Club Notes: Week Ending 23.02.14
19th February 2014 By Munster Rugby
This week’s club notes come from Clonmel, Midleton, Nenagh, Shannon and Waterford City rugby clubs.
Click here to view Clonmel RFC
Click here to view Midleton RFC
Click here to view Shannon RFC
Click here to view Waterford City RFC
Courtesy of Paul Condon, Club PRO
Visit of Irish men's National Rugby Team
Clonmel was very much to the fore on the rugby stage on Wednesday and Thursday last when the Irish men's rugby team came to Clonmel for a two day mini-camp. It was a great honour not only for Clonmel Rugby Club but for the town to host rugby boss Joe Schmidt and the team. In the midst of their current six nation's campaign and on the back of a very impressive win over Wales the previous weekend, there was huge excitement locally at the prospect of the visit.
Clonmel Rugby Club has a strong rugby tradition and has nurtured players to go on and play at provincial and International level over the years. At present ex Clonmel players Niamh Briggs is part of the Irish women's team, currently hoping to retain their grand slam championship while David Foley recently made his European Cup debut with Munster. The weather did impact proceedings over the two days and the scheduled public session on Thursday morning had to be cancelled due to the bad weather much to the disappointment of all concerned. Nonetheless the IRFU was very pleased with their visit and impressed with the facilities on offer in the rugby club and at the Clonmel Park Hotel where they stayed. We will certainly work with the IRFU to try and arrange a return visit in the future when we will hopefully be more fortunate with the weather and all the disappointed supporters can see their heroes.
Munster Junior League Division 1:
After three weeks of weather interrupted play, our 1st XV took to the field on Sunday last to take on Waterpark RFC in the latest round of the Munster Junior League Division 1. In good if somewhat blustery conditions, the home side opened the scoring with a penalty by Conor Cooney after eight minutes. Precession was traded with attack and defence in equal measure from both sides. The visitors were the first to break through and score the opening try of the game on the 25 minute mark, a try they duly converted. A second Clonmel penalty narrowed the margin to 6-7 within five minutes. However as the first half ended Clonmel's Robbie Carroll went over for the home side's first try of the game and to take an 11-7 half time lead.
Ronan Crosse scored Clonmels' second try after a strong drive to the corner on the 55th minute mark. A Waterpark penalty kept the game very much alive and it was a nervy last 10 minutes as the home side held a narrow 16-10 lead. However Clonmel held on for the 16-10 victory and their 4th place position in the league table. Two games remain in the league, away to Skibbereen on March 2nd and at home for the final game against Galbally on March 9th. Next Sunday the firsts play Carrick on Suir in the Munster Junior Cup in Clonmel with a 2pm kick off.
Upcoming Fixtures for the weekend to be confirmed.
February 23rd 1st XV play Carrick on Suir in the Munster Junior Cup in Clonmel with a 2pm kick off.
Changes and updates to fixtures will be notified on the Clonmel Rugby Club Facebook Page, on twitter @ClonmelRFC. and on the club website.
Courtesy of:- Jason Boyle, Club PRO
Boyne 20 Midleton 22
A taut encounter at Shamrock Lodge as Midleton visit Boyne for a game that both teams have targeted as a "must win" encounter. It was a close game with both teams playing expansive rugby that saw a total of five tries.
Boyne got play underway with a strong breeze behind them, Midleton gather well and clear to halfway where a knock on by Boyne sees the first scrum of the afternoon. The Boyne scrum half disrupts and it's a knock on from Midleton giving Boyne an attacking platform. Boyne advance and Midleton defend well, turning over and breaking through the Boyne defence. Quick ball and its out to winger Jade Cruickshank for an early try. Christian converts and its Boyne 0 Midleton 7. A dream start for the visiting team.
Play moves around the centre of the pitch with each team probing defences, a penalty after about 20 minutes gives Boyne the chance to put a score on the board and they take it. Boyne 3 Midleton 7. Minutes later and a lapse in concentration sees Boyne go over for a try, with the conversion its Boyne 10 Midleton 7. Another penalty before halftime and at the break its Boyne 13 Midleton 7, Midleton having missed two penalties into the wind.
Observers would be forgiven to thinking that it would be another fruitless journey for the Midleton men, but from the restart Midleton attack and really bring it to the Boyne men. The hard work is eventually rewarded and Kieran Burns is in for Midleton's second try. Christian converts and the score is now Boyne 13 Midleton 14. A short time later and it's a penalty opportunity for Midleton that sees the lead stretch to 4 points.
Within 10 minutes though and all the hard work looks to be undone, down to 14 men Midleton are on the defensive but cannot hold out Boyne as they secure their second try of the afternoon. With the conversion its Boyne 20 Midleton 17. There are about 10 minutes left to play and, with another penalty miss it looks like we have to settle for a losing bonus point. The never say die attitude of the team today pushes them on, and with 2 to 3 minutes left on the clock and its a try in the corner for Bryan Morris.
Boyne come back fighting from the restart and get a penalty, quickly taken they advance again getting another penalty. This time they decide to kick for points, and all from Midleton hold their breath – its wide and so the game ends shortly after.
A first away win this season – the determination, will, and attitude shown by the team today meant that every time it looked like things were not going our way they held their heads up and would not relent. Hard work well rewarded – well done to the whole team.
Courtesy of: Eithne Darcy, Club PRO
Thomond 15-16 Nenagh Ormond Senior XV
The Ormonds took another large step towards promotion on Saturday last in Liam Fitzgerald Park where they defeated Thomond by the narrowest of margins. There's a long tradition of close and exciting matches between both teams and last Saturday added another chapter in this history. In 50 years time supporters of both teams will probably still recall the day that John Lillis kicked the winning penalty from almost the half way line to give Nenagh a win that was probably a little tough on Thomond, who had contributed hugely to an absorbing contest.
Thomond were as always a force up front and had an excellent scrum half in Fiach O'Loughlin, former Ireland Under 19 captain, who knew how to control territory. In the first quarter, Nenagh hardly left their own half. In that time, the visitors conceded a few penalties and the Thomond fullback kicked them with some authority. On one of the rare visits to Thomond territory, Nenagh did win a penalty and in tricky conditions and from a good distance, Dan Fogarty curled one in beautifully to hit the target to bring Nenagh level in fact at 3-3. Two further penalties by fullback Fitzgerald were the sum total of the scoring for the half.
At 9-3 down, Nenagh had it all to do in the second half, but it seemed that with the bigger pack, the slight wind advantage and by reducing the error count the goal was achievable. Early in the second half Nenagh reduced the deficit with another well struck Dan Fogarty penalty. Thomond had clearly decided that some open rugby was necessary to get a score that might kill off the Nenagh ambition and as it turned out it was their undoing. Nenagh had been reduced to 14 men following a Ger Hermse yellow card, when Thomond complicated things a little in midfield, and in stepped Nathan Daly with an intercept close to half way. He was almost caught by the covering defence, but eventually dotted down half way out to the right of the posts and Dan Fogarty, with a difficult conversion that would ultimately prove decisive, gave Nenagh an unlikely lead at 9-13.
From the restart, Thomond came right back and forced a penalty close in that looked a formality for Fitzgerald who had been so accurate in the first half. To the surprise of all, he missed. Almost more so than the surprise try, this miss seemed to galvanise the Nenagh lads to greater effort. However hard Nenagh tried though, Thomond kept coming back and some desperate defence was required to keep them out. A bit of luck too played a part as Thomond's chief scoring weapon Fitzgerald seemed to have lost his nerve and missed another kick that on first half form would have looked like a sure thing. Kevin O'Flaherty received a yellow card which left Nenagh briefly down to 13. They were just back to full strength when they were permanently reduced to fourteen men when Ger Hermse was sin binned for a high tackle.
The Thomond pressure never let up and Nenagh had to play out the game with fourteen men and a slender one point lead after Fitzgerald did eventually nail one. Buoyed by the numeric advantage, Thomond laid siege to the Nenagh line and eventually the pressure told. With only minutes left on the clock they took the lead with a simple penalty. Once again though from the restart, Nenagh won the ball and in a desperate attempt to retrieve it, the home side conceded a needless penalty. The wind was tricky but favouring Nenagh slightly. After a bit of debate with the referee, the visitors decided on the kick and John Lillis was chosen as most likely to rescue matters from close on half way.
Up he stepped to the kick and with a mighty swing sent it soaring well over the crossbar. The joy and relief among the Ormond lads was amazing to behold after this get out of jail performance and indeed, the large support on the side lines weren't holding back either. The score of 15-16 means that it is happy days for Nenagh now with four fixtures left in the league, three of which are at home and one of them against nearest challengers Greystones who are six points behind. This of course means that Nenagh now have total control of their own destiny in the race for promotion. In fact, if they win all three home fixtures, they will have won promotion before travelling to Ards for the last game of the season in April.
The only downside is that the day Nenagh host Greystones, the result of which could theoretically make them champions, is the final day of the six nations when all three matches are played consecutively. Lots of competition for hearts and minds that day then. At least the Ireland match will be the latest played on the day so both can be taken in without recourse to the old Sky plus.
Nenagh Ormond: John Coffey, Peter O'Connor, Fergal Brislane, Jamie Quigley, Kevin O'Flaherty, Shane O'Callaghan (Capt), Anthony Grey, Lemeki Vaipulu, Eoin Gardiner, Mike Fogarty, Dan Fogarty, Nathan Daly, Derek Corcoran, Gerard Hermse, John Lillis.
Subs: Damien Dunne, Michael Slattery, Conor Brislane, Kevin Seymour, Jack Donovan
Nenagh Seconds 20-27 Shannon
Nenagh Ormond Seconds played Shannon at home on Sunday last. Shannon started well and got over the line for a try which went unconverted. Nenagh came back at them hard and put some good phases together to get back into the Shannon half. After some unconverted chances, they eventually won a penalty which Denis Slattery slotted and this brought them back to within two points. Nenagh kept the pressure up, continuing to push for the next score and they were rewarded with a good try from Ger O'Gorman. Unfortunately, Shannon made their first foray of the second quarter into the Nenagh half just before half time and managed to score, leaving Nenagh trailing 8-12.
The second half proved a tough 40 minutes for the lads. With a try putting Shannon ahead 8-17, Nenagh picked up a red card when they questioned a close call by the touch judge. The remaining 14 dug deep and managed to score two further tries through Andrew Mackey and Paudie Bourke, one of which was converted, despite a well-organised and dogged defence from Shannon. The work rate was outstanding from all of the Nenagh lads during this half and at times it looked as though the teams had equal numbers. Nenagh were now in front 20-17 and Shannon spent the final ten minutes battering their defensive line. The Nenagh lads were tiring but Shannon had to work hard to break them down. Shannon eventually managed to use their extra man and they won first a penalty and then went over for a try.
The final score was Nenagh Seconds 20-27 Shannon but despite this, each and every one of the Nenagh players can be proud of a committed team performance.
Team: Paudie Bourke, Aidan Doyle, Conor Brislane, Kevin O'Gorman, Colin Feeley, Kevin Seymour, Andrew Mackey, Chris O'Meara, Bruce Hayes, Denis Slattery, Sean White, John Long, Shane Quinlan, Ger O'Gorman, Jack Donovan. Rep: Marek Gribbs.
Shannon 15-24 Nenagh Ladies
Nenagh Ladies travelled to Coonagh on the Monday night of last week for a League/Cup double up against Shannon. Through a mixture of weather conditions and walkovers, the Ladies had not played a game since the corresponding home fixture against Shannon on December 15th and the girls knew that match fitness and rustiness were bound to play a big part in this game. Nenagh started well, holding on to the ball and keeping their shape which resulted in a good foothold in Shannon's 22. Marie Louise Ryan picked from the back of a ruck and powered through the defence for a great try. Emma Dunlea slotted the difficult touchline conversion to leave the girls ahead by 7 points.
It was at this point that the rustiness set in and the following 15 minutes was a real tug of war between the teams. Nenagh's defensive line was not functioning as well as usual and this resulted in Shannon eventually exploiting an overlap to get over the try line. Nenagh worked hard before the break and backs and forwards linked well to put Caroline Cahalan through for their second try, leaving the half time score at 5-12.
Shannon were first to score in the second half and the 10-12 scoreline remained the same for much of the half. Nenagh's lack of game time was evident with Shannon able to win a number of turnovers. However, the girls did put together some good phases in patches and one such period saw Genevieve Rowland tap a penalty in the Shannon 22 and, after several phases, she ran a good line to break through. Dunlea converted. Soon after, Rowland again saw the gap and, picking from the back of a ruck inside her own half, beat the defenders for pace and touched down out wide to leave Nenagh ahead by 24 points to 10. Shannon came back hard however and they scored another try before the end much to the disappointment of the Nenagh girls, leaving the final score at 15-24 in Nenagh's favour.
Training every Wednesday and Friday, new players always welcome. Contact Eithne Darcy on 087-2940928 for details.
Team: Anna Nolan, Margaret Hogan, Breda Doheny, Eithne Darcy, Emma Dunlea, June Whelan, Vanessa Chadwick, Gillian Ryan, Marie Louise Ryan, Sarah Corcoran, Catherine McGill, Hazel Slevin, Sinead Hennessy, Genevieve Rowland (capt).
Under 13's 22-5 Ennis
Nenagh Ormond Under 13's hosted Ennis on Sunday morning in Tyone. Nenagh began very strongly with the Nenagh forwards putting a huge amount of pressure on the Ennis pack. This forward pressure allowed the Nenagh backs to launch great back movements. However, totally against the run of play, Ennis managed to rob the ball from Nenagh in their own twenty-two and their winger ran the length of the pitch to score a breakaway try. From the kick off Nenagh were once again attacking the Ennis line and the Nenagh forwards nearly got over the Ennis line on a number of occasions. With the Nenagh pack so dominant at this stage Nenagh then turned to their backs and some great handling allowed full back Oisin Larkin in for a well-deserved try. There was no respite for Ennis as the Nenagh forwards continued to dominate the rucks and mauls. This domination once again allowed the Nenagh backs to show their handling skills and speed and centre Matthew Hodgins got in for two tries before half time leaving Nenagh 17-5 up at the interval.
Nenagh had the luxury of having a large squad of players on the day and were able to roll on and off substitutes. However in the second half Ennis got more into the game and they managed to retain possession for long periods. Great tackling from the Nenagh back row in particular kept Ennis from crossing the Nenagh line. Nenagh soaked up a lot of pressure in the second half and with five minutes to go the Nenagh forwards won some good turnover ball on their own 10 metre line. Some slick passing from the half backs sent the ball into midfield and allowed Matthew Hodgins to run from the halfway line to score his third try of the day. This gave Nenagh a well-deserved 22-5 win.
We have league matches coming up over the next couple of weekends and we have organised for one of the Nenagh Senior players to come and show us some useful techniques at this Wednesday's training session and we would therefore hope that all players will attend.
Nenagh Team: Daragh Butler, Jack Collins, Luke Connolly, Owen Farrell, James Ferris, Patrick Finn, Kevin Harding, Matthew Hodgins, Roan Harte-Murphy, Dylin Knight, Oisin Larkin, Conor Malone, Cian O'Farrell, Peter Rainsford, Eoghan Slevin, Oisin Webb, Patrick Whelan, Conor McMahon, Jack O'Keeffe, Kian O'Kelly.
Table Quiz
Nenagh Ormond's annual Table Quiz takes place in the Dapp Inn this Friday, February 21st. €30 per table of 4. Raffle on the night with a great first prize: two tickets for Munster's Heineken Cup Quarter Final.
Membership
Please note that membership for this season is now overdue. All coaches and players must be members of the club. International and Provincial tickets are allocated based on membership. Please forward any outstanding subs to Michael Mackey (086-2578298) as soon as possible.
Courtesy of Siofra Scanlan, Club PRO
This week sees our Senior team travel to Blackrock on Saturday for the AIL replay in Stradbrook Road, Blackrock, Dublin. Kick off is at 1pm. If you are in Dublin why not come along and support the lads.
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
SHANNON RFC Table Quiz
Due to last years success, Shannon RFC are once again hosting a table quiz on Friday February 28th at 8.30pm in O'Driscolls Bar, Corbally. Anyone interested in reserving a table (four to a table/€40) or sponsoring a spot prize please contact Richie Ryan 087-6745320 or Tadhg Crowe 087-6524358. It will be a great night and lots of prizes to be won including a top prize in our raffle on the night of two tickets to the Heineken Cup match in Thomond Park, so come along and support the club
Congratulations To Anthony Foley
Many congratulations from all at Shannon RFC to Anthony Foley on his appointment as Head Coach of Munster Rugby from next season. Anthony and members of his family have a proud and long history with the club as players at local and international level. We wish him the best of luck in his new role. For all details on this appointment click on https://www.munsterrugby.ie/news/12978.php#.UwVCz_l_tjY
Heineken Cup Tickets Munster V Toulouse
Shannon RFC will have a limited number of tickets available for the quarter final Heineken Cup Match Munster V Toulouse. We are currently awaiting communication and confirmation of tickets allocated.Should you wish to apply for tickets please contact Tadhg Crowe on 087 6524958 or email secretary@shannonrfc.com. PLEASE NOTE APPLICATION FOR TICKETS DOES NOT GUARANTEE TICKETS.
Congratulation To Our Ladies
A huge congratulations to Nicole Cronin and Aoife Doyle who both continue to bring great honours and pride to Shannon RFC. The ladies had been picked for the International Women's 7 squad that played in Atlanta last weekend. Read all the latest news on this at http://www.irishrugby.ie/news
Champ or Chimp- Fundraiser
Members are encouraged to get behind a potentially major Shannon RFC fund raising effort. Between now and the end of February the Club will be very actively promoting the "Champ or Chimp" sports forecasting competition. There are 14 individual sporting events listed and points will be awarded on the outcome of each event. The competition begins with the Cheltenham racing festival and concludes with the All-Ireland football final in September. Log onto http://www.shannonrfc.com/club/news/item/344-are-you-a-champ-or-a-chimp.html for more details.
Please get involved. It is a fun competition, which can raise much-needed funds for the improvement of Club facilities. You can show your support through playing the game or, even better, through getting your friends involved as well. Entry Forms can be acquired from any Executive Committee member all contact details can be found at http://www.shannonrfc.com/contact.html
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 Race Night
We will be hosting a race night in Shannon RFC Clubhouse April 2014. We would urge everyone to support this event as all monies raised will be going to upgrade the facilities in Coonagh and Clubhouse.
If you would like to get involved by sponsorship the prices are as follows:
Sponsorship Per Race ~ €100
Full Page in Programme ~ €100
Half Page in Programme ~ €50
Horse ~ €20
If you would like more information or would like to sponsor from list above please contact Ger Mulqueen on 087-6731676, Tom O'Connor on 087-412844 or Jack Bourke on 086-2543369/email – vp@shannonrfc.com
SHANNON RFC APP
The info is in and we have officially reached hits of 8,046, 806 have downloaded the app and we have a following in 78 countries all over the world. 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 Eu50.00. Anyone who wishes to place an ad or would like more information please contact Siofra on 0863018993 or email siofrascanlan@gmail.com
SHANNON RFC SCRAP METAL CHALLENGE SUNDAY
All at Shannon RFC would like to thank everyone who contributed to this event. You have raised some very important funds for the club and it is much appreciated. A special mention to Morgan who organised. Their will be a scrap metal skip on an ongoing bases in Coonagh on Sunday mornings. Your ongoing contributions are appreciated.
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 Barry McConkey 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
Fixtures Weekend 22nd/23rd February
SATURDAY 22nd February
AIL ~ Seniors ~ BLACKROCK V SHANNON, Stradbrook Road, Dublin, 1pm
SWC ~ SHANNON V U.C.C, Coonagh, 1pm
Glesson League ~ 3rds ~ NEWCASTLE WEST V SHANNON, Newcastle West, 1pm
SUNDAY 23rd February
MJC ~ KILFEACKLE V SHANNON, Kilfeackle, 2pm
LNC ~ Ladies ~ SHANNON V NEW ROSS, Coonagh, 1.30pm
Underage Training and Fixtures
Sunday February 23rd
Minis
10.00am
U6,7,8,10 Top Pitch
U9 Blitz New Pitch
U11 Blitz Well Pitch
11.00am
U12 Blitz v Garryowen Top Pitch
ABSOLUTELY NO SPECTATORS ON THE PITCHES
Youths
From 11.00am
U13 League Bruff v Shannon 11.30 Bruff
U14 Training
U15 Training
U16 Training
Congrats to U14s who have qualified to play Ennis in the League final.Date and venue TBC
Youth cups to be drawn on Monday 24th Feb.
U13 *2 teams, U14*2 teams, U15*1 team, U16 Open & Closed, U18 Open
There will be people out in Coonagh on Sunday morning to collect "Champ or Chimp" cards so get the word out to bring them in.
We need people to attend a first aid course, at least one from every age group. Please inform your contacts and let me know who are interested.
Dan Graham ( child welfare officer) will be in Coonagh on Sunday morning 02/03 to meet all coaches regarding vetting etc.
Thought Of The Week
"If you believe in yourself and have dedication and pride – and never quit, you'll be a winner"
Courtesy of:- Damien Kennedy, Club PRO
Munster Junior League Div 2
Waterford City 10
Bandon 13
In wet windy conditions City took on 3rd placed Bandon last Sunday in Kilbarry. City will be frustrated over the start they gave the opposition as a kick in behind our defence wasnt gathered properly and Bandon managed to regain possesion and work their way to 5 yards from the tryline and quick ball to their centre saw him crash through and score to put them 5-0 up. City regained their composure and showed their dominance in the scrum and rolling maul. On 20mins Bandon recieved a penalty which they kicked to within 5 yards of the tryline, from there they managed to maul over in the corner to put them 10-0 up.This was to be the last score of the 1st half.The 2nd half saw City dominate the majority of play and some good play from the forwards saw Sean Stafford put back row Sean O Mahoney through a gap on the 22 and he went all the way to score under the posts with two defenders hanging off him and now City trailed 10-7.The penalties were beginning to go City's way and the rolling maul was becoming more and more effictive with Bandon being forced to defend in their 22 for large portions of the half. On two occasions the forwards nearly found their way over the line only for Bandon to hold the ball up. City did miss a penalty on 65mins but 5 mins later John Flynn put the ball over to bring the score to 10-10 and City were still on top. On 75mins City had a chance to go 13-10 up but the penalty kick fell short,from the resulting 22 restart Bandon managed to reclaim the ball and they forced a penalty to move them into the City half for the first time in the 2nd half. Bandon played patiently and won a penalty which they converted to put them 13-10 up. City came back but a knock on on the last play allowed Bandon to claim the win.Heartbreaker for City who played so well in the 2nd half in poor conditions, next week the Munster Junior Cup comes to town and City play 1st Division side Old Christians.
U18
Waterford City 26
Carrick 10
We had a much needed chalange match verse Carrick on Sunday, thanks to them for hosting us. The game was a massive awakening for us to see how out of practise you get when you have been unable to play for so many weeks. Carrick scored first with a well take penalty. We were not playing well making too many mistakes, bad decisions and even when we did play well this was soon undone by silly errors. Saying this after some good play from Alan Woods he set up Aidan Power for our first try this was converted by Connor Brennan to take the lead. Carrick played well and after more mistakes they found themselves in the corner a yard out. Our only good feature of the first half prevented them from scoring which bought up half time. There were some stern but constructive words spoken at half time and these seemed to get us going at the start of the second half but as in the first a sloppy pass and 4 or 5 missed tackles on the same player lead to Carrick scoring under the posts and taking the lead. This did seem to kick us up a gear and we started to play better. After some good rucking and then some excellent passing across the field Craig Tyrell crashed over in the corner for his first try with the club. Shortly after this Ryan Phillips ran away down the wing and under the posts to score again after more good play from fowards and backs. We dominated possession during and after these two tries which led to the best try of the game from Jake Phillips. This try started in our 22 with a scrum and after a very well executed back-row move Aidan broke the line and we were up to half way, where our fowards were quickly on the scene to secure the ball when Jake picked it up from the ruck, stepped out, cut back inside to break the line again he palmed off a woodbe tackler and sprinted off jinked past the full back to smash the ball down with delight under the uprights. This was the final score 10-26 a win to Waterford City. Many thanks to Bill Farrel and John Harte who came to help us out with numbers at short notice this morning, they both played superbly. Man of the match goes to Liam Hayes for his work rate throughout the game and he was one brigth light in the first half. Thanks to the parents that drove. This was a good way to blow out the cobwebs for our league match next week against Cashel. See you all on Wednesday at 6pm if anybody would like to play new players are always welcome (born 1996-1997) contact Dave on 087 9475136
U15 reach League semi final!!
Waterford City 15
Thurles 12
Great win for our lads away in Thurles on Saturday. A try by Cian Barry after some good work by the team put City 5-0 up but Thurles replied to make it 5-5. Some good play from No 8 Matt Garvey and Luke Power brought play up to the Thurles line and Luke Foran finished it off well to score in the corner which Jack Jacob converted to put City 12-5 ahead. Thurles replied with a converted try to make it 12-12 and just when it looked like the game would go into injury time Jack Jacob puta penalty over to give City the win and send them into the semi final.
U14 reach Plate semi final!!
Waterford City 44
Galbally 05
Powerful display by our young lads Sunday morning to send them into the plate semi final, it builds them up nicely, best of luck in the next round lads !!
