Club Notes: Week Ending 29.11.15

25th November 2015 By Munster Rugby

This week’s club notes come from Bruff, Cobh, Newcastle West, Thurles and Waterford City rugby clubs.

Click here for Bruff Club Notes Click here for Cobh Club Notes Click here for Newcastle West Club Notes Click here for Thurles Club Notes Click here for Waterford City Club Notes Bruff RFC Courtesy of:- Seamus Sheahan, Club PRO Seniors exit Munster Senior Cup The 1st xv were in action on Friday night when they took on UCC in the Munster Senior cup. The game also doubled as the inaugural playing of the Alfie Laffan Memorial Trophy. The trophy which was kindly sponsored by the Kilmallock Rugby Supporters club will be contested annually between the two clubs in memory of Alfie who played with both clubs before his untimely passing in 2014 at the young age of 33. UCC went into the break leading 7-15, scoring two first half try’s and kicking a conversion and penalty. Bruff’s try came from a maul with Jake Considine touching down for the score and Tony Cahill landing the conversion after twenty eight minutes. UCC extended their lead shortly after half time with a third try to make it 7-20 but it was Bruff who were to dominate the remainder of the game. Kevin Madigan touched down for an unconverted try on sixty minutes after some great work from backs and forwards to make it 12-20. UCC added a penalty with seven minutes remaining to make it 12-23. Bruff finished strong and were rewarded with a third try at the end of the game from Brian Cahill which Tony converted. UCC winning out on a score of 19-23. After the game UCC Captain Charlie Slowey was on hand to pick up the trophy which was presented by Alfies parents Mary & Pat and Alfie’s brother Keith who togged off and played at tight head prop for Bruff. Team : 1.Brendan Keogh 2.Johnny Hogan 3.Keith Laffan 4.Barry Laffan 5.Kevin Madigan 6.Cillian Rea 7.Mikey Cooke 8.Jake Considine 9.Davy O’Grady 10.Tony Cahill 11.Paudi Kilcoyne 12.Sean Darcy 13.Brian Cahill 14.Barry Enright 15.Graham Whelan 16. Dave Horan 17. Ge O Connell 18. Neilus Keogh 19 Danny Keogh 20 Mark Cosfrove 21 Liam Treacy 22 Tommy Carroll Next Game UBL Round 8 The seniors are back in action in the UBL this Saturday November 28th when Sligo are the visitors to Kilballyowen Park. Bruff had a hard fought win away in Dublin last day out over Wanderers while Sligo were well beaten at home by Old Crescent. But Bruff can’t take anything for granted having lost the last two UBL games at home in Bruff to Kanturk and Midelton. Dates for the Diary After Saturday’s game VS Sligo there are two more UBL fixtures coming up in quick succession, both of which are Friday night games vs Old Crescent. The first game takes place on Friday December 4th in Rosbrien with the second game being played in Bruff on Friday night 11th December. With both teams in the promotion hunt an interesting few week lie ahead. U20’s lose out to Shannon. Shannon 26 Bruff 20. The u20 team suffered their first defeat of the season on Saturday going down to Shannon in Coonagh. The game was played in a constant downpour in heavy underfoot conditions which suited the heavier Shannon pack. Shannon led 12-7 at half time,Bruff scores coming from an Oisin Walsh try converted by Kevin McManus. On the resumption McManus narrowed the gap with a penalty and then put Bruff 15-12 ahead when he touched down in the corner after sustained Bruff pressure. Bruff then had a player sin binned and Shannon took full advantage scoring 14 points in the 10 minutes to leave it 26-15.Bruff rallied and captain Brian Fanning scored a try in the corner to make it 26-20.Time ran out for Bruff and they had to settle for a losing bonus point.Bruff are 3rd on the table and play Highfield at home on Saturday 5th December . Team Brian Fanning,Kevin McManus,Conor Fitzpatrick ,Darragh Fanning,Anthony Foley,Jack O Grady,Niall Byrne, Eamon O Dea, Brian Bulfin, Shane Breen, Cian Mulqueen, Kevin Treacy, Rob Laffan, Oisin Walsh, Sean Hartigan. Subs Darren O Farrell, Killian Sheehan, Patrick Maher, Adam Sheehy Fixture’s: please keep an eye on the website for the latest fixtures which will be updated by Wednesday Each week. www.bruffrfc.com Cobh Pirates RFC Courtesy of:- Ritchie McGrath, Club PRO Cobh Pirates are pleased to announce the continued support, and sponsorship of laya healthcare. Laya have been the clubs principle sponsor for a number of years now, and their continued sponsorship of Cobh Pirates highlights their community support ethos. John McCall, Head of Provider Relations with laya, was on hand to make the jersey presentation before the Munster Junior League Division 2 game against Mallow. John spoke about the company’s recognition of the work carried out by the committee and coaches throughout the club, and in particular the underage/minis section within the club which hosts hundreds of children every week. Having had the pleasure of witnessing what he described as an hour of great fun and enjoyment had weekly by the children and parents alike, he was keen to point out that that was what sport should be all about. He wished Cobh the very best in the coming season across all the grades, and hoped to see the first XV move back into the Munster Junior League Div 1 for the 2016/17 season. In the recent MJL Div 2 fixture, Pirates welcomed Mallow RFC to the Paddocks. The strong wind which blew down the field favoured Pirates in the first half. Pirates started the game with intent and had Mallow on the back foot from the start. Not long into the opening half and it was second row Mick Keating who barged over after a series of rucks with quick "pick and go’s". Eamon Ronan dually slotted over from in front of the posts to put Cobh 7-0 in front. The Pirates pack were now dominating in the scrum, much to the admiration of the forwards coach Peter Brick Ahearn. This resulted in a penalty try under the posts after another spell of sustained pressure; again bring a wry smile to the face of the forwards coach. Alan Langford added the 2 points to make it 14-0 Cobh. Mallow were to get their only scoring change just before the break, and when play broke down they opted for a kick at goal for the last action of the first half which went just wide of the upright. On resumption of the second half, the play centred around the middle of the pitch for large periods, with both sides struggling for handling in the testing conditions. Last man tackles by Andy and Alan were to prevent Mallow from scoring, and Pirates made their way back up the field again. From a scrum Mallow ran at Cobh, only to be overturned by scrum half and captain Ruairi Geary, to score in the corner, Pirates 19-0 Mallow. With the sniff of the bonus try Pirates upped the pace again for the last 10 minutes, with succession of quick tap penalties taken by jack Hickey almost coming to fruition. But time was against Cobh to grab the 4th try, with the game finishing up 19-0. Man of the match was presented by laya’s John McCall to Cobh no 8 David Lambe. Cobh Pirates RFC was fortunate to be able to honour players who represented Ireland at various grades over the last number of years. The Executive committee, along with club members, players and family were on hand to pay tribute to the players who worn the green of Ireland throughout their playing career. Club President Mr Eddie Mc Carthy spoke from the heart, being a previous Juvenile Chairman and coach, when he said he was honoured to be able to pay tribute to such talent. He emphasised the club and community spirit as he highlighted the fact that the majority of the Cobh Pirates who represented Ireland are still involved with Cobh pirates at some level. Chairman Mr Kieran McKeown spoke of the continuing development of the club, in particular the flood light project that is soon to commence, and the ever growing juvenile section that has 400+ children playing rugby with Cobh Pirates on a weekly basis. Kieran welcomed Mr Nick O’Keefe whom was a formidable influence in juvenile rugby in Pirates for many a year. Nick embraced the underage structure for many years and facilitated the growth of many players in their opportunity to gain provincial and national honours. The evening commenced with the jersey’s being presented to the players, family and friends in order of year (some may say seniority) thus allowing Julian Kahn be the first to take the fore. Julian played for Irish Colleges and Universities in 1987/88 and 1990/91. Julian is still with Cobh Pirates coaching the under 18’s grade. Next up was Barry Keating, whom represented the Irish youths, as prop forward, in 1991. Barry was a formidable force and, against the odds, continued his career and is now a juvenile coach in Cobh Pirates. Colm MacCoitir was the Irish Youths outhalf for 1990/91, and went on to play senior with Dolpin RFC. Declan Kidney then coach with Dolphin, spoke highly of Colm who returned to Pirates to captain the club to their Munster Junior Cup victory. Speedster Michael O’Donovan played with the Irish Colleges team in 1996. Michael played senior with Dolpin RFC after learning his trade, albeit a late starter, with Cobh Pirates. Not to be outdone by his brother, Rob O’Donovan played for the Irish youth’s team in 1997, against Wales and Sotland. Rob also played with Dolphin RFC before returning to Cobh to gain a Junior Cup medal. Mark Cronin played for Irish youths in 1997 against Scotland. He dominated the outside center spot provincially and went on to play senior rugby, before returning to Cobh. Another member of the Junior Cup winning team, Mark has passed on some of his wisdom to the youth in Pirates. Club coach and world cup winner, Brendan Ronan played for Ireland in 1998 at under 19 level. Brendan played at number 10 for the side that had numerous stars on the squad. Brendan himself went on to play for Cork Constitution RFC, playing division 1, and returned to Pirates to assist the club in gaining Junior and Challenge Cup titles. One of this year’s junior coaches and 2001 Irish youths players, Jonathon Dennis played against Italy. Johnny, as his is known, propped in his youth days before going on to play in the back row for both Cobh Pirates and the Irish Defence Forces. This year’s current outhalf, Eamon Ronan, played with the Irish schools in 2003 and again the Irish under 19s in 2004. Playing for consecutive years in green he showed his strength and talent. Eamon enjoyed playing senior rugby at the young age of 19, and is now assisting his brother in showing the way in Cobh Pirates. Finbar Dorgan, was instrumental in the founding of wheelchair rugby in Munster. Finbar is a current member of the Irish Wheelchair Rugby team who, still in their inaugural phase, finished a highly creditable 6th place in the recent European Championships. Finbar is currently the Cobh Pirates club registrar. Newcastle West RFC Courtesy of:- Martin O’Sullivan, PRO First XV – Munster Junior League Div 1 After a few frustrating weeks we get our league campaign back in action this Sunday with a home tie against Kilfeacle. The trip to Tipp put paid to our league hopes last January so we’d be hoping to put that right on Sunday. As always your support will be vital so hope to see you all in Cullinagh. Fixture: Newcastle West RFC v Kilfeacle RFC Sunday Nov 29th in Cullinagh @ 2.30pm U20’s AIL Division 2 Newcastle West/Estuary – 17 Thomond – 3 Newcastle West played their second league game in Cullinagh grounds against Thomond in very bad weather conditions. At half time the score was 0-0, but this does not reflect the entertaining rugby that was on show. Thomond got on the score board first with a well stuck penalty from their out half. Newcastle West now playing with the elements up their game and took it to Thomond and after a series of moves were rewarded a penalty short of the line and from a quick tap and go Sean Murphy came up with the goods with a well taken try. This was converted by Dean Smith. With the day worsening Newcastle West played the elements well and kept Thomond pinned back in their half for the rest of the game with another try from Sean Murphy and one from Darren O’Doherty secured victory with a 17-3 win. This was a great effort again by all involved and a team that is growing in stature every week. Our next game is against Kanturk in Cullinagh grounds on Saturday 5th December 2:30pm kick off. The squad as follows, Garry Crowley, Eamon O’Halloran, Dayle Danaher, Hugh Massey, Gerald Griffin, Dylan Murphy, Sean Murphy, Thomas D’Arcy(capt), Shane Lee, Michael O’Flynn, Cathal O’Brien, Darren O’Doherty, Jonathan Hartigan, Dean Smith, Jack Feane, Corey O’Sullivan, Donal Scanlan, Daniel Leahy. Training resumes this Friday night in Kilelline at eight o’clock. Mini Rugby season has begun. New Volunteers & Players needed. The 2015/16 has kicked off in full and all children wishing to partake in rugby should join your age group. All our mini rugby training for teams: u6 – u12 is every Sunday 10:30 to 11:30 and mini blitzes once a month either at home or in a club in Limerick. This year to enhance the service and goodwill we need people to volunteer to help out in player registration, serving tea & coffees. A roster will exist to divide the tasks among the volunteers. Mini and Family Membership will be taken in Clubhouse next Sunday during Minis training from 10:30 am 11:30 am. Plenty Newcastle West branded stock available in our club shop, come ask while in Clubhouse for your Sunday cuppa !! Youths and U20 Rugby Training in full swing Calling all u13 to u20 players, please contact or respond to texts from your coaches to attend your teams training. With the success we had at underage last season we are hoping to equal if not better the success this year. If you want to be part of a winning team & club come to training and get noticed. Mini fixtures for next week Age Date Host Team 1 Team 2 Team 3 Team 4 U8 29-Nov Newcastle West Copsewood Gaels Richmond Bruff Young Munster U10 29-Nov Bruff-Bears Bruff-Bulls Presentation St. Mary’s Newcastle West Youth fixtures for next week Date Time Fixture Team 1 v Team 2 Pitch 29-Nov 11:30 U14 League NCW/Estuary v UL Bohs Killeline 29-Nov 12:00 U16 North Munster League Final Ennis v NCW/Estuary TBA 29-Nov 11:30 U18 Pan Munster League Shannon v NCW/Estuary Coonagh Lotto Results from Friday Nov 20th Lotto Draw Numbers Drawn 8, 22, 27 & 30 – NO WINNER Lucky Dip Winners Kathleen Connelly, Ardagh Michael Sheehy, Bridge St, NCW Mike Sheehy, c/o Lee’s Bar Jenna Riordan, Monegea Pat Dalton, Silver Dollar Bar Tom Kelleher Snr, Market Place, NCW Michael Dooley, Churchtown, NCW Promotors Prize – Ton Hayes Next week’s draw will be in Cleary’s Bar on Friday November 27th in Cronins Bar. The jackpot stands at €12,600. Thurles RFC Courtesy of:- Brian Scanlon, Club PRO Thurles U14 Boys v Fethard Thurles U14’s bowed out bravely at the quarter final stage of the East Munster league in Fethard on Sunday on a scoreline of 33 to 25 in a hotly contested local derby. In perfect conditions both teams showed great endeavour running the ball at every opportunity. Thurles got off to a great start winning a scrum and penalty, kicking to the corner, winning the line out and going close with Ciaran McCormack just bundled out over the corner flag. A poor Fethard clearance lead to another line out 10m out a after a couple of surges by the Thurles pack, Owen Byrne, playing at 6 for Thurles, the standout player on the field crashed in for the first of his 4 tries. Fethard were back in the game within 5 minutes with Thurles failing to deal with their giant number 8 who rumbled through several tackles scoring under the posts. They were further ahead after their hard running centre Ryan Walsh scored in the corner despite brave Thurles attempts to prevent the score. Thurles responded well though and got some phases together winning a penalty 20 metres out. Initial surge by no 8 Sam Quinlan was stopped short. Thurles recycled well and again Owen Byrne crashed in from close range. Some loose tackling just before half time allowed the Fethard second row in for a score to make the half time score 19-10 in favour of Fethard. Thurles stated the second half brilliantly with a great drop off from Ed Connolly and a great kick chase from Thurles putting Fethard under pressure. A few phases later came the score of the day when Thurles out half spotting space behind the Fethard cover floated a beautiful kick that bounced once and was gathered by Thurles fullback Jack Lillis who glided in the corner to get Thurles back in the game 19 – 15. The next 5 minutes of play was pivotal in the overall outcome. Thurles got great field position again in the Fethard half running back from the kick off and were retaining ball and had Fethard stretched before Ryan Walsh again picked off a long Thurles pass to run the length of the field. Walsh added another try shortly afterwards leaving the score 33 to 15. Thurles rallied well in the last 10 minutes with Owen Byrne scoring again from short range. Thurles ran everything at this stage and Fethard had a man sent off for a high challenge on Ed Connolly as he was about score again in the corner. Byrne popped up again to finish the job from the ensuing penalty to leave the final score 33 to 25. To their credit Thurles never stopped trying. Darragh Kelly, Tom wikinson and John Shaw had the Fethard scrum in trouble all day stealing two against the head. The Thurles back 5 (second rows McCormack and Whitehead) battled manfully all day against a much larger Fethard unit and won the lineout battle with the back rows (Byrne, Shorley and Quinlan) getting through huge work rates in the tackle, break down and carrying carrying the ball against Fethard. Our backs again dealing with much larger centres defended bravely and were excellent with ball in hand. Ultimately the physically more imposing Fethard side were too strong, 4 of their tries were clean breaks resulting in tries under the posts almost guaranteeing conversions. Thurles matched them scoring 5 tries of their own but all of them came on the right side within 5m of the touchline making the conversions very difficult. No shame in the loss as this Fethard team have the potential to go all the way in this competition. Thurles Women Thurles women’s RFC had a narrow 8 – 10 win over Clonmel in a nail biting encounter on Sunday in Clonmel. Thurles had a better start to the game with much of the possession in the opening minutes of the game. Aisling O’Hagan and Niamh Coman teaming up early on in the game and driving at the Clonmel defence. Thurles were patient in attack and moments later Aisling O’Hagan went in over the line for a superb try. When Megan Callanan skilfully slotted over the conversion Thurles were deservedly seven points ahead of the home side. Thurles were on the attack once again from the re-start with Ciara O’Dwyer retaining vital possession for Thurles and both Sinead Kilcare and Jean Ryan making good ground. Thurles had plenty more chances to put scores on the board Aisling Byrne and Rebecca Byrne were strong in attack. It was a challenging opening half for the forwards with frequent line out and scrums. Clonmel scored their first and only try late in the first half and while Thurles had been strong in defence and were unlucky to concede the try, there was no denying the determination of the solo run that resulted in the try. The conversion attempt was unsuccessful, the score remained 5 -7 in favour of visitors Thurles. In the dying moments of the first half Thurles found themselves once again defending with both Maria Woodlock and Joanne Harrison putting in some fantastic tackles. Thurles had the marginal two point advantage at half time. Once again in the second half it was Thurles that got off to a more confident and aggressive start attacking Clonmel and gaining vital ground. However, a lineout to Clonmel saw the pendulum swing in their favour and a period of Clonmel dominance began. Once again Clonmel came in search of another try but time and time again Thurles showed the strength of their character and defended with intensity. Linda Ryan and Maria Woodlock were immense for Thurles in many of the encounters. Clonmel were almost in for a try but were held up by a determined and skilful Thurles defence. Still, however, Clonmel renewed by their attempts at a score came at Thurles and when the visitors conceded a penalty Clonmel duly punished them by slotting it over to go one point ahead. But the real story of this game was only beginning. From the re-start Thurles had a pace and energy that was incredible following such an intense and challenging twenty minutes in strong defence of their line with little respite. They made fantastic ground and it was now Clonmel that found themselves having to defend. Just as Thurles had minutes earlier the Clonmel defence held firm and even though the visitors looked threatening the elusive try evaded them just as it had their opponents earlier in the half. Similarly, however, Clonmel too conceded a penalty and when Thurles’ Megan Callanan kicked it over the bar with determination and skill the visitors went two points ahead on a 8 -10 scoreline. With little time remaining in the half Clonmel once again went in chase of a winning score and once again Thurles defended with heart and skill. With the game over Clonmel were awarded a penalty in front of the posts and it seemed that destiny was with them. However, an unfortunate miss by the Clonmel kicker meant that the score line remained unchanged. Thurles were narrow winners on an 8 – 10 scoreline. It was a hard fought battle between two well matched sides showing skill and determination both in defence and in attack. Waterford City RFC Courtesy of:- Deirdre Barry, Club PRO Senior Squad The senior squad had a weekend off with no league games scheduled. Next weekend Waterford City welcomes Ennis to Kilbarry, kick off is at 2.20pm. Please come out and support the team. Under 16’s – Fethard 15 v Waterford City 36 Tries: Sean Walsh (4), Louis Byrne (1), Colm Dolan (1) Conversions: Tom Carney (3) City started this game very sharply, and had the home team on the back foot from the off. City scored two early tries from Sean Walsh and played the game in the opposition half. Two more tries from Sean Walsh and one from Louis Byrne saw city starting to pull clear. Tom Carney converted two of the tries before Fethard got a try of their own, to leave the score city 29 Fethard 5 at half time. The home team started the second half very brightly and finally started to put some good phases of play together which resulted in two well deserved tries. City got their game back on track and finished very strongly with the final try of the game coming from the impressive Colm Dolan. Tom Carney converted to leave the final score Fethard 15 city 36. Some great performances on the day from Sean Walsh and Colm Dolan in the forwards, and in the backs Tom Carney, David Glynn and Louis Byrne were strong in defence and inventive in attack. Congratulations to this very talented squad of players who now move on to play in pan Munster. Mini’s Rugby Waterford City RFC minis took part in a blitz on Sunday morning at the Waterpark RFC grounds in Ballinakill. The other team invited to take part was Fethard RFC. Conditions were ideal for rugby, with soft ground and sunshine in spite of the low temperatures. Waterpark had the pitches set out in advance and we weren’t long getting started. There were games at every age group from U7s to U12s and everything ran smoothly. Here are some of the highlights: Under 7’s – had good fun and enjoyed the morning. Under 8’s – also had great fun and played excellently in their two games winning one and losing another narrowly. Expect plenty of tackling practice next week before our next trip away. Under 9’s – had two wins and a draw – tbc. Again, some great displays with some great running rugby and good tackling. There were even a couple of rolling mauls on display! Under 10’s – had a great outing against our local rivals Waterpark and didn’t disappoint with some good defensive play backed up with some lovely attacking play which gave the lads plenty of scoring opportunities, most of which were gladly taken by different players. All in all, a good day for the whole team. U11s also did well. Under 12s played two games and lost both in spite of good displays by the team as a whole. They’ll be back training on Wednesday. Overall, City gave a good account of themselves across the board showing the ongoing development of minis rugby within the club. Finally, quality catering was available in the clubhouse afterwards so many thanks to Waterpark on all fronts and to Fethard for contributing to a great morning’s rugby. Club Lotto Results Numbers Drawn… 7 – 12 – 15 – 28 NO JACKPOT WINNER 3 people selected 3 numbers and won €35 each — Lisa O’ Riordan, Ciara Power, Dave O’Connor 2 x €25 — Bryan Brown, Tony and Ann Hearne 1 x €20 "MULTI TICKET" as a seller’s prize – Kevin Dobbyn A Night at the Dogs!! Waterford City RFC has their biggest fund raiser coming up on Friday 18th December. A Night at the Dogs…… As it’s the Christmas season we would like all our members to come and join us in what promises to be a festive/fun night for everyone. This night is for all of our members from Mini’s to Youths to Senior’s, our Veterans, and Coaches and to all their families. Please come and support our night. Tickets on sale Sunday morning’s in the clubhouse and at each training session, Family Tickets €20, Adult Tickets €10. Thanks for the Support – WCRFC Committee. We are also looking for sponsorship, to sponsor a Race on the night is €100 and to advertise in our booklet is €50. Any and all raffle prizes are also welcome. From more details and updates on our club and club event please like our Facebook page.