Club News Weekending 8th September 2007

A round up of the latest club news from around the province, including details of the honour bestowed on the GAA’s Sean Kelly by Shannon RFC

GARRYOWEN FC NEWS
Christopher Barry PRO

Garryowen got off to a flying start in the International Amateur Tournament in France by winning their opening game against Languedoc/Roussillon 20-6 in Limoux near Carcassonne on Tuesday. The Irish Champions had the benefit of the strong wind in the first half and took the lead in the 9th minute. Following a peel off a lineout on the 10m line, the ball was moved quickly to the right wing where Ciaran O’Boyle rounded his man for an excellent try. Out half Alan Kinglsey landed the conversion from the touchline. The French side replied with a drop goal but the crucial score came on the stroke of half time. Kevin Hartigan burst through the defence from a blind side scrum on the 22m line where the supporting Kingsley took the inside-pass and offloaded to Conan Doyle who touched down behind the posts. The exchanges were teak tough but the Irish lads were up for it. A penalty for the home side reduced the deficit to 14-6 in the 50 minute but Kingsley eased the Irish representatives to calmer waters with a further penalty (53minute) and a drop goal on 60 minutes. Languedoc fought back to score a converted try in the 65th minute but there was no denying the boys from Dooradoyle. When the final whistle sounded, they were camped deep inside French territory. Greig Oliver and his charges can now move on to play Romania on Friday night with confidence of a good run in this the inaugural staging of the amateur competition.
Team: W Staunton, C O’Boyle, C Doyle, K Hartigan, B O’Shea, A Kingsley, D Ryan, R Brosnan, P Humphreys, D Lavery ( L Og Casey 60m), E Mackey, D Sheehan, P Neville (capt), A Kavanagh (B O Mahoney 65m), P Malone.
Scorers: C O’Boyle try,C Doyle try, A Kingsley 2 con, pen, dg.

SHANNON RFC

Andrew McNamara PRO

A week into the season and already it seems as of we were never away. Activity is high in all sections of the club with the U/6’s right through to seniors in training. On Sunday Coonagh was a hive of activity, but with the All Ireland hurling final in Dublin, numbers were expectantly a little lower than usual. Already though we have had underage sides in action, with the U/15’s kicking off their league campaign on Wednesday evening with an excellent win over Young Munster in Coonagh. It’s great to see the U/15 league kick off so early as it affords the schools players who will be cup tied later on a chance to lineout with their clubs. For our own side they couldn’t have gotten off to a better start. 31 points to 10 victory over the visitors to Coonagh is a good omen for the team. Five tries in total were scored with Michael Darcy setting out our stall early with a fine try. He was followed by Raymond Barron and then Keith White crossed twice, one either side of Alex McNamara’s effort. Two Conversions by Cormac Ryan and one from Mark Leonard rounded off a most satisfactory evening on the field. The satisfaction of winning was slightly overshadowed with concern over one of our players, Shane Considine who was injured in a tackle, but fortunately he was well catered for medically and is expected to make a quick recovery. We wish him well.
At U/18’s level we have, for the first time in quite some time representatives on the Munster youths with Luke O’Dea, Craig Phayer and Aidan O’Donovan all in contention for representative honours. Also, at schools level Brain Downey and Robert Guerin are involved in the Munster schools squad. We wish them all the very best in the endeavours.
Last Saturday our seconds advanced to the next round of the Transfield cup in impressive fashion with a 25-3 win over Old Crescent. Jason Cronin Captained the side for the day and capped an excellent performance with a try while Mark Tuohy, having just landed after Holidays was another to impress with an excellent game. New Boys Paddy and Leonard O’Sullivan were quick to pick up the club style and infused well with their new colleagues. It was also great to see Shane Mullally back to rugby action after his sabbatical with the Limerick Hurling panel. Given the early start to the competitive season, coaches George Murray and James Hickey can be more than pleased with the prospects for the season ahead.
The next round takes place this Sunday at 3pm against Thomond in Coonagh
On Friday evening last the seniors had their first outing when they travelled to play Bruff in a training game.
Many new players to the club donned the jersey for the first time and several of last season’s U/20’s were also involved which again is very encouraging. Fiach O’Loughlin was reacquainted with the black and blue jersey and looked as if he was never away. Although Bruff outscored us by two tries, the result was immaterial to both sides as each gained very useful game time with plenty of hard physical contact which was as good as several training sessions. This Friday evening they play Thomond in the Charity Cup in Coonagh at 6.15.
The Thirds were beaten by Thomond in a challenge game in Coonagh on Wednesday evening and they may feel a little disappointed given they had plenty of possession. It was, as with the seniors an excellent run out and despite missing several key players, Locky still had several on the replacements bench.
Training for the thirds takes place this Tuesday evening in Coonagh at 6.45 and new players are more than welcome.
As usual, the call for club subscriptions will be a regular feature n the notes and Registrar, Ger Mc Closkey is the man to contact on 087 2745926 or uniquehardwoods@eircom.net
Last week in the notes I failed to point out two very high profile appointments for Club personnel. Few people are unaware that Former club Chairman Gerry O’Loughlin was elected as President of the Munster Branch and we take this opportunity to publicly wish Gerry all the very best for the season ahead. Gerry is a man with great vision and an in-depth knowledge of the club game in Ireland and during his tenure he will be every much focused on the domestic game in Ireland. It’s a fantastic honour for the club that a Shannon man will hold office during such an invigorating and exciting time for Munster. A Shannon man already held the ERC cup aloft as Captain and it would be wonderful if Gerry as president could once again raise the cup. We live in hope.
Another appointment to the highest office in Munster in his chosen field sees Tony Wallace become President of the Munster Association of Referees. Again, a wonderful honour for the club and a well deserved accolade for Tony. He has always represented Shannon with great dignity, both on and off the field and there’s nothing to suggest in his new role anything will change. Congratulations and the best of luck for the coming season Tony.
Referees may well infuriate the biased supporters at times, but whether justified our not, we urge all of our members, players, coaches and supporters to respect every referee in every game. They too give their time freely to the sport we all love, and without their participation our games, quite simply would not take place at all levels

Front: Oige Moran, John Leahy (Ex Offico), Sean Kelly, Juliet Kelly, Jack O’Driscoll (President Tralee RFC)

Middle: Thady Coughlan, Anthony Foley, Dick Spring, Tadgh Crowe (Hon. Secretary), Brian O’Brien, Tommy Rowan ( President),

Back, Pat O’Connor (Chairman), Arthur Spring, Liam Cleary.

Shannon RFC Cross Codes and Recognise GAA’s Sean Kelly.

Few will argue that the opening up of the world class facility that is Croke Park to Rugby and soccer internationals whilst Lansdowne Road is being redeveloped has, without out doubt been a resounding success

The goodwill felt by all of the rugby fraternity towards their GAA counterparts is immeasurable, and as a token of Shannon RFC’s esteem towards the brave move by those GAA personal it was decided to honour the man who is credited as being the driving force behind the arrangement.

Immediate past President of Cumann Luthchleas Gael, Sean Kelly was awarded an Honorary Vice Presidency and Life Membership to Shannon RFC at a recent function at the Fels Point Hotel in Tralee.

In the presence of such luminaries as former Tainiste Dick Spring, Kerry football legend Oige Moran, former International Manager Brian O’Brien and European Cup winning Captain Anthony Foley, Shannon’s ex offico John Leahy led the delegation from the club and on behalf of the members of Shannon RFC made the presentation.

Mr Leahy spoke of Shannon’s and indeed Irish rugby’s long association with Kerry and the quality of rugby players that the Kingdom has produced over the years, none more so than current Shannon senior Coach and International rugby Legend, Mick Galwey.

Of Sean Kelly, and his enormous contribution to Irish society, Mr Leahy said "Here was a man who understood the new Ireland and the great changes which were taking place,…….. and a man who knew what people wanted and acted accordingly with vision, pragmatism and foresight."

The gesture was the brainchild of two ex club presidents , former Mayor of Limerick Thady Coughlan and former Ireland and Lion’s player Colm Tucker and with the unanimous backing of the Executive Committee of Shannon RFC Sean Kelly was bestowed with one of the clubs highest honours.

Shannon RFC and said that he was accepting on behalf of a great number of people within his association who worked tirelessly towards the arrangement between the main sporting bodies in Ireland.

He went on to express his long standing admiration for the club which has won eight All Ireland League titles and also acknowledged Shannon’s major contribution to Munster’s and Ireland’s recent success.

He wished Shannon all the best for the season ahead and said he was looking forward to seeing his "new Club" in action soon.

Limerick is a city, and county where all codes of sport are followed by the same people, and in recognising Sean Kelly’s pivotal role, Shannon RFC are proud to represent those people, and the countless others who will benefit from the GAA’s generous gesture.

For further comment or detail please contact

John Leahy…….. Ex Offico 086 2452730

Andrew Mc Namara…Press Officer 087 2717163

OLD CRESCENT RFC
Pat Rickard PRO

As the schoolchildren return to school for another year of learning and our wet summer turns to a thankfully drier autumn, our thoughts return once again to rugby and another season of action. Our AGM was held in late May and the following were elected to serve on the committee of the club for the current season:

President – Tony Murray
Senior Vice President – Glen Quin
Hon Sec – Dale Harrow
Hon Treasurer – John Earls
Hon Fixtures Sec – Pat Reddan
Munster Branch Rep – Brian Nolan
Media Officer/ Asst Hon Sec – Pat Rickard Registrar – Michael Larkin Under Age Chairman – Pat Liston Finance Chairman – John Neville Grounds Chairman – Liam Keehan House Chairman – Dermot Mc Govern Rugby Chairman – Tom Barry Ways & Means Chairman – Dan Gallery Ex Officio – Frank Larkin Other members of committee: Joe Nix;Jim Keane;Billy Leahy;Chris Cullinan;Bobby Mulrooney & Terry Clancy

The club ran its first Summer Camp for 7 to 14 year olds in July and was very successful. Thanks to all that worked to make it happen.
The annual Pig N Porter tag rugby festival took place in mid July and despite the poor weather on the day a very enjoyable day was had by the many players and supporters who visited the club. Many Thanks to Eugene O’Riordan and his team for another year of dedicated work in ensuring another successful event.
The club also hosted the inaugural Munster club 7s tournament in mid August and it is hoped that this will also become a summer fixture at the club in the years to come.
The annual golf classic took place at Limerick Golf Club in mid August and the winners were Gerry Reynolds and the Takumi team. The most recent Car Draw took place on the evening of the Golf Classic and the winner was Rory O’Donnell.

On the rugby front, our pre season was completed by the visit of Llandovery to Limerick to play the annual Linda Cantrell Memorial Cup game. Similar to last year, the visiting team won the match by a narrow margin and we look forward to travelling to Wales next season to regain the trophy. The first competitive match of the season took place last weekend with the 2nd XV playing Shannon in the Transfield Cup. It took the first half to shake off the rust of the off season and at the interval we were 23 points to 3 behind. Our side’s performance improved immeasurably in the second half and the only score in this period was a single penalty goal for Shannon to leave the final score 26 points to 3.
The only team in action this weekend are the 1st XV who commence their season with a Charity Cup game against Young Munster on Saturday at 2.30pm.
Our under age rugby commences this Sunday with training at 9.45am for the under 6 to under 12 age groups and 11.15am for the under 13 to under 16 age groups.

UL BOHEMIAN RFC
Denis Ryan PRO

The season opened with success in The Meteor Sevens Tournament, the title shared between UL Bohs and Cork Con. Then a team largely comprised of U-20 players, but leavened with some experience in the pack, took on the Munster U-20s as a training exercise for both. Munster came out on top by 24-12.
Finally, the competitive season began, and it hardly comes more competitive than Young Munster in the Transfield Cup in Clifford Park. The home side paid holders UL Bohs the compliment of fielding an extremely experienced side so the victory by 13-5 was fully appreciated by the UL Bohs players and management. Captain, Cathal O’Neill suffered an ankle injury in the warm up, so Sean O’Gorman resumed his leadership role and led from the front all day. Others to star included Frankie Leonard and Michael Long. Mark Butler crossed for the UL Bohs try, while outhalf Aidan McNulty put over two penalties and a conversion. The reward for the win is a quarter final against Richmond in Annacotty on Sunday at 2.30pm.
The First XV will also be defending a title when they take on Nenagh in the Charity Cup. The game is scheduled for Annacotty at 2.30pm on Saturday, with the squad depleted due to injuries to Brian Madigan, Ryan Hartigan and Richie Feeney.
Alan Frahill has and the 3rd XV resumed training at the UL Grounds. Training will be held there every Tues and Thurs at 7pm until further notice. New players should contact Alan at 086-3890598 or Marcus O’Neill at 087-6796706.

CARRICK ON SUIR RFC
Colin Bartley PRO

Carrick claim cup win over Clan
Carrick 18 – Clanwilliam 0

The grass underfoot on the sideline was raked and sodden, but it made way for action on the immaculate turf of Tybroughney. The whistle blew, it blew again. The club treasurer screamed "Ah what’s that for ref". A light chuckle from the crowd, "Ah it’s good to have the rugby season back" Carrick’s own Johnny Drohan was heard to mutter.

A fine day, a fine setting and ultimately a fine win for Carrick in the first round of the Garryowen cup. The 18 – 0 defeat of Clanwilliam was as good a start to the season as anybody connected to the club could have asked for.

The first half was a very tight affair and scoring chances were at a premium, in fact so much so that the pressure applied by both teams became more of a lesson in defensive duties. There was the odd break and the momentum of continuity, more so coming from the Carrick team, but it was obvious that early season lack of familiarity had a lot to do with the breakdown in possession.

A candid talk at half time from Carrick skipper Willie Stokes made reference to the fact that not only had Carrick kept a Junior 1 side scoreless for the half, we had more than competed on their lineout, scrum and above all their breakdowns. If confidence to stride on from there was needed, the point was made.

A focused team took to their positions on the resumption and straight away Carrick put Clan under all sorts of pressure. The ball moved from their own ten metre line to the opponents 22 through clever decisions and a will to recycle quick ball. Jamie Steele, Carrick’s scrum half, called in some of the packs big runners with John O’Keeffe, Evan Stanley and John Phelan all moving the ball forward, the rest of the pack always in attendance to secure rapid movement form the break down. The ball was moved out the line a few metres inside the Clan 22. Emmet Lonergan, the outhalf delivered a beautiful flat pass to centre James Wallace. He broke the first tackle, moved off his left and evaded and out-sprinted the next two defenders to go under the posts. He converted his own try.

At 7-0, Clan manage to hold Carrick in their own 22 after the kick off. Clan put Carrick in scramble defence mode and were agonising close to the line on three occasions. The patience of the Carrick defence and cohesion of the forwards defensively saw three driving mauls from Clan rebutted close to the line. After a fantastic last ditch tackle by Noel Phelan, Clan knocked on. From the scrum, and an excellent scrum by the front row, Eddie O’Donnell cleared the ball to the ten and Carrick were virtually untroubled after that ten minute spell.

Two penalties by J.P Wallace extended the lead to 13-0. The penalties came from sustained pressure and a difference in fitness levels which saw Clan trying to slow the progress of the Carrick eight.

Close to full time a flowing move down the right initiated by a catch and run by Shane O’Keefe saw the ball being moved wide to the left of the field. The handling saw J.P Wallace nearly making the corner with his brother James in close attention. The forwards were alive and there quickly. The Clan defence was scrambling and on the backfoot, a great surge and maul saw the evergreen Jamie Walsh get over the line for a deserved 18-0 victory.

The post match huddle was honest and refreshing. Carrick had won, but realised there were mistakes and moves that have to be worked on. The work the team have put into pre-season was evident, but it is just a foundation! The attitude was good, the fitness was better but there is a lot still to be done.

Carrick had three debutants on their first 15 and all made an impact. Evan Stanley, J.P Wallace and Sean Fitzpatrick all added greatly to the cause. Next week it is Kinsale at home in the challenge cup. Another performance like that will give the club a good idea of what is needed for the league this year.

In addition, the club and players recognise the work that Richard Kennedy has put in with the team in preseason. So a big thank you from everyone you have worked with and made pass out in the club.

Carrick 1st 15 v Clanwilliam

James Heffernan (Eddie Barry h/t), Willie Stokes (C), Alan Murray (Benny Woods 75 mins), Evan Stanley ( Brian Phelan, 60 mins), Sean Fitzpatrick, John Phelan (Roger Gough 70 mins), Jamie Walsh, John O’Keefe, Jamie Steele, Emmet Lonergan, Shane O’Keefe, James Wallace, Noel Phelan, JP Wallace, Eddie O’Donnell.
Subs not used, Dean Cleary, Stuart Murray.

KILLORGLIN RFC
Aidan Clifford PRO

Membership for Killorglin Rugby Club is open for the 2007/08 season. Killorglin RFC always welcomes new members, both playing and non-playing, to follow the ongoing development of the club as it has been promoted to Junior League 1 status this year. For a club that reformed only eight years ago, this is a great achievement. A full membership of the club costs €30, a family membership costs €50, and juvenile membership costs €10. The club would also like to meet anybody interested in under-age coaching. Anybody interested can contact club PRO Aidan Clifford at 0879065927, or alternatively leave a message with club secretary Madeline Foley (066) 9762102.
Senior Team training takes place every Tuesday at 7pm and Friday at 6:30, at the Dragon’s Den All-weather pitch on Iveragh Road. New faces are always welcome and the club is happy to introduce new players to the game of rugby.
Training of Juvenile teams will takes place every Saturday at the Dragon’s Den. Under12-16s trains at 11am and the Under 18s train at 1pm. All players are welcome to play. For information, contact Youth Officer John Costello on 0863558185
Tag Rugby has finished for the summer. Thanks to everyone who took part and we look forward to seeing you again next summer.