Garryowen captain Neil Cronin on a red-letter weekend for the Cronin family

Scrum half Neil Cronin finally got his hands on the Munster Senior Cup again following the trophies five year stint in Cork. The talented playmaker scored eight points from the boot and was instrumental in his side’s 18-3 victory over Limerick rivals UL Bohemian. You can watch the full game here.

He and his brother Liam both earned medals for Garryowen, while a day later their other sibling Sean won man of the match for Leinster, as the province secured a famous win over Montpellier to secure 6 wins from 6 in the pool stages of the Champions Cup for the first time in 15 years.

Neil says it was a great experience, especially for his parents, who had never seen all three of their sons win in such close proximity before.

“I’d say the people who are most delighted are my parents. It’s nice for them to see everything to go our way. My dad actually has a thing where he’s never actually seen us all win in the same weekend, so for them it’s lovely and for us it’s nice.”

The St Munchin’s teacher was part of the side that claimed the trophy back in 2012 but stated that this win, as captain was a far sweeter feeling, following some near misses over the past few years.

“It was brilliant, I was 18 when they lifted it last, I was part of the team but I didn’t feel part of it so it was more important for me this time to do it, especially as a captain. I’ve lost in two finals I’ve lost in two semi-finals it’s been six years coming, I can honestly tell you I’ve thought about it every year that’s all I wanted to win.”

Captain Neil Cronin speech following @GarryowenFC Munster senior cup win. Top performance from the scrum half tonight. pic.twitter.com/Z5ivDfpjco

— Luke Liddy (@LOLIDDY2489) January 19, 2018