Belvedere’s reward for completing the last four of the Bank of Ireland Leinster Schools Junior Cup at Donnybrook on Sunday will be a shot at champions Blackrock.
They went about their business well from the outset, but were thwarted by the combination of the Newbridge defence and their sub-standard handling.
The starting points are possession and territory and Belvo’ were dominate in these areas to ask all the questions to which there were answers particularly in out-half Sam Cahill’s dispatch to touch.
This would not be near enough to make a game of it until Newbridge made their opponents think about tackling.
A counter from centre Daniel O’Connor claimed a penalty. It was sent to touch where a clean lineout was trucked up by captain Rob Scully.
O’Connor had the gas to get around the outside where it took a brilliant tackle by full-back Rory Dwyer to prevent a try.
Belvedere out-half John Meagher cleverly worked Cailean Mulvaney onto the ball, but the centre ran away from his support.
The game was beginning to open up, Newbridge wing David Higgins making a great read to stop the next attack.
The accurate long passing of The Bridge backs looked to have put Ethan Lyons through a hole only for referee Gary Glennon to stop play to caution Mulvaney for a tackle.
It took another smart intervention from Higgins to prevent centre Adam Feely from finding the overlapping Cian Rogers as the Northsiders got closer to their goal.
Then, Newbridge’s O’Connor was about as lucky as you can get for just seeing yellow for a severe tip tackle.
The Belvo’ pack was stung into action, almost taking a maul home before Scully somehow got his mits on the next 5-metre throw.
The breakthrough finally came from a scrum, the ball nicely spread right for wing Rogers to take advantage of their extra man to find the line in the 24th minute.
There followed a sickening double blow when number eight Aaron Coleman and Mulvaney made the dents that enabled fly-half John Meagher to wheel around behind the posts for Mulvaney to make it 12-0 in the 26th minute.
The impressive Scully was in on the ball again to force a knock-on.
