A superb individual display by Blackrock out-half Conor Sharpe made sure there was no way through for a persistent St Michael's team in the semi-final of the Leinster Schools' Junior Cup at Donnybrook yesterday.
Sharpe not only scored all Blackrock's points but consistently got them out of trouble with his accurate reading of space and options. He was given plenty of support by full back Peter Leonard and right wing David Kilty. Even with the more impressive pack, St Michael's found making their possession pay a real battle and matters weren't helped by a couple of missed penalties early in the first half. As the running abilities of Sharpe and Graham Creevy became increasingly evident, it wasn't long before Blackrock started to threaten.
Their first score just on the 13 minute mark, however, was most unexpected. Kilty's breaking run ended with the ball rolling over the dead ball line, but St Michael's quick drop out was too unpredictable even for themselves and proved fatal. It landed straight in the hands of Sharpe who shifted through the off-guard defence all the way for the corner try.
Sharpe took full advantage of the two penalties which came his way before the end of the half and his precision increased the lead to 11-0. Yet St Michael's were unfortunate to be that far adrift. They briefly found their way back into the game soon after the restart when out-half James Byrne had the first chance of a breakthrough but his quick flick and chase ended with an unlucky bounce. Gareth Dixon and Michael Lawlor also improved the flow of ball through the backs, although the points were eventually claimed from the forwards.
A succession of drives ended with a scrum 10 metres from the line and number eight Jonathan Rockett had the strength to lift and run the ball under the posts. Galvin Doyle failed with the conversion and from there on Blackrock strengthened their grip on the game.
Fifteen minutes from the end, Sharpe completed his total with his third successful penalty, brought about by the increase of St Michael's unforced errors. He was called on again to make a number of long clearances before the conclusion, but at that stage Blackrock were well on the road for a place in the final on Sunday week.
BLACKROCK: P Leonard; D Kilty, B Canavan, G Creevy, M O'Sullivan; C Sharpe, T O'Leary; N Ledbetter, N Crowley, B J Leahy, G Curry, J Tevlin, D Johnson, J Mannion (capt), C Treston.
ST MICHAEL'S: G Byron; G Doyle, M Lawlor, C Geoghegan, (capt), G Dixon; J Byrne, R Cushion; B Maher, K Moran, J Coyle, G Maguire, D Carroll, S Maguire, J McCarthy, J Rockett. Replacement: B Cleary for Byron (43 mins).
Referee: T Duncan (ARLB).
