Photograph: Nenagh Ormond Under 13's who played Portumna in Tyone on Sunday last.
AIL Division 2A
Nenagh Ormond 31-5 Skerries
Nenagh Ormond hosted Skerries at New Ormond Park on Saturday last. With the restructuring of Senior Rugby next season, only the first 10 teams will remain in Division 2A and Nenagh were lying in 11th place coming into this match so it was a must-win game. However, a win was just as important for Skerries who lie in 3rd place and are pushing for promotion so the lads were expecting a tough game and the supporters were looking forward to a cracker.
The match opened with Nenagh in possession and they looked up for the game, putting some good rugby together inside the Skerries 22 but not managing to convert it into points. Skerries gained possession after a Nenagh fumble just inside their own half and they made it count, scoring a few phases later and going ahead by 5 points to nil. This was to be their only score of the game and in truth they didn’t come close for most of the rest of the match. Both lineouts were struggling in the strong wind but when Nenagh got within 5 metres of the line they made no mistake. Lemeki Vaipulu carried well in the following phase and was just held up short but the ball was recycled quickly and passed out to Anthony Kavanagh who showed great strength to get over, taking two defenders with him. Dan Fogarty, who had an excellent game, slotted the conversion despite the swirling wind to put Nenagh ahead 7-5.
Photograph: Lemeki Vaipulu beats the Skerries defence in Saturday's Senior game.
It was from another lineout that Nenagh scored, this time an excellent take by Kavanagh was popped down to scrum half Eoin Gardiner and went through the hands out to centre Mark Doyle. Doyle carried strongly, made good ground and the ball was recycled quickly. Gardiner fed Mike Slattery who turned and set up a maul about 15 metres out from the line and the power of the Nenagh pack was evident when they mauled all the way over for an excellent forwards try. Fogarty again converted to leave the half time score at 14-5.
The second half saw Nenagh get an early yellow card and Skerries did have possession and territory for some time during this ten minutes. However, even down to 14 Nenagh were impressive and by the time the ten minutes were up they were already back inside Skerries territory where they won a penalty which they opted to kick to touch. This time the ball was popped to Lemeki Vaipulu whose storming carry set up the ball for Gardiner to pass to Kevin O’Flaherty who burst through the defenders to score under the posts. Fogarty converted his third and, much to the dismay and shock of the Skerries players, Nenagh were 21-5 up and chasing the bonus point.
Nenagh continued to dominate and the feeling in the crowd was that it was only a matter of time before they secured the 5 points. When they won a scrum inside the Skerries 22, they showed great control and after a couple of phases, Lemeki Vaipulu got the ball out wide. John Long was running in support and cleverly spotted a gap in the defence which he shot through, taking a fantastic offload from Vaipulu to touch down and score Nenagh’s bonus point try. Fogarty added the extras and a few minutes later slotted a penalty to put Nenagh out of sight with only minutes to go.
Photograph: Willie O'Connor in action during Saturday's Division 2A game against Skerries.
Skerries regained possession but were deep inside their own half and there didn’t seem to be any threat. However, they managed to create an overlap and get the ball out to their winger who took off down the touchline and it seemed nobody would catch him. Although it would make little difference to the result, Willie Coffey showed incredible commitment and pace to chase him down and put him into touch literally inches from the line just before the final whistle, preserving a 31-5 win and a much needed 5 points.
Nenagh now have a break for a couple of weeks before their next match which is away to NUIM Barnhall on Saturday, March 28th, at 2.30pm.
Team: Dan Fogarty, John Long, Mark Doyle, William O’Connor, William Coffey, Mike Fogarty, Eoin Gardiner, Conor Brislane, Peter O’Connor, Fergal Brislane, Kevin Seymour, Kevin O’Flaherty, Mike Slattery, Anthony Kavanagh, Lemeki Vaipulu. Reps: John Healy, Andrew Mackey, John Coffey, Kevin O’Gorman, Darragh Hassey.
Munster ‘A’ return to New Ormond Park!
Nenagh Ormond are delighted to host another Munster ‘A’ match at New Ormond Park. Munster 'A' will play their first interprovincial of the season against Ulster Ravens at Nenagh Ormond RFC on Thursday, March 19th, at 4:30pm.
Munster 'A's first encounter since their British & Irish Cup quarter-final defeat to Doncaster Knights sees them return to Nenagh for the first time since September 2010. Ulster were also the opposition on that occasion with the likes of the then emerging Conor Murray, Simon Zebo and Dave Foley helping Munster 'A' to a comprehensive 30-3 win.
Head Coach Mick O'Driscoll will bring a mix of emerging stars from the Munster academy and sub academy ranks as well as senior squad members to Nenagh for Munster A's first interprovincial of the season.
The sides last met in September 2012 with a try and conversion from JJ Hanrahan clinching a 19-17 win for Munster 'A' in the final action of the game.
Munster 'A' v Ulster Ravens, Thursday, March 19th, 2015 at Nenagh Ormond RFC - KO 4:30pm.
All Ireland Shield
Nenagh Ladies 12-32 St. Mary’s
Having competed well in the qualifying rounds, Nenagh Ladies found themselves in the second tier of three All Ireland Cup competitions along with five other Division 2 sides and two Division 1 sides. Nenagh got a tough draw and faced Division 1 side St. Mary’s at home on Sunday last. Nenagh started well, albeit under pressure, with their defence working hard and holding St. Mary’s out in the first fifteen minutes. However, Nenagh’s only visit to the St. Mary’s half in this time, which came from an outstanding break from outhalf Sandra Williams, did not get further than the 22 and left no points on the board.
St. Mary’s first score came after two consecutive penalties took them inside the Nenagh 22. From the lineout they recycled well and flashed the ball out to their centre who popped it back inside to a runner coming at pace. She burst through the defence to touch down. Playing into a strong wind, Nenagh were reluctant to kick but in hindsight may regret opting to run the penalties they got, most within their own 22. This allowed St. Mary’s to dominate territory and they put a lot of pressure on Nenagh at the breakdown, resulting in a number of turnovers. St. Mary’s scored three tries in the second quarter, leaving Nenagh trailing by 20 points to nil at half time.
The second half started ominously, with St. Mary’s piling on the pressure in Nenagh’s 22 again. In fairness to Nenagh, they held well for the first ten minutes but eventually St. Mary’s rumbled over the line. Nenagh kept the chins up though and came back down the pitch for their first sustained period of possession in opposition territory. The girls put some good phases together but St. Mary’s held firm and eventually regained possession and quickly made their way back into Nenagh’s half. A Nenagh turnover was kicked away but the pressure did not ease as it failed to make touch and St. Mary’s ran it back well, eventually scoring again in the corner.
It was looking like a whitewash was in store but the attitude and character of the Nenagh girls was admirable as they shook it off and started again. The final 15 minutes of the game was all Nenagh and it was played almost exclusively inside the St. Mary’s half. They piled on the pressure and were rewarded with a 5 metre scrum. Marie Louise Ryan picked from number 8 and backed herself, driving through the defence and over the line.
Nenagh still kept going and won a penalty which they kicked to touch. Maria Butler took Helena Hanrahan’s throw and popped to Marie Louise Ryan who straightened well before feeding the back line. The ball went wide and Sandra Williams, who looped from outhalf, broke down the touch line and beat several defenders to score in the corner leaving the full time score at Nenagh Ladies 12-32 St. Mary’s.
Team: Annie Leahy, Adeline Harty, Breda Doheny (c), Amy Ryan, Therese Nolan, Sandra Williams, June Whelan, Nicollette Finn, Helena Hanrahan, Bob Ryan, Denise Williams, Sinead Hennessy, Paula McSweeney, Anne O’Reilly, Marie Louise Ryan. Reps: Ciara McCullough, Carol Lewis, Maria Butler, Grace Donovan.
Photograph: Nenagh Ormond Ladies team who played St. Mary's in the Quarter Final of the All Ireland Shield on Sunday.
Under 14 East Munster Cup
Dungarvan 10-12 Nenagh Ormond
Nenagh made the long trek to Dungarvan. Nenagh playing with a strong wind at their backs got off to a good start and put plenty of early pressure on the Dungarvan team. The Nenagh forwards won some good early ruck ball which allowed the Nenagh backs to run at the Dungarvan defence, however, Dungarvan tackled very well and did not let Nenagh get through. It was not until nearly twenty minutes into the game when the Nenagh forwards drove into the Dungarvan twenty two and when Oisín Webb was held up just short of the Nenagh line Dylan Knight picked up and dived in for a great opening try. The try was converted by Jack Moran to give Nenagh a well deserved 7 - 0 lead, however, just before half time Dungarvan launched an attack and scored just on the half time whistle. The try was unconverted and Nenagh took a slender 7 - 5 lead into the interval.
After the break Dungarvan now playing with strong wind behind them started to put a lot more pressure on the Nenagh team and within five minutes they had scored to give them a 10 – 7 lead. Like the week before as soon as this Nenagh team goes behind it seems to spur them into action and the forwards continued to drive towards the Dungarvan line and when the ball went down the back line Conor McMahon was unlucky not to get in on the corner. Nenagh continued to attack and once again it was a great forward drive that allowed Luke Connolly to get in for Nenagh’s second try and to give them a slender 12 - 10 lead going into the last five minutes. The last five minutes of the game were played in Nenagh’s twenty two but no matter what the Dungarvan team threw at Nenagh the players tackled as if their lives depended on it and held Dungarvan out to give Nenagh a hard earned 12 – 10 victory.
Nenagh have now qualified for the semi-final of the cup and it looks like we will be playing our old rivals Waterpark at home in Nenagh on the 22nd of March next. Training this week will be on Thursday evening in Tyone at 6.30 p.m. and we need all players in attendance.
Nenagh team: Danny O’Connor, Patrick Whelan, Eoghan Slevin, Oisín Webb, Lorcan Tuohy, Oisín McMahon, Dylan Knight, Dylan Murphy, James Ferris, Owen Farrell, Conor McMahon, Jack Moran, Matthew Hodgins, Patrick Finn, Peter Rainsford, Ruan O’Hanluain, Conor Malone.
Under 13’s v Portumna
Through a combination of injuries and other events we took to field short a number of our regulars on Sunday as we welcomed Portumna to Tyone for a challenge game. We went down by the odd try in five yet we played some very good rugby and lots of our newer players are starting to find their feet at this level. They have made a lot of progress over the past couple of months and this learning process continues at training every Wednesday night when we work on areas of our game that need improvement.
Our tackling and rucking have improved and our support play meant that when we put the ball through the hands and moved it out wide we played attractive rugby. Our defensive set up at times does cost us as we can tend to get very narrow and leave a lot of space for the opposition to attack into. Overall we have a lot of positives to focus on.
Our try scorers were Liam King again and Ben West also got in for a great team try in the second half. Jake Clarke made some great yards with ball in hand. James Meagher was involved in everything and put in a huge amount of work. Well done also to Joe Cooney and Luke Gleeson who were playing in new positions and acquitted themselves well. Aaron Ryan came on did well playing his first game at this grade. Again, all players got game time. Training continues in Tyone at 6.30pm on Wednesday.
Match Panel: Joe Cooney, Jake Clarke, Jack Deane, Luke Gleeson, Hugh Guest, Jack Hassett, Liam King, James Meagher, Cian McInerney, Sean Richardson, Aaron Ryan, Cathal Ryan, Ben West, Shane Whelan, Conor White, Jack White, Danny Wilkinson.
Under 12’s
The Under 12’s travelled to the beautiful surroundings of Clarisford Park on Sunday to take on Ballina/Killaloe. Coaches from both sides agreed before the game to trial a 15 a side game on the full pitch for ten minutes before the mini rugby that players at this age usually play.
What happened next will long live in the memory of all that have been involved with both of these teams since they began their rugby careers because it was over an hour later that the final whistle was sounded. The reason for this was both teams took to the full size game like ducks to water and served up probably the most exciting rugby played anywhere on the day. Both teams used the full width of the pitch throughout the game and the ability of all players on view to keep the ball alive was a joy to behold.
That was the attack side of the game but the defence, which should be harder on such a big pitch, was really good also with both first up tackles and scramble last ditch tackles going in with no regard for personal safety. One had to feel that something that Rob Penney tried for two years with Munster happened here by total accident! Rugby was the winner on the day and both teams scored some really nice tries. This correspondent struggled with refereeing on the bigger pitch but can definitely remember Andrew Ferris scoring two tries and Sonny Dower and Tom Kennedy scoring one each.
A special mention to Eoin O’Brien who made his first appearance. He did really well and has a bright future ahead of him. Both of these teams definitely have some stars of the future and with dedication and hard work bigger things lie ahead.
Photograph: Nenagh Ormond Under 12's who played their first 15 a side game against Ballina/Killaloe on Sunday.
Under 9’s & 10’s
Last Sunday our Under 9's and Under 10's travelled to Birr to take on the home side. We fielded 2 teams - 14 Under 10's and 13 Under 9's. It turned out to be a marvellous contest against a very good home side. Our tackling was first class and we competed really well at the breakdown. Our rugby has improved 100% over the season.
As the season draws to a conclusion we hope all our young players enjoyed playing rugby and we are already looking forward to seeing them all back in September. Our Under 10's played 14 aside on a large field and we coped really well. Our thanks again to the parents who come out in numbers every week. Our thanks to Birr RFC for their wonderful hospitality after the game. Next Sunday we are away to UL Bohemian - a full turnout would be appreciated - details to follow by text.
Photograph: Nenagh Ormond Under 9's & 10's in action at the blitz in Birr on Sunday.
Nenagh Ormond Mini's
Photograph: Nenagh Ormond Mini coaches who attended the pre-match lunch before Saturday's Senior match against Skerries.
Photograph: Minis and Coaches Clapping the Seniors onto the pitch before the Skerries game.
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