KILKENNY College has had a long, distinguished and, sometimes, interrupted, history. Few sources exist about the early history of the college and, hence, scholars disagree as to its exact origins.

It is accepted by most scholars that Piers Butler, the 8th Earl of Ormonde, founded Kilkenny Grammar School to replace the School of the Vicar's Choral in 1538, the date which is generally regarded as the foundation date of Kilkenny College.

From the 1690s to around the time of the Act of Union in 1800 the school flourished and it acquired a reputation that was on a par with the top public schools in England. This period is often seen as the school's 'golden era'.

Jonathan Swift, novelist William Congreve and philosopher George Berkeley attended Kilkenny at this time.

In 1989 all buildings, classes and activities of the college were provided on a single campus on the Castlecomer Road and it is on this site that Kilkenny College senior cup sides planned and executed their journeys to the Leinster Schools Senior Cup semi-finals in 2000 and 2001 when they were beaten by eventual winners Clongowes Wood College and Terenure College on both occasions.

This is the story of one day in the history of Kilkenny College in the words of those who matter most, the players and students.

STEPHEN FALLON (6th year prefect) I feel fortunate to have 'enjoyed' the game from the locker room and the stands. I travelled up with the team.

My experience on the bus up was exactly how I had expected it to be. Personalities remained much the same.

The extroverts poked fun at each other, while the more reserved people retained their airs. As we got closer to St Mary's College (for a run out), I noticed the atmosphere grow increasingly tense.

For the past week, people had worn a bemused, slightly incredulous look on their faces, one that generally read "did we really draw with Blackrock?" and "do we really have a second chance to stick it to them?"

CRAIG RONALDSON (Out-half) After our draw with Blackrock the previous week, I wasn't really sure how to react, knowing that we would have to go through it all again in little over a week's time. So, I spent the weekend before the match practising my kicking, determined not to let my teammates down with a bad kicking display.

On match day, we had a run out at St Mary's and I went through the same kicking routine, finding that I was striking the ball well which relaxed me greatly. On the way to Donnybrook, I really started concentrating on the task ahead. The build-up to the match flew past. We found ourselves in the dressing room with our coach, Jeff Carter, handing out the jerseys. The adrenalin was now pumping inside. As we ran out onto the pitch, and heard our supporters cheer, it only increased.

MATT RUDDOCK (Squad member) Ten minutes before kick-off, Mr Willis, the senior boys' hockey coach, came to the changing room to talk to us.

He gave one of the most inspirational speeches I have ever heard - the kind to put ice in your mind and fire in the pit of your stomach. It made me want to put my life on the line to win the game for the school and the team.

STEPHEN YATES (Centre) I sat in the dressing room, looking down at my laces. It was hectic, people getting strapped and changed. Just before we went out, it went quiet. 'Rock! Rock! Rock!'

was all that could be hear coming through the wall. This was it. The quarter-final replay against Blackrock.

I had never been more nervous. It took a few tackles to calm me down. The hit on Jason Harris-Wright really got me going. When Craig (Ronaldson) scored the first try, I remember thinking that they were really going to come back hard.

Half-time was relaxed. Ben Horan called us together one last time. I remember thinking it could be the last time we ever did this. I was going to do everything I could not to let that happen. I'm only in fifth year, but the fear of losing, of it being the end is strong.

CRAIG RONALDSON The first-half was mostly a blur. I remembered getting a pass from Wesley Carter to score in the corner and a few tackles on the wingers.

Early in the second-half, they scored, but we answered quickly with a try of our own from Ben Horan. We were holding out at 14-13 when Gary Rynhart had to go off with a bad injury. We decided to win it for him.

We had played 13 long minutes of injury-time withstanding attack after attack when I heard a sharp blast from the referee's whistle.

My head dropped and I felt sick knowing all our hard work during the year had gone down the drain with their full-back having a kick in front of the posts.

I felt for their kicker knowing the kind of pressure he was under, but there was no way he could miss. I didn't watch him. I heard his boot connecting with the ball at the same time as looking over towards the Rock fans, who were celebrating.

I then looked to my left and noticed a few of the lads jumping up and down. I couldn't understand it until I had been told he had missed.

I couldn't believe it. I began to leap up and down uncontrollably as I realised what had just happened. We had beaten the 66-times winners of the Leinster Senior Cup.

KEITH DAGG (Hooker) My most enjoyable moment of the day was when the final whistle was blown. Just standing there on the pitch, not fully registering what we had accomplished, and seeing all of our supporters running onto the pitch to congratulate us. Everyone shouting and screaming with joy, being carried on shoulders. Almost being worshipped. It shows it means as much to them as it does to us. Now, we just have to concentrate on the task at hand. Take it game-by-game and go all the way.

GEORGE BEATTIE (Tight-head prop) I guess if you asked the players what their highlight was, it would be very hard to pinpoint a moment. For some, it would be putting on the jersey while others would pinpoint a tackle or a try that they never thought they could pull off and every time you think about it you get that feeling of pride deep inside.

The memory I will always carry is the pride I felt at the end. Ever since I was 12 years old, I watched the senior cup team train and I dreamed of being one of them. As I came up through the school, I saw them as heroes, but, as the final whistle was blown, before everyone rushed onto the pitch, I looked around and I saw into the eyes of heroes, my 14 brothers.

It was in that moment I realised what Kilkenny and, indeed, schools rugby is all about. It is not victory, although that is sweet. It is knowing that when you are on the pitch you have fourteen people who are willing to die for you. As brothers in arms, we don't go out to play a game. We got to battle. We fight to win. We fight for pride. Most important, we fight for each other.

My name is George Beattie.

I am tight-head prop on the Kilkenny College SCT of 2007. Win, lose or draw.

MATT RUDDOCK When the game and the celebrations were over, the Blackrock captain Shane Rogers came to talk to us. I was impressed by the guts that he showed in coming to us, choking back the emotion. I felt a surge of pride in the knowledge that we had beaten a team whose strength of character and dedication was personified in their captain.

STEPHEN FALLON While the players had little time to take in their surroundings, Keith Deacon and I were lucky enough, throughout the course of the day, to have taken a few moments, to zone out entirely, and ask ourselves if this marvellous event unfolding before us was really, genuinely happening. Were we, the 70-1 hopefuls, beating Rock in a bloody game of attrition that lasted for 140 minutes and spanned 12 days.