Dramatic Draw in Leinster Schools Senior Cup Final Sends Blackrock and St Mary’s to Replay

TALLAGHT STADIUM – A last-minute conversion by Blackrock College captain Luke Coffey secured a dramatic 24-24 draw against St Mary’s College in the Bank of Ireland Leinster Rugby Boys Schools Senior Cup final on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, forcing a replay at Energia Park next Monday.

A Gripping Contest at Tallaght Stadium

In front of a crowd of 8,736 spectators, Blackrock and St Mary’s battled to a standstill in a thrilling encounter. Blackrock drew first blood with a third-minute penalty from Coffey, extending their lead to 10-0 after 23 minutes with a try from Harry O’Neill, also converted by Coffey.

St Mary’s Fight Back

St Mary’s responded through Eoghan Brady’s try, converted by Paul Neary, before Bernard White’s late first-half try, again converted by Coffey, gave Blackrock a 17-7 lead at the break. But, St Mary’s mounted a strong comeback in the third quarter, mirroring their semi-final performance against Terenure.

Daniel Tourish, Nicholas Sheehan, and Conor Cantwell were all involved as St Mary’s clawed back the deficit. Neary converted both tries, and then added a penalty with eight minutes remaining to give St Mary’s a 24-17 advantage.

Last-Gasp Drama

With time running out, Blackrock launched one final attack. Hooker O’Neill made a powerful run down the right flank, creating the opportunity for Cian McCarron to score in heavy traffic. Coffey then calmly slotted the conversion, leveling the scores and sending the game to a replay.

Coaches Reflect on Intense Final

Blackrock head coach Justin Vanstone acknowledged the difficulty of preparing his players for the replay, stating, “Whoever deserves to win on the day deserves it.” He added, “They’re going to have to reflect very quickly, focus on recovery and just see this as a great opportunity again.”

St Mary’s head coach Kieran Moloney echoed this sentiment, describing the game as a “rollercoaster” and expressing confidence in his team’s ability to perform in the replay. “We’re still 70 minutes from a Cup,” Moloney said. “We’re no closer than we were already.”

Team Lineups

Blackrock College: C McCloskey; A Vetjens, J Browne, B White, A Aschenbrenner; P Scally, L Coffey (capt); L Magee, H O’Neill, B Guerin; C Power, G Eggars; C McCarron, P Agnew, T Keaveney. Replacements: R Kenneally for C Power (47 mins); R Keogh for P Agnew (51); L Golden for L Magee (53); L Hill for Keaveney (57); L Kelly for B Guerin (63), S Moloney for P Scally (67).

St Mary’s College: J Kelly; C Maguire, C Cantwell, D Tourish, N Sheehan; P Neary, J Fogarty; T Quigley, J Christle, D Kenny; E Brady, E Farrell; M Egan, A McGauran (capt), S Thornton. Replacements: J Whitty for M Egan (47 mins).

Referee: Jack MacNiece

Scoring Summary

Blackrock: H O’Neill try, B White try, C McCarron try, L Coffey 3 cons, 1 pen.

St Mary’s: E Brady try, D Tourish try, J Christle try, P Neary 3 cons, 1 pen.