Heart-stopping victory for Coláiste Mhuire rugby side

Coláiste Mhuire 28, Ardscoil na Tríonóide 27

In a Leinster League Final that delivered drama from the first whistle to the last, Coláiste Mhuire Mullingar emerged victorious in a heart-stopping one-point win over Ardscoil na Tríonóide at Cill Dara RFC, on Tuesday April 29.

With clear skies and a packed crowd in attendance, this clash of determination, skill, and resilience provided a fitting finale to the season.

Ardscoil na Tríonóide made an early statement, striking within the first five minutes with a well-executed blindside move to score the game’s opening try. The conversion attempt drifted wide, but the early 5–0 lead put Coláiste Mhuire on the back foot.

Coláiste Mhuire wasted no time in responding. At the 10-minute mark, Oisín Gavin crossed the whitewash following sustained pressure. However, the conversion was missed, leaving the sides level at 5–5.

The momentum swung again five minutes later when Ardscoil split Coláiste Mhuire’s midfield defence with a clinical line break. This time, the try was converted with ease, making it 12–5. Coláiste Mhuire remained composed and struck back through Ben Thornton, who capitalised on territory gained from a penalty to score a crucial try. Yet again, the conversion was missed, narrowing the score to 12–10.

In the final play before half-time, Ardscoil took advantage of an overlap to run in their third try, sending both teams to the break with the scoreline at 17–10 in favour of the Kildare side.

Coláiste Mhuire returned to the field with renewed energy, thanks in part to an impactful half-time team talk. They were immediately awarded a penalty, which Luke Tully calmly slotted over to bring the score to 17–13. Minutes later, Tully tore through the Ardscoil defence to touch down under the posts. He converted his own try, swinging the lead in Coláiste Mhuire’s favour for the first time at 17–20.

But Ardscoil would not go quietly. Another flowing attacking move ended in a converted try, restoring their advantage at 24–20. Coláiste Mhuire nearly responded with one of the moments of the match - full-back Zak Bates made a dazzling solo run from deep before kicking ahead and chasing down his own effort. The crowd erupted as he dived for the line, seemingly scoring a stunning try. However, after a lengthy discussion between the referee and touch judge, the decision went against Bates, with officials ruling that an Ardscoil defender had grounded the ball first to deny the score.

Refusing to be deflated, Coláiste Mhuire kept their heads up. Their persistence paid off when Liam Enright finished a superbly worked phase of play to score a crucial try. The conversion was missed, but the 24–25 lead gave Coláiste Mhuire a narrow edge once more.

Ardscoil’s discipline began to falter, and they were shown a yellow card for repeated high tackles. However, Coláiste Mhuire soon found themselves under pressure and a yellow card was issued to Jack Britton Kenna for a deliberate knock-on inside his 22. Ardscoil took the opportunity to edge ahead again, converting the resulting penalty to lead 27–25.

As the clock ticked down, Coláiste Mhuire launched one final surge. They were awarded a penalty for offside, and once again, it was Luke Tully who stepped up with nerves of steel to slot it through the posts - 28–27 to Coláiste Mhuire.

The final minutes were tense as Ardscoil camped deep in the Mullingar side’s half, desperately searching for a winning score. A crucial tackle by Greg McDonnell halted their attack just metres from the line, and despite Coláiste Mhuire being reduced to 14 men following a yellow card for Callum McHugh due to the team's multiple offsides, their defence held firm.

With Ardscoil pressing on the 10-metre line in the dying seconds, a handling error saw the ball knocked forward. Coláiste Mhuire won the resulting scrum, and Tully fittingly sealed the victory by booting the ball into touch.