Munster Junior Plate Semi Final
7th April 2005 By Munster Rugby
Cobh Pirates travel to Cashel on Sunday for the second semi final of the Munster Junior Plate. A place in the final against Muskerry is up for grabs.
MUNSTER JUNIOR PLATE SEMI FINAL PREVIEW
Cashel v Cobh Pirates Cashel, 2.30pm, Sunday 10th April 2005
On Sunday, Muskerry will find out who they will face in the final of the Munster Junior Plate with Cashel at home to Cobh Pirates in the remaining semi final.
Cashel won their first ever provincial title earlier this season with a spirited victory over high fliers Nenagh Ormond in the Munster Junior Clubs Cup. With the prospect of collecting more silverware this season, Cashel will be focused on taking control early on and exploiting the benefits of home advantage. With such players as Captain Edward Leamy and brother Kevin Leamy in the back row, stalwart Pat O Donoghue in second row and prop Timmy Moloney in the engine room, Cashel have plenty of ammunition. Winger Greg Ryan notched a hat trick of tries against Bruff in the quarter final, with Munster Junior Pat O Connor at full back giving Cashel strength in every quarter. In the first round, Cashel defeated Thurles on a 25-15 margin, while they disposed of St. Senan s in the second round by 35-14.
Cobh Pirates will be hoping to come back from the disappointment of losing out on the Munster Junior League First Division title in which they were beaten by Nenagh Ormond on a narrow 14-9 margin. Having been knocked out of the Munster Junior Cup by Cork Constitution, they had a resounding 20-5 win over Mallow in the first round of the Plate, followed by a 7-5 victory over Clonakilty in the second round. Their quarter final clash with Youghal was a tough game, with Pirates claiming a 20-17 victory to land them the semi final place. With talented key players such as outhalf Brendan Ronan and fullback Niall Whalley in top form, Cobh Pirates will be confident of putting on a determined performance. In the pack, they will be relying on back row players Brett Abramson, Karl Keating and Ian Dunne to spearhead the attack.
