Under 14s
Division 2A
Nenagh Ormond 14-7 Banbridge
Nenagh Ormond Senior XV recorded a superb victory over table toppers Banbridge on Saturday last in Lisatunny. With the strong wind behind them, Nenagh dominated the first half and two great tries put them 14 points ahead at the break.
The first score came when Mike Fogarty, reacting quickly, caught an overthrow in a Banbridge lineout and kicked to the corner. Anthony Kavanagh read the Banbridge lineout superbly, stealing the ball and passing it out to KolioHifo. Good carries from Hifo, Willie O’Connor and Johnny Hayes brought Nenagh closer to the try line and sucked in the defence. Derek Corcoran, standing at 10, passed to and then looped around Hifo, fixing the remaining defenders and allowing Hifo to put in a long pass behind him to EathonMoloney who finished well in the corner. Michael Walsh kicked the difficult conversion to put Nenagh seven points in front.
Nenagh continued putting on the pressure andit wasn’t long before they were inside Banbridge territory again. Fogarty fielded a Banbridge kick and passed to Hifo who made good ground before a pick and go from LemekiVaipulu took Nenagh into the Banbridge 22. Just as he was tackled, Vaipulu offloaded to Kavanagh who broke through and was held up just metres short. The support was there allowing quick ball for Fogarty to pass to the seemingly unstoppable Johnny Hayes who drove over the line despite two tacklers hanging on to him. Walsh again converted and Nenagh stretched their lead to 14-0.
The second half started with Nenagh still on top but in the final quarter the home side found themselves defending for long periods. Banbridge had several chances but couldn’t manage to get past the ferocious Nenagh defence. As the time ticked closer to 80 minutes, it looked like Banbridge were going to leave New Ormond Park without points but, after at least five minutes of injury time, Banbridge took a quick tap from a penalty and, after some good tight phases, the ball went out to their fullback for the score. The try was converted to leave the final score at 14-7 and give Banbridge the losing bonus point.
This was a great win for Nenagh Ormond and one that puts them into fourth place in the table. They now take a break this weekend before making the long journey north on Saturday week where they take on Queen’s.
Team: Michael Walsh, John Long, Derek Corcoran, William O’Connor, EathonMoloney, KolioHifo, Mike Fogarty, Johnny Hayes, Peter O’Connor, Fergal Brislane, Kevin O’Gorman, Kevin O’Flaherty, Michael Slattery (c), Anthony Kavanagh, LemekiVaipulu. Reps: John Healy, Conor Brislane, Anthony Grey, David Corcoran, Peter O’Leary.
Skibbereen 5-3 Under 16s
Having finished third in our group stage Nenagh Ormond Under16s had qualified for the next stages of the Pan Munster Cup. Over 50 teams started out in this competition and we had made it to the final 9. A draw was needed to decide whether we would go straight through to the quarter-final or a play-off. Unfortunately Cork Consitution came out of the hat first with Skibbereen second and Nenagh third meaning we had the difficult task of an away play-off against Skibbereen to overcome if we were to progress further.
The team gathered at 9am in Lisatunny on Saturday morning last for the three hour trip south. Conditions underfoot in Skibbereen were difficult and the weather uncompromising on the day with strong wind and rain throughout the match. We started well with the wind at our backs and had Skibbereen in much bother in the early stages. A well struck Conor O’Brien penalty gave us an early three-nil lead. Shortly after Stephen Harding looked to have grounded for the opening try but the referee was unsighted and gave a five metre scrum instead. A penalty at the scrum allowed Skibbereen to get out of trouble.
Again Nenagh came back and looked to have scored near the posts through Alex Hayes but this time the referee adjudged the ball was held up and another five metre scrum was awarded. Another front row infringement again allowed the home team to clear their lines. The penalty count mounted against Nenagh at scrum time and this gave Skibbereen plenty of possession to work with while playing against the wind and slowed down any momentum we had. The teams retired at halftime with no further score.
Skibbereen started the second half well with the wind at their backs and launched attack after attack against us but our defence held firm. We countered well but couldn’t get deep enough into Skibbereen territory to add another score. The game continued in this manner for the rest of the second half and eventually our defence creaked and Skibbereen scored a fine try in the left corner with six minutes to go. The difficult conversion was missed and Nenagh fought back strongly, dominating the final stages of the game, but just couldn’t get in for that vital score that would have gotten us the win. The referee’s final whistle went and our dreams of Pan Munster success for this group were over for this year.
These are a fine bunch of boys whose never say die attitude will see them enjoy better days ahead. We now concentrate on the East Munster Under16 cup which starts with another away trip, this time in Dungarvan. No date has been set for that match yet.
Team: Michael Bourke, Jack Dunne, Alex Hayes, RuanO’Hanluain, Stephen Harding, Jack O’Keefe, Orrin Moore, Evan Murphy, Daniel Molamphy, Ben Duff, Eamon Hough, Darragh Flannery, Jack Moran, Eddie O’Dwyer, Conor O’Brien, Luke Connolly, John Spillane, Ronan Kelly, Colum Moylan.
Waterpark 17-17 Under 14s
On Sunday morning Nenagh OrmondUnder 14s were away to Waterpark in the fourth round of the East Munster U14 Cup in a game they could not afford to lose. Because of injuries and illness only 15 players were fit to travel so the panel was bolstered by 5 players from the Under 13 panel with Jack Gleeson, John Brislane, Sean Fitzgerald, Jack Mc Grath and EoghanTighe making their first appearance for the Under 14s.
Playing with the wind, Waterpark started the better and Nenagh had to rely on backs to the wall defending for the first ten minutes. Nenagh started to win some possession and attacked wide at every opportunity. Following some great interplay between backs and forwards Nenagh scored under the posts to take the lead. Despite having plenty of possession Nenagh struggled to get out of their half and Waterpark came again scoring two tries to lead 10 – 5 at half time.
In the second half Nenagh changed tactics and upped the physicality, carried stronger and recycled more possession. This led to an increasing amount of possession and line breaks. Nenagh scored two great tries to lead 17 – 10 and had chances to put the match out of Waterpark’s reach but they were just held up short. Against the run of play Waterpark scored to level the scores at 17-all. With the match in the balance Dylan Murphy broke from inside his 22 and looked like scoring the winning try but a last ditch tackle from Waterpark saved the day. The match finished with the scores level.
Great credit is due to the players who travelled so far and produced such a high class performance. Our next Cup match is at home to Clanwilliam on March 6th. This is a must win game and a full attendance is required at all training sessions.
Under 11s
Last Sunday we welcomed UL Bohemian to a wet and windy Lisatunny. Nineteen brave Nenagh players took to the field, divided into two teams. Conditions were tough and the ground was very soft. Despite being short of a number of regulars the home side played some great rugby, taking the challenge to UL Bohs at every occasion. We were dealt a further blow early on when both Mason and Joss were forced to retire through injury.
However, it is often in the face of adversity that new heroes emerge, and that proved to be the case last Sunday. Much to the delight of the home crowd we scored some fabulous tries, including a great team effort finished by John Mulvihill and a brace by one of our most improved players Sean Ryan. Other try scorers included Aodhan, Tristan and the flying Amy. Highlights of the day included some great tackling by Sean Mac and Matthew Coffey, good running by Cormac Sullivan, and some very good passing and ball handling by Fintan.
We send our best wishes to all our injured players and look forward to their safe return to action. We thank a very well coached and impressive UL Bohs team for two sporting matches and we look forward to meeting them again. Our thanks to the parents who braved the elements and as usual thanks to our brave young players who continue to give their all every Sunday morning.
Lastly we congratulate our coach Fergal and his Senior XV teammates on a marvellous win on Saturday, propelling them into 4th place in the League and hopefully challenging for promotion at the end of the season.
Training continues in Lisatunny next Sunday at 10am
Mini Rugby Update
Upcoming Mini Fixtures:
Sunday 28th February: Training in Ballymackey all-weather.
Sunday 6th March: Away blitz to Thurles with Kilfeakle also attending.
Sunday 13th March: All minis training in NORFC Lisatunny at 10am.
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