Young Munster's Bateman Cup final dreams shattered by Lansdowne

YOUNG Munster's hopes of claiming a first Bateman Cup final success for 94 years were dashed in a comprehensive 46-13 final defeat by All-Ireland League Division 1A rivals Lansdowne at Musgrave Park on Saturday afternoon.

After a quick-fire start which saw Munster Senior Cup holders Young Munster build an early 6-0 lead, Lansdowne hit back with two tries to lead 12-6 at half-time.

The winners, who sit in second place in Division 1A of the AIL, went on to rack up 46 unanswered points in all, crossing for five second half tries, with winger Sean Galvin finishing with a hat-trick of five-pointers.

Munsters' may have beaten Lansdowne 24-20 in their AIL meeting in Dublin earlier this season when injured winger Conor Hayes helped himself to a hat-trick of tries, but the Limerick side ended up being a well beaten outfit here.

Munsters' had beaten Lansdowne in their only Bateman Cup final success in 1928, but it wasn't to be on this occasion.

The success was Lansdowne's sixth outright win in the Bateman Cup final, while the Dubliners shared the 2020 title with Cork Constitution.

Young Munster, fifth in AIL 1A, were bolstered in their starting line-up for their All-Ireland final appearance by returning Ireland Sevens winger Conor Phillips and Munster prop Keynan Knox.

6ft 7in Munster Academy lock Eoin O’Connor featured at blindside flanker, and the Limerick side's back row options off the bench included Liam Neilan whose great-great grandfather, Fonnie Neilan, was Munsters’ 1928 cup-winning captain.

Backed by the breeze in the opening half, Munsters' made the ideal start when taking an early 6-0 lead thanks to two penalty goals from the boot of ever dependable out-half Evan Cusack.

The Limerick side's play-maker went into the final as the AIL Division 1A’s leading scorer with 105 points.

However, it didn't take Lansdowne long to hit back. The Dubliners were right back in the contest on the 15th minute mark when a passage of enterprising play involving backs and forwards resulted in a try for Michael Silvester.

The conversion was missed, so the Munster Senior Cup holders kept their noses in front at 6-5.

Lansdowne then hit the front just after the half hour mark when the AILs second-placed side created the opening for centre Andy Marks to score their second try of the final.

The successful conversion made it 12-6 to the 2018 Bateman Cup winners, an advantage they managed to maintain until half time with the rain sheeting down.

The quick-start Munsters' needed to the second half didn't materialise however and it was Lansdowne who notched the first points of the half when Sean Galvin put Silvester over for the Dubliners third try of the final in the 45th minute.

The conversion was missed, but Lansdowne's lead was out to 11 points at 17-6.

Even with 35 minutes of the contest to run, there was a feeling that Munsters' needed to score next to have a chance of overhauling their opponents.

However, it was the Dubliners who added to their tally when out-half Peter Hastie slotted a 55th minute penalty goal after Munsters' were penalised for holding on.

The final was then firmly put beyond Munsters' reach when inside centre Paul Kiernan scampered clear to score his side's fourth try in the 62nd minute. Hastie conversion pushed the Dublin 4 side 21 points to the good at 27-6.

There was time still for Lansdowne to cross for three more tries, including two for flying winger Galvin and one from out-half Paul Hastie, as the Leinster side eased to victory.

Munsters' did have the final say in the final when a powerful surge upfield from replacement Paul Allen created the opening for winger Conor Phillips to score.

Replacement Cian Casey also added the extras for the Limerick side.

Munsters' resume action in the Energia All-Ieland League on Saturday next when travelling to Castle Avenue to take on high-flying Clontarf.

The Bateman Cup, first contested in 1922 when Lansdowne beat Cork Constitution 6-5 at the old Lansdowne Road, has returned to the club rugby calendar after a Covid-19-enforced break.

Over a century ago, it was presented to the IRFU by Dr Godfrey Bateman in memory of his sons Reginald and Arthur who were killed during the First World War.

SCORERS: Lansdowne: Tries: Michael Silvester, Andy Marks, Sean Galvin 3, Paul Kiernan, Peter Hastie; Cons: Stephen Madigan 2, Peter Hastie 2; Pen: Peter Hastie. Young Munster: Try: Conor Phillips; Con: Cian Casey; Pens: Evan Cusack 2.

LANSDOWNE: Stephen Madigan; Sean Galvin, Andy Marks, Paul Kiernan, Michael Silvester; Peter Hastie, Cormac Foley; Frank Kavanagh, Luke Thompson, Conan Dunne, Dan Murphy, Ruairi Clarke, Clive Ross, Jack O’Sullivan (capt), Mark Boyle. Replacements: Paddy Nixon, JJ Hession, Ben Popplewell, James Kenny, Michael O’Brien, Joey Szpara, Corey Reid, Eamonn Mills.

YOUNG MUNSTER: Jason Kiely; Conor Phillips, Harry Fleming, Luke Fitzgerald, Conor O'Shaughnessy; Evan Cusack, Jack Lyons; David Begley, Dan Walsh, Keynan Knox, Tom Goggin, Sean Rigney, Eoin O’Connor, John Foley, Alan Kennedy (capt). Replacements: Mark O’Mara, Paul Allen, Conor Bartley, Bailey Faloon, Adam Maher, Cian Casey, Liam Neilan, Darragh Long.

REFEREE: Peter Martin (IRFU)