinted home having run a brilliant line. A high quality try for a 13-3 lead.

The Jes began to settle in the second quarter of the contest and the rising penalty count against Sligo Grammar told a tale of a side under more and more pressure. With half time approaching the count was 8-2 and when a lineout in the 22 was dragged to the ground, referee Karol Collins had no choice but to send Diarmuid O’Dowd Hill to the sin bin for his team’s transgressions.

From the resulting penalty, Coláiste Iognáid tapped and went with powerful blindside Michael Burke crashing over and Butler converting. That narrowed the gap at half time to just 13-10 turning around with the elements.

For more, read this week’s

Galway City Tribune.