Their first try arrived when centre Paul Kiernan made a great break, just inside halfway, and linked with the supporting Foley to his right for a fine score which Tector converted. Replacement scrum half Foley really upped the tempo of their play. Into the second half, Mark McHugh’s charges came out like a different beast, aided by the presence of both Foley and Dooley. Patrick Campbell infringed on the ground after a Joey Szpara surge, earning a yellow card and Tector split the posts. They retained possession close to the posts, despite a near steal from Lansdowne’s James Kenny, and worked it wide to the right where Hayes had a simple finish in the corner.Ĭusack’s classy conversion put 14 points between the sides, but Lansdowne had a timely spurt just before the interval.
Gearoid Prendergast’s men followed up with an excellent team try, the best bit seeing centre Harry Fleming worm his way through and get an inviting offload away for Munster’s Keynan Knox to almost barge his way over.
Cusack opened their account with a 26th minute penalty, having missed an earlier effort, before Hayes kicked off the try scoring in style. The second quarter was a real purple patch for the Cookies. The hosts were met with big hits from Young Munster forwards Tom Goggin, who also stole a couple of lineouts, and Dan Walsh, but Tector opened the scoring with a well-struck penalty. Lansdowne did have the lion’s share of possession, with young out-half Tector threatening with a couple of chip kicks over the top. The first quarter was relatively uneventful and both teams were well set up in defence. The fact that it was being played on the Aviva’s main pitch really added to the occasion. There was a real sense of excitement heading into this Division 1A duel given that both teams were three from three. Nonetheless, the talented Hayes made sure he got the decisive score of a thrilling game in the 63rd minute, completing a memorable hat-trick at the home of Irish Rugby. Charlie Tector converted both to add to his two earlier penalties. However, the hosts responded in impressive fashion, scoring tries through Leinster duo Cormac Foley and Peter Dooley during the opening 11 minutes of the second half. Hayes scored his second try out wide just a few minutes later, with Cusack increasing his contribution to seven points with both conversions. The strongly-built former Connacht Eagles winger accelerated through from halfway, arcing away from Lansdowne full-back Liam O’Sullivan’s challenge to thunder in behind the posts. This Energia Men’s All-Ireland League heavyweight encounter really sprung to life in the 31st minute, as Cookies out-half Evan Cusack put Hayes through a gap with a lovely inside pass. Photo Gallery: Lansdowne 20 Young Munster 24
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