Munster Junior Plate Final
Waterpark 20-12 Nenagh Ormond
Nenagh Ormond Seconds travelled to Clonmel RFC on Sunday to take on Waterpark in the Munster Junior Plate Final. It has been a difficult season for our Seconds with a lack of matches contributing to very varied results and an unsettled team throughout. Having received walkovers in the preceding rounds and facing a Junior team used to playing with each other, there was the possibility that match fitness and cohesiveness would be issues and this seemed to be the case in the opening minutes.
After just five minutes, Waterpark went ahead when, after some good forward carries, they flashed the ball wide and touched down. They added the extras to put them seven points in front. However, Nenagh didn’t let this get to them and were soon on the attack and causing all sorts of problems for the Waterpark defence. Their first score came after John Healy made a super break down the right hand side of the pitch and into Waterpark’s 22. The ball was recycled well and went out to David Corcoran who, seeing that Waterpark were scrambling, skipped it out to Darragh Hassey. Hassey timed his pass well to Anthony Grey who took a lovely line and came onto the ball at pace, allowing him to get clean through the defence for the score.
Now just two points behind, Nenagh’s confidence was up and they continued to put the pressure on. Both sides took shots at goal in the next ten minutes, neither of which were converted, but Nenagh were definitely getting the upper hand and when they got a lineout five metres out they worked hard, forcing Waterpark to concede another penalty. This time they took it quickly and, after a couple of tight phases, David Corcoran spotted a small gap which he raced through for Nenagh’s second try. Healy converted to put Nenagh 12-7 ahead.
Inside the last ten minutes a penalty in the middle of the pitch gave Waterpark a foothold in Nenagh territory and they eventually got a lineout just ten metres out from Nenagh’s try line. Flashing the ball out to the backs quickly and running hard, a miscommunication between the Nenagh backs allowed their outside centre to slip through and leave the score at 12-all. Nenagh worked hard for the final five minutes of the half and, with Michael Slattery and Jamie Quigley giving them good go-forward ball, they spent the majority of this time within metres of Waterpark’s try line. Peter O’Connor’s powerful drive took them over at one point but unfortunately Waterpark managed to hold him up and the sides went in level at half time.
Nenagh started the second half much as they finished the first and, as they set up camp in the Waterpark 22 for over ten minutes, it seemed they would be next to score. However, Waterpark were dogged and Nenagh couldn’t finish several chances in this period. The lack of match fitness was always going to be a factor in the second half and when Waterpark made their way back down the pitch and scored out wide fifteen minutes in Nenagh were left chasing a game they had been largely dominating up to then. Waterpark’s confidence grew and they added a penalty ten minutes later to put two scores between the teams.
Credit to Nenagh, they stuck to the task but as time ran out two scores were going to be hard to find. They spent much of the last ten minutes on the attack but unfortunately were unable
to turn their hard work into points. Final score Waterpark 20-12 Nenagh Ormond.
Team: Brian Maxwell, Gerard O’Gorman, Darragh Hassey, Peter O’Connor, Ben Armitage, David Corcoran, Peter O’Leary, Aidan Doyle, John Healy, Conor Brislane, John O’Flaherty, Niall O’Gorman, Thomas McNamara, Anthony Grey, Michael Slattery. Reps: Jamie Quigley, Gavin Hayes, Mark Armitage, Ian McNamara.
NORFC AGM
Annual General Meeting of Nenagh Ormond RFC takes place on Thursday week, May 19th, in the clubhouse at 8pm. All members are invited to attend.
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