Club Notes: Week Ending 19.10.14

This week’s Club Notes come from Old Crescent, Bantry Bay, Thurles, Waterford City, Kilfeacle, Shannon, Clonmel and Nenagh Ormond.

Click here for Bantry Bay Notes.

Click here for Nenagh Ormond Notes.

Old Crescent

Courtesy of Frank Larkin, Club PRO

Pictured above: the Old Crescent RFC Thirds team that lost narrowly 10-11 to Richmond RFC in Gleeson League clash in Rosbrien last Saturday, October 11th.

Back row, l-r: Martin Kelly, Robbie Walker, Cathal Mooney, Billy Breen, Mike Manning, Billy Noonan, Kevin South, Sean O'Dea, Johnny Fitzgerald. Front row, l-r: Mark Kilkelly, Eddie McGonigle, Andrew Cunnane (Captain), Dave Dennehy, James Gaffney, Odran Power.

Waterford City RFC

Courtesy of Fintan Purcell, Club PRO

Munster Junior League Division 2: Waterford City 7 -11 Clanwilliam
City will be disappointed not to have their first win of the season from this game but did manage a losing bonus point. Conditions were perfect for rugby on Sunday and Clanwilliam, who are one of the favourites to win Division 2 held on for a narrow victory.

The visitors started playing with a high tempo in the first half which forced City to give away a number of penalties early on. Clanwilliam had 3 attempts on goal but were only successful with one. Clanwilliam had the better of possession and territory in a scrappy first half. The home side defended well though with Conor Power and Ryan Philips leading the tackle count in the backs.

The work rate and effort of the City side could not be questioned and they produced some good rugby midway through the first half which led to two kickable penalties, one of which Darren Walsh converted to level the game. Just before the break though City conceded a try, Clanwilliam built the phases and after attacking wide to the right touch line, they created an overlap wide left where the home team ran out of defenders and could not prevent the score. The conversion was missed leaving City 8 – 3 down at half time.

Whatever was said at half time though certainly had a big impact. Straight from the kick off the City pack secured possession and having punched through the visitors defence with some hard running and good support play, they spread the ball wide on the halfway line allowing the speedy Darren Walsh to get away down the wing, a nice pass back inside to young Ryan Philips followed which ensured the covering defender had no chance and Ryan was away under the posts for a fantastic try on his debut for the club.

City had the better of the 2nd half but Clanwilliam managed to add another penalty during the half. City pressed and looked dangerous in the last 10 minutes with a few half breaks but were frustrated by some poor decision making at times and struggled to win their own ball against a good Clanwilliam lineout throughout the half.

Despite a feeling it was one that got away, Waterford City will take a lot of positives out of the game and congratulations must go to Jake and Ryan Philips on their debuts for the club with Ryan picking up man of the match. Waterford City would like to thank their sponsors for this season Sun Life Financial, Brennan Catering Supplies, Kingfisher, The Three Shippes Bar and The Premium Butcher.

Under 18
Cashel 55-0 Waterford City

Under 16
Cashel 7-46 Waterford City

Minis Rugby
There is a blitz in Fethard RFC on Sunday October 19^th for minis. Kick-off is 11am and so there will be no training in Kilbarry.

Bantry Bay RFC

Courtesy of Andre Polivka and Denyse Scully, Club PRO

Bantry Bay back on home ground with a winning start – BBRFC 20 – Killorglin RFC 19
Bantry Bay RFC is delighted to have secured the use of Ballycommane Park, Durrus, Bantry from the Hickey family for home fixtures this season. The first competitive game took place there last Sunday when the Juniors hosted Killorglin RFC in their second league fixture in Division 3. Bantry Bay were coming off the back of a poor display a week earlier in Tipperary so the home team was in search of redemption and some form in order to kick start their league campaign.

With absolute perfect weather conditions and in front of a large home support they found themselves immediately in defensive mode and went behind early allowing the opposition to cross the try line after a well worked maul from a five meter lineout in under three minutes. The response from the home side was immediate, with the locals launching waves of attacks at Killorglin & this resulted in a penalty landed from long range by Albert O'Sullivan Green. This game was played at high tempo and a defensive lapse from Bantry saw the Kerry men cross the white wash and leading 12-3. Bantry came back strongly with some great back play to put their stamp on the closing minutes of the first half and great individual play from Pat Murnane earned them a penalty, again taken by kicker Albert O'Sullivan Greene to narrow the gap to 12-6 at half time.

The second half began much like the first with Killorglin's strong forward pack making gains and finding gaps which saw their skilful No.8 Andy Reilly scored his second of the day under the post to extend their lead to 19-6. The home team dug deep and buoyed by a strong & vocal home support they piled the pressure on their Kerry counterparts. A series of mauls & rucks on the Kerry line paid off as the referee showed a yellow card to the visitors for repeated infringements.

Bantry Bay took full effect of their extra man finding the overlap immediately to send Pádraig O'Driscoll dancing his way under the post converted by Albert O'Sullivan Greene. An upset was now firmly on the cards and the home team piled on the pressure and from a five meter scrum on the Kerry line, Seán O' Shea pounced on a loose ball to score Bantry's second try. The crucial but difficult conversion was slotted over excellently by Seán O'Shea too. The clock ticked down to full time, huge credit to the visitors they launched attack after attack earning them a life line in the form of a penalty in the dying minutes but it narrowly went wide. It was to be the home team's day and they were cheered off the pitch by the rapturous home support.

Team: Rory Hennessy, Joe Piggot, John O'Sullivan, John Hennessy, Albert O'Sullivan Green, Brian Keohane, Andre Polivka, Aedan James, Conor Tobin, Con O'Sullivan (Capt), Pat Murnane, Pádraig O'Driscoll, Paddy Sheehan, Alan McCarthy, Liam Lynch, Nathan Wycherley, Seán O'Shea, Coleman Keohane, Cian Hurley, Gareth Murphy & Damien Hicks.

Girls U15 and U18 teams compete in Shannon RFC 7s Blitz Day
Bantry Bay were delighted to have two teams again competing at the second of the 7s Blitz day in Shannon RFC. And what a difference a year makes – last year Coonagh was the first game fixture for the Bantry Bay girls and the skill, work rate and competitive skills shown on Saturday displayed the full scale of their development in just one season.

The U18s played two very high tempo games of rugby losing narrowly in their first game against Carrick on Suir but coming out ahead in a tough contest with Mallow RFC. The U15s again played three games with additional squad members from Carrick On Suir and Bruff joining them for the day. They lost their opening two games against Carrick on Suir & Abbeyfeale but finished strongly against Youghal displaying some great continuity & attack play. Both teams remain in contention as this series of Blitz Days continues with a trip Kerry side as Abbeyfeale RFC host on 25th October next. Many thanks to Ger Healy & Munster Women's Development Officer Amanda Greensmith for hosting another great day of games.

Good luck to the Munster Women's U18s team who have their next competitive games in Westmanstown, Co. Dublin next Saturday and in particular, we wish our Bantry Bay squad members Rachel Crowley & Yvonne O' Shea the very best of luck.

U18 Challenge v Clonakilty RFC
A delay in league fixtures did not deter our U18 team getting into action this weekend. A challenge game against West Cork rivals Clonakilty was played at Ballycommane Park. This was always going to prove a close game between teams who know each other well. Clonakilty had the best of the opening exchanges taking an early lead 19-0 but Bantry worked their way firmly back into the game with some great tries in front of their appreciative home support.

The game ended 24-19 in favour of Clonakilty and many thanks to their team & coaches for travelling over to us.

Bantry Try Scorers : Eoghan McElhinney , Fionn O'Driscoll & Tony Harrington. Two Conversions: Seán McCarthy.

Thurles RFC

Courtesy of Brian Scanlon, Club PRO

First XV:
Munster Junior League: Thurles RFC 24-3 Abbeyfeale RFC
Thurles RFC continued their winning start to the season, with their 3rd win on the trot in Division 2 of the Munster Junior League, picking up a winning bonus point along the way after running in 4 tries against Abbeyfeale.

With the sunshine returning to Loughtagalla on Sunday, it promised to be a more open game than the previous week against Ennis where the rain ensured a battle of the forward packs. From the offset, Thurles laid siege inside the Abbeyfeale 22 playing towards the clubhouse, with some good early runs from Adrian Bourke, Shane Fogarty and Donna Duggan providing some early problems for the away side.

Thurles put some great plays together with both the backs and forwards combining well as a unit, with Emmet Kavanagh and Dave Kelly making good yardage in attack. The Thurles pressure was relentless and after another attack from the forwards, the platform was set for the ball to be sent wide to the backs again but as scrum half Nicky Irwin was about to whip the ball out, he spotted the slightest of gaps in the Abbeyfeale defence to sneak in under the posts, with Eoghan O'Dwyer adding the extras for a 7-0 lead.

Abbeyfeale restarted, and from the resulting kick off, Thurles gift wrapped 3 easy points to the visitors by obstructing the run of a player, which the kicker had no problem slotting between the uprights for 7-3. For the remainder of half, it was nip and tuck between both sides, with Thurles dominant in the scrums, with Jason O'Mahony, Dave Kelly and Colm Skehan putting in great shifts.

Just before the break, Thurles found themselves putting together phases similar to the opening try, with Brian Lyons and Joey Kelly securing great ball around the breakdown. This time, scrum half Irwin decided to go wide, Aidan Dwyer hit Eoghan O'Dwyer with a wide pass and as the Abbeyfeale line came up, Eoghan popped a beautiful ball to send John Coman over in the corner for a well worked try, which went unconverted for a halftime score of 12-3 to the home side.

The second half kicked off and Abbeyfeale were starting to settle into the game with their pack looking for work around the edges which gave their out half with the clean ball needed to find field position with the boot. Thurles to their credit, were ably matched to deal with the pressure with nothing beating them out wide and the inspired Emmet Kavanagh leading the pack with carries and tackles having just returned from injury.

It wasn't all positive for Thurles though as sloppiness started to creep in, with a number of needless penalties given away. It was at this stage that coaches, Mark Butler and Kevin O'Dwyer decided to freshen things up with the ever improving Ger McCormack coming in at hooker and Larry O'Gorman and youngster Sam Devaney in the back 5 of the pack.

The men introduced picked up where their team mates had left off, the effort in the scrum was immense and the lineout was ticking over nicely. Peter Coman and Aidan Dwyer were pulling the strings out wide finding great field position for the forwards by putting boot to ball at various stages to launch another attack on the Abbeyfeale line.

Captain Brian Lyons, continued to work his magic in the lineout, turning over the opposition's lineout inside their 22, great carries from McCormack, Kavanagh and Dwyer set up for Irwin to go down the left where he met Donna Duggan with a pass, who with work to do, beat two defenders to battle his way over the line for an unconverted try to make it 17-3.

In the last quarter, Thurles began to turn the screw in search of the bonus point. Eoghan O'Dwyer made an unbelievable run the length of the pitch but with 4 men in support as he approached the line, the away sides full back did very well to unsettle the Thurles man as he summed up his option before a knock on being forced. Another try scoring opportunity was scratched off, somewhat unbelievably, after Aidan Dwyer had put through a beautiful grubber kick in behind the oncoming defence, Eoin O'Dwyer raced in behind to touch down uncontested, but as both teams began to position themselves for the conversation, the referee disallowed the try, claiming he didn't see the grounding of the ball to the amazement of the players and spectators.

Thurles didn't let this rattle them, they introduced veteran, Charlie Langley into the front row for the last ten minutes. The team as unit planted themselves once again on the attack with Kavanagh, Dwyer and Kelly making good inroads down the blind side. Coman was dictating proceedings from out half, feeding Langley and Devaney with ball in attack. From the resulting ruck, Irwin got his hands on the ball once again and delivered to Larry O'Gorman who was coming like a steam train with one thing on his mind as he ploughed over the Abbeyfeale line to secure the bonus point, with Eoin adding the extras to leave the final score at 24-3 to Thurles, who now find themselves in 3rd position in the League, just 1 point off the top.

This was a great win for Thurles who have made a habit of winning this season with this their 3rd on the bounce in the League. Our next game is away in the Munster Junior Challenge Shield against Presentation of Limerick at 2.30pm. The League goes on ice until the weekend of the 2nd November, to allow for Munster's European exploits, we are away to Castleisland on that date. Continued support for these important upcoming fixtures is appreciated by management and players especially.

Thurles Scorers: Nicky Irwin, John Coman, Donna Duggan, Larry O'Gorman (1 try each), Eoin O'Dwyer 2 Conversions.

Thurles Squad v Abbeyfeale: 1. Jason O'Mahony 2. Dave Kelly 3. Colm Skehan 4. Joey Kelly 5. Brian Lyons (c) 6. Donna Duggan 7. Conor Cooney 8. Emmet Kavanagh 9. Nicky Irwin 10. Peter Coman 11. John Coman 12. Aidan Dwyer 13. Adrian Bourke 14. Shane Fogarty 15. Eoin O'Dwyer 16. Ger McCormack 17. Charlie Langley 18. Larry O'Gorman 19. Sam Devaney 20. James Ryan.

Under 16 Boys: Thurles 12 Clanwilliam 7 (Friendly)
Thurles played Clanwilliam on Sunday in what was supposed to be the first round of the league but instead was changed to a friendly. Thurles had most of the possession in the first half but failed to convert it into scores, leaving it 0-0 at half time. It took a moment of genius when Conor O'Hagen intercepted a pass from Clanwilliam and touched down under the posts with the try being converted. Thurles struggled to control the game and let Clanwilliam back into it when missed tackles allowed Clanwilliam score under the posts and levelling the game 7 – 7.

Thurles worked their way up the field when Conor O'Hagen kicked the ball and it went into touch just inside the Clanwilliam 22. David Conway won the line out and the ball fell to Padraig O'Gorman who was tackled just short of the line and following a ruck Dillon Mason picked and grounded the ball for the winning score. Clanwilliam were tough opponents but it was a mistake ridden Thurles performance that will have to be improved on for next week's game against Kilfeacle.

Thurles v Kilfeacle in Thurles next Sunday, October 19th at 11am.

Kilfeacle RFC

Courtesy of Jamie Keaty, Club PRO

Exciting Display From The Blues
On Sunday last Kilfeacle RFC welcomed Kinsale RFC to The Hill for game three of the Munster Junior League. Both teams were on the back of sizeable defeats from the previous week, so this game was billed as an important one. The conditions on the day were far from reflective of a typical October in West-Tipperary. The sun was out and the underfoot conditions were perfect for high scoring, free flowing rugby. Great character was being emphasised by the Kilfeacle team and management to put the previous week's endeavors behind them and knuckle down for the task ahead.

The home team got off to a great start with a try after 4 minutes under the post by Ger Luby which was set up by Diarmaid Carr. Wallace Bourke followed this up with another try that was set up by his brother Keith after strong fielding by Shane Flavin. Tony Cooney missed the conversion. Kilfeacle's scrum and maul game were on top all day and this was evident after 12 minutes when Conor Hartigan was driven over the line. Barry 'Bosco' Ryan duly converted from the touchline. Credit must go to Kinsale who showed great resolve all day, even after enduring such a punishing start and their efforts paid off in the form of a good try from their outhalf after 14 minutes. The home side, in fear of letting their lead diminish, really put their heads down for the remainder of the half and tallied up another 12 points in the form of tries from Shane Morrissey and John Hanly and a conversion by James Ryan.

The first 10 minutes of the second half saw little in the form of an away team comeback, as Shane Morrissey scored a brace of tries, a hat-trick on the day, to really put the game to bed. Kinsale did manage to score 2 more tries before the final whistle but it was Kilfeacle's tenacity that prevailed on the day with further tries from Wallace Bourke, Keith Bourke and Diarmaid Carr, leaving the final score 60-19. All in all it was a very good day for the homeside, with exceptional performances from Diarmaid O'Donnell, Peter Ryan, Sean O'Sullivan and Shane Flavin. Next week Kilfeacle host St. Mary's in the cup. Everyone's support is appreciated as always.

Shannon

Courtesy of:- Siofra Scanlan

This Saturday sees our Senior XV take on Dolphin in the Muster Senior Cup first round match. This match is being played on the back pitch in Thomond Park with kick off at 3.00pm. The Shannon RFC Clubhouse will be open before Senior Cup match and will be showing the ERCC Sale Sharks V Munster away match which has a kick off of 1.00pm. So come along to Thomond Park and make a day of it!!

Fixtures for this week are as follows:
Friday October 17th

3rds ~ Gleeson League ~ Garryowen V Shannon, Dooradoyle, 7.30pm

Saturday October 18th

Seniors ~ Munster Senior Cup ~ Shannon V Dolphin, Thomond Park, 3.00pm

U20s ~SWC ~ Shannon V Galwegians, Coonagh, 3.30pm

Sunday October 19th

2nds ~ MSSL ~ Shannon V Bruff, Coonagh, 2.30pm

Remember If you cannot come to the matches we would ask that you come out and support any of our upcoming events. All details can be found at www.shannonrfc.com

Events & News:
ERCC Tickets Munster V Saracens Friday 24th October 2014

Shannon RFC have a limited number of Cat "A" West Stand and West Terrace tickets are available for our Club Members,for the ERCC (old Heineken Cup) fixture Munster -v- Saracens, on Friday 24th October, Thomond Park.
Ticket prices, which include an administration Fee, are:
Cat "A €;€55 & Terrace €;35
If interested, please contact Tadhg Crowe, on 087-6524958.

Support Shannon RFC Everytime You Shop at Tesco (Coonagh Roundabout Branch)

Great news! Now every time you shop at Tesco you'll be helping Shannon RFC.

How can you get involved?
Each time you shop, you'll receive a goodwill token which you can use to vote for Shannon RFC to receive fundraising from the Tesco Community Fund.
Every six weeks, money from the Tesco Community Fund will be shared out according to the number of tokens each cause receives. So remember to support your Club on your next shop.

Champ or Chimp~ Thank you for your support

Shannon RFC would like to thank all those who participated in the Champ or Chimp fundraiser, which has just concluded with the final leg seeing Kilkenny again winning the All-Ireland hurling championship. We had more than 1,000 entrants and the Club is very appreciative of your support.
The competition was fierce and the result went down to the wire.

The winners are:
1st Joe Naughton- Prize €;1,000plus two 6 nation tickets – Ireland v England
2nd Mark Healy -Prize €;500 plus two 6 nation tickets- Ireland V France
3rd Eoghan Bourke-Prize €;300 plus two All-Ireland Hurling Final Tickets

The competition was the brainchild of long time Club supporter and officer Pat Downey and together with Niall Mulcahy, who was the technology mastermind; they oversaw the delivery of an entertaining and financially rewarding competition for the Club and provided months of fun and enjoyment to members and their friends.
Sincere thanks to Pat and Niall for their hard work over many months. We also wish to thank all those members who encouraged and cajoled family, colleagues and friends to get involved in the competition.
Consideration is being given to running the Competition again in the coming months and ideas and suggestions re proposed revisions or changes to the format would be welcome. Once again thanks to everybody for their support and the winners will be presented with their prizes at a Club event in the coming
weeks.

Volunteers Always Needed:
All at Shannon RFC would like to take the opportunity to thank everyone who helped out at the club in 2013. It is much appreciated. We are currently looking for people to help out with upcoming fundrasing events. If you are a student doing a course in the media/ marketing sectors or English, retired, unemployed or would like to donate your free time we would urge you to support your Club and Volunteer. It is a great opportunity to develop your current skills and always looks great on a C.V. If you would like to volunteer in the club during 2014 please contact any committee member. All details can be found on our website at http://www.shannonrfc.com/contact.html

Shannon RFC App:
Please feel free to share the link with anyone who may be interested. We would love some feedback from all of you who are following us on the app so feel free to email me directly at siofrascanlan@gmail.com
If you still have not downloaded yet here is the link. http://clubapplive.com/shannonrfc

Get Your Name Out There On Our Website:
Do you want to get your company name more widely known? Are you a tradesman looking to advertise at a reduced rate? Why not advertise with Shannon RFC. We are currently in the process of setting up a Shannon RFC Tradesperson's page on our website. This will be a one stop contact page for all kind of trades and businesses. We urge any member, supporters or local business to get involved. It is a great way to advertise at a fraction of normal rates. The cost for an advertisement is €;50. Anyone who wishes to place an ad or would like more information please contact Siofra on 0863018993 or email siofrascanlan@gmail.com

A Great Gift for All
Why not give someone near or far the gift of a Shannon RFC membership. A great gift for any occasion with the added bonus of supporting your local club. Packages, including family membership, are available. Should you wish to find out more information or purchase membership please contact Tom Hackett at honsec@shannonrfc.com

Please Drive Carefully Through Coonagh:
We would ask everyone to please take care, slow down and observe the speed limit through Coonagh Village on the way to and from the matches and training.

Your Club, Your Thoughts:
We always like to hear from our members near and far. If you have a story, any interesting historical information or an article about the club that you would like to share we would love to hear it. Any submissions for consideration can be sent to siofrascanlan@gmail.com

Underage Training and Fixtures Sunday 19th October

Minis
10.00am
U6/7/8/9/10 "Top Pitch" use "New pitch" if needed
U11/12 "Well Field"

Youths
U13 Conferrence Training Pitch @11.00am
U14 Training Pitch @ 10.00am
U13 Cup Quarter Final Old Crescent V Shannon 11.30 Rosbrien
U15 League Garryowen V Shannon 11.30 Dooradoyle
U15 Conference St Senan's V Shannon 11 am Shannon
U18 League Shannon V Young Munster 11.30 Coonagh
Sunday 26th October
U14 League Bruff V Shannon 12 noon Bruff
U18 League Shannon V Richmond 11.30 Coonagh

Sunday 2nd November
U15 League Shannon V Bruff 12 noon Coonagh
U15 Conference Shannon V St Senan's 12 noon Coonagh
U18 League Thomond V Shannon 12 noon Fitzgerald Park

Registration is still ongoing at the cabin.

*Please note that all players, coaches and managers are required to become members of the club*

We now have WIFI in Coonagh its sponsored by Auto exchange and the password is "iloveautoxchange"

*Please support our gear / food shops in Coonagh*

Thought Of The Week:
"In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure"

Clonmel RFC

Munster Junior League Division 1:
Our men's 1^st XV travelled to Clonakilty on Sunday last for the third round of this season's Munster Junior League Division 1. After the previous weekend's good win at home over neighbours Kilfeacle in the second game of the league, the fixture with the Cork side was much anticipated as both sides topped the league table along with Newcastle West. On another glorious day for rugby, it was the home side that opened proceeding with a penalty on the fifteen minute mark. Three more penalties were shared to give a 6-6 score line coming up on half-time. However a frantic few minutes in the closing minutes of the first half saw Clonmel captain Ronan Crosse go over the line for a well taken try to be followed quickly by a clearance charge-down by Neville Melbourne (below) who followed up to score a great try in the corner. With one conversion, Clonmel went in at half-time with a 6-18 point advantage. A second half converted try for Clonakilty along with two additional penalties for Clonmel taken by Conor Cooney saw the Tipp side come out on top with a solid 13-24 win. This was another good performance for the Clonmel side to give them three wins from three in the opening games of the league.

The result now sees Clonmel in second place on the league table, one point behind Newcastle West. Our next league game will be at home to Cork side, Muskerry on November 2^nd.

Women's Rugby:
Our women's team continue their Wednesday and Friday night training sessions as they build up to the start of the Munster Women's Division 1 League. Last Friday night (Oct 10th) they played host to Cashel in a friendly game in Clonmel. This was a great practice game for both sides that are destined to meet each other again in the coming weeks in the league. On the night it was the Cashel ladies who the spoils with a tight 7-5 win. The Clonmel women's team line out against Bandon RFC on Sunday next at 3pm in their opening game of the Women's Munster League Division 1

Successful British & Irish Cup fixture in Clonmel:
After their successful 18-8 victory over Leinster A in Donnybrook the previous weekend, Clonmel RFC was delighted to host the British & Irish Cup game between the Mick O'Driscoll coached Munster A side and Moseley RFC last Saturday, October 11^th. In what could only be described as near tropical conditions, the game was played in front of a large red-clad crowd who were delighted to see the home side record a 27-21 win in this prestigious event. Tries from Ronan O'Mahony and Paddy Butler along with five penalties and a conversion from Rory Scannell helped Munster A grind out a hard fought win. Munster A now travel to Worcester for their next pool 3 fixture on Saturday and we wish them well. Well done and congratulation to all in Clonmel RFC who helped with the organisation and hosting of this fixture, another truly memorable event for the club.

Celebration Ball:
To celebrate the 2013/2014 success across the club, culminating in us winning the Munster Junior Cup and the Munster Junior Club of the Year we are having a black-tie celebration ball in Hotel Minella, this Friday, October 17^th. Tickets at €;50 each are available from the club or by contacting us on 087 372 4394.

Upcoming Fixtures:
Women's XV at home to Bandon in the Women's Munster League Division 1 on Sunday, October 19^th at 3.00pm.

Nenagh Ormond

Nenagh Ormond Ladies 29-25 New Ross:
Nenagh Ormond Ladies took on New Ross at home last Sunday in their second league match of the season. The girls were really up for this game having lost their first match the previous Sunday and this showed in a much improved performance. New Ross have a well-drilled team both in attack and defence and Nenagh had to work hard for this win.

Their first try came after some good phases of play by both backs and forwards took Nenagh into the New Ross 22. The girls mixed it up, sucking in the New Ross forwards by taking it on in the pack and then flashing it out along the backline. They showed great patience, gradually breaking down the defence until Genevieve Rowland found a weak spot and powered over the line.

After more hard work and using the same tactics, Sandra Williams, who had a great game and won more turnovers than a wing forward, found a gap and got in under the posts. New Ross came into the game then, putting together a good period of possession which resulted in a shot at goal to leave the half time score at 10-3 in favour of Nenagh.

Nenagh scored first in the second half with a brace of tries for captain Breda Doheny who had moved to outside centre when June Whelan came on at scrum half. Both tries came again from patiently working through the phases and some good handling from both forwards and backs. Nenagh, who were now well ahead, had some lapses in concentration and will feel their fitness needs work as they allowed New Ross back into the game with two easy enough tries which were due to missed tackles.

Nenagh came back at them again and Genevieve Rowland scored a superb try when she broke through at the ten metre line and stepped two defenders to touch down under the posts. Annie Leahy converted. However, with their confidence restored and the Nenagh girls tiring, New Ross worked hard and showed great determination and perseverance to get over the line twice again in the final quarter.

This was a good win for the girls and they will hope to kick on from here. Well done to the players who had to change position during the game. Well done also to Helena Hanrahan who had a fine game and is one to watch for the future. Next up for the Ladies are Shannon next weekend, day and time TBC.

Training continues every Wednesday and Friday at 7.30pm at the club in Lisatunny. New players are always welcome. Contact Sandra on 087 7916690 for more information.

Team: Annie Leahy, Jennifer Carter, Adeline Harty, Genevieve Rowland, Therese Nolan, Sandra Williams, Breda Doheny (c), Nicolette Finn, Helena Hanrahan, Carol Lewis, Denise Williams, Maria Butler, Paula Ryan, Sarah Corcoran, Marie Louise Ryan. Reps: June Whelan, Grace Donovan.

Clonmel 5-37 Under 16's:
Nenagh Ormond Under 16's continued in their preparations for the league with an emphatic win away by 37 points to 5 at Clonmel RFC. A change in the league structure to a regional basis meant that this match, which was due to be the first league match of the season, was changed to a friendly at the last minute.

Nenagh showed their superiority right from the off with a very dominant scrum and lineout and scored after 10 minutes when Sam Kroupa was on the end of a base of the ruck move to score an unconverted try in the corner. Within five minutes Nenagh scored again when Michael Kennedy picked and drove from the base of the ruck. Martin Rainsford kicked a good conversion to put Nenagh 12-0 up. Just before half time Tommy Wells was at the end of a good passing move to put Nenagh 17-0 up at the break.

In keeping with the policy of ensuring all members of the squad played, Nenagh made a total of seven changes at half time, including switching forwards Evan Murphy and Jake O'Kelly out to the backs.

Despite the numerous changes Nenagh never lost their rhythm and Tommy Wells scored a great try just after half time when he took the ball from the base of the scrum inside his own half and outpaced the defence to touch down in the corner for his second try.

Clonmel finally came into the game and after some good pressure scored from a forwards move to leave Nenagh still leading 22-5. Despite this setback, Nenagh regained the upper hand when the replacement players found their rhythm. With ten minutes remaining, a great mauling drive was followed by a sweeping back line move, allowing Orrin Moore touch down in the corner for the team try of the day.

A tired and ill-disciplined Clonmel side conceded two more tries near the end when firstly Fiachra Carey and then Evan Murphy both scored great individual tries by breaking through the Clonmel defence from distance to leave the final score 37-5 to Nenagh.

The U16 league commences next week with an away match against Galbally. By virtue of their third impressive victory in a row, the team enter the league in a confident mood.

Squad: Michael Bourke, Fiacara Carey, Nathan Deely O'Meara, Ben Duff, Jack Dunne, Eoin England, Stephen Harding, Alex Hayes, Ronan Kelly, Michael Kennedy, Sam Kroupa, Luke Mooney, Orrin Moore, Evan Murphy, Conor O'Brien, Jake O'Kelly, Mark O'Neill, Martin Rainsford, Cathal Ryan, Peter Ryan, Tommy Wells, Aaron White.

Cashel 0-40 Under 14's:
On Sunday Nenagh travelled to Cashel for the second of their East Munster League games. Nenagh got off to a flying start and from the early encounters the Nenagh forwards never allowed the Cashel pack to settle into the game. With Nenagh dominating the forward exchanges this allowed the Nenagh backs to run some lovely back line movements. It was following one of these movements that allowed Matthew Hodgins in for Nenagh's first try. The Nenagh forwards continued to out muscle the Cashel pack in the rucks and mauls and following a number of great forward drives the ball was once again sent down the back line with great speed and right wing Peter Rainsford got in for Nenagh's second try. From the restart the Nenagh forwards drove up field from their own twenty two to Cashel's twenty two and the ball was once again flashed out the back line with centre Jack Moran making a great cut back inside the Cashel defence to score a well deserved try. This third try by Nenagh seemed to dampen Cashel's spirits and the Nenagh team continued to dominate the forward exchanges and Conor McMahon got in for a try but it was disallowed for a forward pass. Just before half time centre Matthew Hodgins got in for his second try to give Nenagh a 28-0 lead at half-time.

After the interval Cashel did their best to get back into the game and for the first ten minutes of the second half put some pressure on Nenagh's line however the Nenagh players continued to tackle well and kept Cashel from crossing their line. Cashel were attacking just inside the Nenagh half when a ball broke loose and was first of all kicked on by Oisín Larkin and then second row Oisín Webb showing the pace of a winger kicked the ball ahead and sprinted past the Cashel defence to touch the ball down for what looked like a superb individual try however the referee adjudicated that he had not quiet reached the line. This passage of play seemed to spark Nenagh back into life and following a scrum just inside the Cashel twenty two number eight Jack O'Keeffe picked from the base of the scrum and passed to right wing Kevin Harding who dived in for a try in the right hand corner. The Nenagh forwards who had won so much good ball for their backs all day long and had seen the Nenagh backs score five tries then decided that it was time for them to get in on the action and second row Ruan O'Hanluain picked up the ball from a ruck just inside the Cashel twenty two and broke a couple of tackles to score Nenagh's sixth try on the day. Nenagh's full back Oisín Larkin had a great kicking display on the day and converted five of Nenagh's tries to give the visitors a decisive 40-0 victory.

It was great to see so many Nenagh parents making the journey down to Cashel to support the players. We are playing a practice match against Cistercian College Roscrea this Wednesday the 15^th, in Lisatunny at 6.30 p.m.

Nenagh team: Danny O'Connor, Dylan Murphy, Luke Connolly, Oisín Webb, Ruan O'Hanluain, Dylin Knight, Kian O'Kelly, Jack O'Keeffe, James Ferris, Owen Farrell, Conor McMahon, Jack Moran, Matthew Hodgins, Peter Rainsford, Oisín Larkin, Eoghan Slevin, Oisín McMahon, Lorcan Tuohy, Kevin Harding, Patrick Finn, Roan Harte-Murphy, Conor Malone, Matthew McGee and Aaron Reilly.

Under 18s:
Nenagh Ormond Under 18s who begin their league campaign next weekend with a home fixture against Waterpark (right).

Mini Blitz:
Nenagh Ormond Minis (Under 7 to Under 12) travel to Clanwillam next Sunday, October 19^th, for a blitz. All players are expected to travel. Meet in Tipperary Town for 10.15am. Kick off is at 10.30. Anyone unable to attend is to contact their team coach.