Mellett sees off Connacht
Leinster 34
Connacht 0
Castleknock College's Michael Mellett stormed over for a pair of tries to put Leinster on the road to a bloodless win against Connacht in the Schools (U-18) Inter-provincial Championship at Donnybrook yesterday.
It was one-way traffic from the start, as out-half Jody Crosbie knocked over four penalties and right wing Mellett powered through a non-tackle to set up a 17-0 advantage by the 20th minute.
Flankers Dan Leavy and Conor Kilcoyne were central to sending Mellett away for his second before captain Luke McGrath picked up loose line-out ball for a 50-metre stretch to the line to make it 27-0 at half-time.
The fizz went out of it until wing Mark Roche made it try number four at the end of the third quarter, Crosbie's conversion creeping over off the post.
Leinster -- J Fitzpatrick (Gonzaga); M Mellett (Castleknock), C McEllin (Blackrock), R Kavanagh (St Michael's), M Roche (Blackrock); S Crosbie (St Gerard's), L McGrath (St Michael's, capt); E Byrne (Clongowes Wood), A Murphy (St Michael's), A Boland (Blackrock), J Sexton (St Mary's), G Thornbury (Blackrock), C Kilcoyne (Blackrock), D Leavy (St Michael's), L Satchwell (King's Hospital). Reps: K Murphy (Pres Bray) for Boland, B Howard (CBC Monkstown) for Mellett, both 53; D Shanahan (Belvedere) for McGrath, 59; J O'Neill (Castleknock) for Sexton, 60; M Rodgers (CBC Monkstown) for Fitzpatrick, 61; J Conroy (Belvedere) for Byrne; C Grant (Newbridge) for Murphy, both 65.
Connacht -- P O'Dwyer (Roscrea); M Cleary (Pres Athenry), R Henshaw (Marist), D Leader (St Joseph's), R Keegan (Summerhill); R Keller (Garbally), C Joyce (St Jospeh's); B Teape (Marist), T Ferrari (Sligo Grammar), J Devers (Rice, Westport), C Ryan (Rice, Westport), D Heath (Sligo Grammar), S O'Brien (St Calalsanctus), P Hackett (St Calasanctus), R Cummins (St Joseph's). Reps: C Fitzgibbon (Marist) for Keegan, h-t; A Gibbons (Sancta Maria) for Keller, D Donnolon (Clongowes Wood) for Ferrari, both 51; A Glynn (St Joseph's) for Teape, B Digby (Marist) for Joyce, both 54.
Ref -- G English (IRFU).
Irish Independent
