News from around the Clubs – 8th November

News from around the clubs

SHANNON

Con and the wind too strong for Shannon
AIB Cup Cork Con 33 Shannon 14.
To give any side a 28 point lead , especially a side such as Cork Con and then hope, rather than expect to claw such a lead back is probably a little fanciful even when you turned at the break with the considerable wind at your back.
That was the task facing Shannon in Templehill in the 3rd round of the AIB cup and despite a valiant effort, the task was just too much and Con eventually won by 33 points to 14.
The wind had a major influence on the game, but it was the home side that used the elements to full advantage. There’s no doubt Cork Con deserved their victory, but whether the gulf on the scoreboard was a true indication of the difference between the sides is debatable.
While the home side took their chances very well, Shannon did contribute to their demise with an inordinate amount of turnovers, missed tackles and a little bit of indecisiveness at key times.
With territory dominated by the wind, Shannon managed to etch their way into Cons ’22 on three occasions in the first half and with the line in sight three turnovers proved costly. And then Shannon’s storming start to the second half saw Ritchie Mullane score in the corner and the momentum was definitely with the visitors, but again, a series of misfortunate’s militated against them. Firstly Stephen Kelly came blazing into the ’22 and with a free run to the line, the final pass to him was deemed forward by Alain Rolland. Standing directly opposite the pass, in my (probably slightly biased) opinion it was at best, flat, but who am I to argue with a referee of international renowned. Then, correctly, Marcus O’Driscoll was hauled back for a crossing infringement as he crossed the line, but the momentum petered out when in the 62nd minute Shannon’s Tadgh Bennett was sin binned for over exuberance when trying to free up ball at a ruck.
Cons managed something Shannon couldn’t with the wind in their faces and that was to score a try. It came in the 72nd minute from the impressive Tim Kennelly who had already crossed for a well created try in the first half. It’s of little consolation to Shannon, but Stephen Kelly did score probably the best try of the game four minute later which clearly demonstrated the threat that Shannon can pose in their backline.
All in all Cork Con had a cuteness about their play that Shannon lacked and their four tries ensured safe passage to the next round, but when these sides meet in the AIB league on December 5th in Coonagh one would not expect an 18 point differential .
Scores.
Shannon, Try Ritchie Mullane, Stephen Kelly. 2 Conversion Tadhg Bennett
Cork Con; Try Tim Kennelly (2), Ritchie Lane (2) & 2 Pen, and 2 Conversions. Drop Goal, Darragh Lyons
Shannon Notes weekending November 14th 2009

The AIB cup will have to wait another year at least after our defeat to long standing rivals Cork Con. It didn’t make for pleasant viewing from our point of view and our fluctuating season continued. Were Cork Con 19 points better than us, I don’t think so, but there’s no denying that they deserved their 33-14 victory without any qualification. What caused such a defeat? Well the most obvious reason was that we allowed the home side, yet again, an early lead and from there they built up their 28 point margin. Obviously the strong wind was going to have a major factor on the game, but it was our inability to contain Cons when they enjoyed the majority of first half possession. It would be easy to say yet again that lady luck deserted us, but in truth we were instigators of our own downfall on Saturday.
Would the first half have panned out any better had we capitalised on our three incursions deep into Cons ’22 or would the complexion of the game altered when Stephen Kelly was hauled back early in the second when thundering towards the line for a forward pass? Maybe. However, ifs ands and buts don’t win games and there is some soul searching going on. Saturday sees us back on the League campaign and another tough game away to Blackrock. We all know what happened in Stradbrook last season and with the Dubliners going very well in the league this is a daunting prospect, but I have no doubt that our players will take the challenge head on. The return from New Zealand of hooker Mike Essex is a great boast to the squad and he will certainly add further experience to the squad. A Supporters coach has been booked, but at the time of writing the uptake has been poor. The lack of people utilising this fantastic facility puts the future of these highly subsided busses at risk so we urge our supporters avail of this. It departs from Thomond Park at 9.15 and costs a mere €;10. AS usual Ger Mc Closkey is taking bookings on 0872745926.

It was better news from the seconds and thirds who both and great win sin their respective leagues.
The Well field was reopened for the 3rds Gleeson League fixture with Bruff on a stormy afternoon last Saturday. Great credit must go to all those involved in getting the fields to the condition where they are now playable again. While fixtures were cancelled all over town The Well field hadn’t a drop of surface water and the underfoot was firm and despite the conditions both sides contributed to an excellent game. Playing into the gale in the first half we managed to withstand the early pressure and on one of our first forays into the Bruff half a good backline move was finished under the sticks by John Lynch , Our defense was to the fore in the first half as Bruff used the breeze as best they could but we always looked dangerous on the counter and just some bad luck prevented Paddy Reidy from finishing off a Johnny Bedford break . We added a penalty and the conversion to leave us 10 up at the break . On the turnover we dominated the rest of the game without making it pay on the scoreboard Paddy Reidy adding another penalty mid way thru the half to leave us 13 – 0 at the finish . Again we suffered another potentially long term injury to our captain Pat Dundon . Cashel are up next on Saturday away at 2.30.
On Sunday the Seconds recorded a well merited win over Old Crescent by 33 points to 19 and entertain Nenagh in Coonagh on Sunday at 1pm.
The U/21’s have a big game on Saturday against UL/Bohs in Annacotty at 2.30 and if you aren’t heading to Dublin , you’d do no worse than head out and see the lads play.
The news that Sean Cronin is in line for his first international cap on Sunday was greeted with pride in the club. A reserve to Jerry Flannery , Sean is on the road to a long international career and although not officially a Shannon player since he signed for Connacht , he still remains close to the club and we all wish him the very best along with the rest of the international squad.
Tickets are still available for the internationals and anyone interested can contact Tadhg Crowe.

RUGBAI CHORCA DHUIBHNE
Rugbai Chorca Dhuibhne 23, Killorglan 06.
After a disappointing loss last weekend Rugbai Chorca Dhuibhne needed a big performance to lift spirits and get back on track for promotion. It was never going to be easy for the home team but with a great team spirit and work ethic a super performance got the team back on track.

The game started off at a good pace with lots of kicking and good chasing, the excellent Cathal Mitchel once again putting in a wondrous tactical kicking display. It was one of these kicks early in the first half that led to the first score of the game, with Killorglan under pressure deep inside their 22 Bernard Galvin did a great job of disrupting the line out and the wiley Colm O’Shea pounced on the loose ball and powered over for a great try. The rest of the half was played at a frenetic pace with huge hits and great defence to the fore, a massive penalty from Johnny Curran brought the home side to 8-0 with 5 minutes to go in the first half.
A sustained Killorglan attack however led to a penalty under the Chorca Dhuibhne posts and a yellow card for captain Colm O’Shea, the resulting penalty left the scores at 8-3 at half time.
Playing down the hill in the second half and with superior fitness levels Chorca Dhuibne really turned up the heat on Killorglan, a huge hit from Sean Collins led to turn over ball, his brother Ciaran swept the ball away from contact and the excellent Adam Daly powered through the weak defence and off-loaded to Eoin Firtear, from the resulting ruck Ciaran Slattery gave a beautiful pass to Curren who beat the cover to score a great team try.
From here on in the home side played some breathtaking attacking rugby spraying the ball wide at every opportunity with great inter play between backs and forwards, super carries from James Dooley, the massive Justin Burgess and Declan O’Sullivan paved the way for the backs to move the ball at every opportunity. From a great burst forward Ciaran Collins got quick ruck ball and sped over for the icing on a great home performance.

Following the disappointment of last weekend this was a huge performance and shows the depth of talent and skill in this young West Kerry side.

BRUFF
With the 1st team on a break from rugby for the first time in over a month and a half, the weather neatly took care of a lot of other rugby over the weekend, there was however some good games played in spite of it.

The J2 Squad gave a good account of themselves on Saturday morning last in their Gleeson League game against Shannon in a cold and wet Coonagh. A break away try from Shannon centre John Lynch and a penalty gave Shannon a 10 Nil lead at half time. Shannon added a further penalty midway through the second half to leave the final Score at 13-0. Bruff did enjoy good periods of possession especially in the opening 40 but were unable to capitalise on it and turn it into points.
The match also notably marked the return to action of Fixtures Sec. Jim Wallace who I am reliably informed played the last 15 minutes of the game in the second row. The Bruff team Lined out as follows:
1. K Carroll 2. S Sheahan 3. J O Gorman 4. S Danagher(c) 5. T Leahy 6. T Clancy 7. M Hennessy 8. L McGrath 9. T Carroll 10. A Kilcoyne 11. N McNamara 12. J Hayes 13. E O Shea 14. A Gahan. 15. J O Sullivan, Subs from: T Casey, J Wallace, K O Sullivan, B Power, D Barnes, D Power

U21’s were also away on Saturday last in Cork to Sunday’s well, bringing home the bacon with a 23 point to 13 win.
Playing with the wind in the first half Bruff had the benefit of a 16 point to 3 lead going into the break. After the turnaround they were pegged back to a 3 point lead, Sunday’s Well clawing back thirteen points but 8 minutes into injury time Bruff scored a converted Try to sweeten the scoreline. Good result again for these lads in tough conditions. I also got a nice set of photos sent to me from former Bruffian Robert Ambrose who is now associated with Sunday’s Well, many Thanks Robert, click on the website to have a look.

Youth Rugby:
U15 Friendly on Friday night , Bruff won barely with a 15 point to 14 point result against their formidable opponents Newcastle West. Always a tough encounter between these two teams Bruff came out on the right side of this one.
U14 league, No report: Old Crescent 41 Bruff 0.

Fixtures:
Sat 14th:
AIL: This coming weekend sees a return to AIL action with the one and only trip away to Ulster this year in the guise of Belfast Harlequins. With a 2:30pm kickoff, there is mention of a supporters bus as well so contact Lil Cahill for details.
Other Fixtures (Home team first)
GL: Bruff J2 v Clonmel, 2:30pm.
Sun 15th:
MSSL
Bruff J1 v Young Munster, 1:00pm TBC. (This may change, watch the website)
Mini-Rugby:
U8 Blitz away to Richmond.
U10 Blitz to UL Bohemians in Annacotty.
U13 L Bruff V Shannon (Re-fixture, previously postponed, Time & Location TBC)
U19 F Bruff V Ballina/Killaloe (Time & Location TBC)
Keep an eye on the website www.bruffrfc.com for fixture updates, with the weather forecasted as bad as it is for the weekend there are bound to be some changes.

Last orders for away Munster and International tickets have to be in by Friday 13th, contact the ticket line with your orders. There may also be a small number of tickets available for Sunday’s International against Australia, check the website for notices, by the time this gets to print they may be gone.

Bruff RFC would like to announce the first of this seasons Texas Hold’em Poker Classics. With a nice prize fund available of €;1000 on the night and unlimited buybacks, it is taking place on Friday 27th November at 8:00pm. Tickets are available at €;30 from Pat Dunne (086)-8187361, Ger Hehir (087) 1717535 or any other committee member.
There is a private party in the club this coming Friday night 13th, there are however some slots left before Christmas for 21st birthday’s or Private parties in the pavilion. Contact me on 087-2052841, or you can email bookings@bruffrfc.com or contact any committee member to check availability.
That’s all for this week, next committee meeting takes place Monday 16th November at 8:00pm.

SUNDAY’S WELL

New Sundays Well Lotto 1st Draw

A new weekly member’s private lotto draw is starting soon to be run separately to the Euro Millions lotto that is already running. This Lotto will have a weekly drawing of numbers and will start on 14/11/09 after we play (and beat) Suttonians.

The first draw will have a guaranteed pot of €;250 and if not won will increase every draw. If the Jackpot is not won there will be a draw for – 3 prizes of €;25.
To support us please contact Mr. Paudie Horgan for a list of authorised club sellers.
On his mobile 0857632990 or his email padraighorgan5@hotmail.com

Terrace and stand tickets are now available for the forthcoming Heineken Cup pool games between Munster and Perpignan on December 11th and Munster versus Northampton on the weekend of January 15th/16th/17th. It is advisable to purchase tickets for both games to avoid disappointment.
Please contact Michael Barry at 086-2503853 or e-mail mikebarry1@eircom.net

Have you got your Rubber Ducky yet?????????
The Sundays Well Youth section will be having its annual duck race on December 27th

Buy a Duck for €;5 and help our youth section.

Results
Senior XVS No Game last week

Junior 1s Sundays Well 13 pts Cork Con 18 pts
A top of the table clash was on offer in Musgrave Park today where in the Munster 2nds League. 2nd placed Sunday’s Well J1’s took on top of the table Cork Con. It was a big game for the Well as a win would put them top. And going on results the Well were the team carrying the momentum into the game after the big win away to Clonakilty last week. The Well started brightly and after absorbing some early Con pressure; forced a penalty and went 3 nil up through the boot of Shane Brady. 2 mins later and it was six nil thanks to back chat from the Con pack. The first half progressed and the game settled into a pattern where the Well’s big defence stood up very convincingly and Con took a penalty in front of the posts instead of running it, such was the Well’s defence. Unfortunately the 1st half was marred by a very serious injury to Well No.8 Ritchie Lane. From a defensive scrum Ritchie picked the ball and ran at the Con 10 only to be tackled by the Con 6 and he hit the deck unconscious. Very quickly the referee saw the problem and stopped play. When the ruck broke up the Con loose head prop was holding Ritchie’s neck as still as he could, and a huge thank you is owed to this player’s quick thinking and care for a very seriously hurt opponent. Oisin O’Connell, resident doctor at Well games and stalwart of the J2 team took control of the situation and got Ritchie onto the spinal board with a neck brace on and away to CUH in an ambulance. A huge thank you from all involved with the club to Oisin for his professionalism and quick actions too. We wish Ritchie a speedy recovery.
The Well dropped their intensity early in the 2nd half and allowed Con to play a wide game for nearly 20 mins, this led to Con drawing level early in the 2nd and then going ahead through a converted try. The Well rallied in the last 20 mins and ran a lot of ball through Eamon Murphy who intercepted 2 Con passes once to have a try disallowed for a "knock on" and for the second set up Fintan Whelan for a try under the posts which left the scores 18-13. Unfortunately some aimless kicking from the Well back 3 saw a lot of time lost and the Well had only 2 good scoring platforms in the last 5 mins. The players will feel it was a game they left behind them as they prepare for next weeks home game against Highfield where they will be looking for revenge for that first league defeat of the season.
Match Report “ Frank O Mahony”

Junior 2s No Game last week

Under 21s Sundays Well 13s Bruff 16pts
After a bad loss to Shannon last weekend, the Well were looking to bounce back against Bruff on Saturday. From the start the Well line was under threat and the Bruff forwards were ‘held up’ over the line 3 times in the opening 10 minutes thanks to some resolute defending. Bruff did however take the lead through a penalty. The Well were unlucky not to draw level when a Cormac Horgan penalty went just wide and a Luke Duffy penalty hit the post. Bruff extended their lead with a try although the conversion was missed. Cormac Horgan kicked a penalty for the Well before Bruff hit back with another try just before half time to leave the score at 13-3 at the break.
The well scored first in the second half through a Luke (the Boot) Duffy penalty although Bruff kicked a penalty of their own, within two minutes. As the conditions deteriorated, Chris O’Sullivan showed some pace and with a jinking run, crossed for a try which was converted by Horgan to bring the score to 16-13. As the Well were on the ascendency towards the end of the match, it looked as if the win was there for the taking and instead an error behind the try line left Bruff in for a try which was converted.
This was a match that the Well felt they could have and should have won…….
Match Report “ Tunes”

Under 19s No Game last week

Under 17s Sundays Well 5pts Highfield 20pts
Highfield proved too strong for The Well today in Musgrave Park, winning by 20 points to 5, on a very soft pitch, Olan Hanley scored our only try. The game was a hard fought encounter, with both sets of players giving their all, in a energy sapping, but clean game. Our team now moves on to play Douglas at Moneygourney on November 21st win here will ensure qualification to the knockout stages where we will meet the winners of group 1.
Match Report “ Mick O Brien”

Under 15s Sundays Well 16pts Waterpark 44pts
No Match Report received

Under 13s No Game last week.

Under 12s No Game last week.

Under 11s Cork Con 4 tries Sundays Well 15 tries
The brave under 11’s travelled on Saturday morning with a large amount of controlled aggression to the pit that is Temple Hill with the aim of subduing the lillywhites. The Cons were able to match our numbers so we were able to split the lads in to two equally capable squads.

Team 1
On the near side we had Luke O’Callaghan’s warriors who started the game with an organised defence and sharper attack. The in-depth line worked well at keeping the opposition out of our half and this was complemented by our quick passing in attack. Conor Kirby and Michael O’Sullivan linked up well for some searing runs but the first score of the day belonged to David O’Sullivan who stole his way through for a fine solo try. David Scott kept Con at bay with two fine tackles while Callum Mackey was unlucky not to touch down in the corner. Luke O’Callaghan stormed up the centre of the pitch, dragging a couple of the white jerseys with him to leave the half-time score at 2-0. Setanta Walsh jinked and dived over the touchline without actually seeming to put his foot in touch for a fine try but the Cons won out 5-3 winners.
With the rain continuing to pour down it was imperative that we started the second match quickly. Rob Hedderman showed excellent awareness in the scrum half position with his distribution while Connor McCarthy managed to bring down a couple of players by the ankles to prevent a try. Rob Egar had a decent run or two and managed to off-load before the tackle while Conor Egan cleared our line when under pressure. Briog’s low running and nimble footwork saw him storm over for the first try of the match while Luke played a captain’s innings with two more tries. The lads did not let their guard down for an instant and their teamwork, especially when stringing passes together, was admirable. Final score, a resounding 3-0 victory that was not lost on the Con coach Mick Maloney, formerly of The Well, a point that was not missed by Donnacha who duly reminded Mick of this fact in his usual diplomatic, subtle way. Points to note for our Under 11’s: 1.pre-match concentration is vital. 2. Prepare the full back for the opposition’s relieving kick.Well done lads, that was a tremendous performance. Captain Tim & Coach Paul

Team 2
The text said :”GTF (Get there first), Rib and Rob, rush ball, support, ruck.” Wow. Ten out of Ten for the Well. These guys were pumped up and delivered with in seconds. Try from Cathal. Try from Spud. Try from Stakey. Try from the twin, Adam. Try from Lofty. Try from the Ballygarvan Brigade – Richard. Try again from Cathal. Seven tries. No response. How did it happen ? See the text ! .Tackles from Sexton, bursting drives up the middle of the pitch from Mark O’Gorman, rock steady scrums from Luke Briggs. Back row combination of Robbie Mulhall and Richard O’Leary gave Con no chance forcing fumbles, knock on and general mayhem. The big fella’s – Lofty, Stackey, Spud, Ed Barrett capitalised. The Ball on the ground I Loves it , Away de Well. Sundays Well 7 (tries) – Con – nothing. Second game was contested well by the Well against a stronger Con team. Our guys set out their stall from the start – monster tackles from the team and fantastic hands and support play. Huge pressure on the Con line, their full back attempted a clearance kick only to meet Lofty’s two meat cleavers, ball deflected only to be greeted by Reggie Kavanagh’s silky soccer skills – beautifully controlled, pick and score. Cracker. Con levelled with a few seconds to go, only try of the day leaked, more out of coldness than lack of trying. The Well – 1 cracker of a try, Con – 1 flukey try. Moral victory to the Well. Victory laps and sprints on Saturday to celebrate.
Coach Andy & Coach Donnacha
Match Report “ Loftus,Egar & Mullhall”

Under 10s Sundays Well 9 tries Cork Con 4 tries
The Well took the honours in this eagerly awaited fixture with some outstanding passages of play and some well taken tries. The Well started the stronger team and led after the first period of play 3 – 1. Con came back in the second period but were restricted to just the one try while the Well scored two magnificent efforts giving a scoreline of 5-2 at the break. The third and final period also saw the Well come out on top and the match finished up 9-4. Some fine individual efforts by Alex, Gavin, Tiernan and Jack O’Kelly (even bagging himself an intercept try) were matched by some great play in the tight by Peter and Sean, a fine cover tackle by Ben preventing a certain Con try and a lively Jack Swann harassing the Con team into errors.
Given the sometimes atrocious conditions, this was a great performance with some excellent handling skills throughout the team. A job well done!
Match Report “ Tim Butler”

Under 9s Cork Con 15 tries Sundays Well 16 tries
The Well under 9s travelled to Cork Con on what appeared to be a bright airy morning. As soon as we arrived, the weather turned cold, the rain poured down and the muddy ground opened up. But none of this deterred the 12 Well boys who braved the elements and put on very determined efforts to show what they were capable of. We played four 6-a-side games and were entertained by some great running, tackling and evasions. The recent emphasis on passing drills in training began to pay off as some excellent passes out of the tackle were made by the Well boys. Great determination and athleticism was displayed by many of the Well boys, who revelled in the mud and the rain. Of the four games, we lost one, 5-3, won one 6-3, and drew two, 3-3 and 4-4, giving an aggregate of 16-15 to the Well over about 50 minutes of rugby. Back to training next week, as we prepare for the next trip away, to Charleville.
Match Report “ Damian Arrigan”

Under 8s Sundays Well 8 tries Cork Con 0 tries
Our U8’s scored an emphatic 8-nil victory over Cork Con last Saturday at a rain soaked Musgrave Park in front of a fairly boisterous home support. The foundation of this win was laid in the defensive play of the team as a whole with great tackling by Sam O’Sullivan, Mark Deane and David O’Mahoney to name but a few. The superiority of the Well in this area was followed up with great effect by players such as Alex Lane, Aaron O’Kelly and Stephen O’Mahoney who carried the ball deep into Con territory and offloaded when tackled to free men who inevitably pounced for scores. Overall, it was a great squad display with the full panel of sixteen playing an important part in this victory with Coach O’Kelly rotating his squad to great effect
Match Report “ Brendan Dean”

Under 7s No Game last week

Fixtures

14th /15th Nov 09.

It is Important YOU support our teams Looking forward to seeing YOU soon.

Come and meet old and new friends.

Senior XVS Versus Suttonians
Match Sponsor Douglas Court Shopping Centre & Blackpool and Douglas Village shopping centres.
Kick Off 14.30 Saturday Musgrave Park AIB All Ireland League

Junior 1s Versus Highfield Kick Off 1pm Sunday Musgrave Park South Munster 2nd League

Junior 2s Versus Old Christians Kick Off 12 noon Sunday Rathcoony J2 League

Under 21s No Game this week.

Under 19s Versus Midelton Kick Off 11am Saturday Cois Lee South Munster League

Under17s Versus Cork Con Kick Off 12 noon Saturday Temple Hill Friendly

Under15s Versus Midelton Kick Off 12.30am Saturday Cois Lee South Munster League

Under 13s Versus Bandon RFC Kick Off 12.30pm Saturday Bandon South Munster League

Under 12s Training Saturday 10 am Sharp Frankfield

Under 11s Training Saturday 10 am Sharp Frankfield

Under 10s Training Saturday 10 am Sharp Musgrave Park

Under 9s Training Saturday 10 am Sharp Musgrave Park

Under 8s Training Saturday 10 am Sharp Musgrave Park

Under 7s Training Saturday 10 am Sharp Musgrave Park