Club Notes: Week Ending 06.03.16

This week’s club notes com from Bantry Bay, Newcastle West, Thurles and Waterford City rugby clubs.

Click here for Bantry Bay club notes
 

Click here for Newcastle West club notes

Click here for Thurles club notes

Click here for Waterford City club notes

Bantry Bay RFC
 
Courtesy of:- Damien Hicks
 
Bantry Bay Under 16 v Kanturk Under 16 in there Munster cup quarter final match. 

A full squad, home grounds and good weather all boded well for Bantry Bay RFC under 16’s today in their Pan Munster Quarter final against Kanturk . The home team settled best and were first on the score board, the conversion gave the Bantry boys a little more comfort. Shorlty after the visitors crossed the white wash but failed to convert. 

With Bantry ahead 14/5 at the interval it was all to play for. Coaches Sean, Donal and Phil inspired and motivated the team at the break. A determined squad who were going to leave it all on the pitch grasped this game in the second half. 

Brillant team work in defence and attack led to a succession of unanswered scores from Bantry. A final score line of 41/5 was the result of a great display of rugby and team work at its best.  A fantastic spectacle of rugby for the BBRFC supporters who were there in force to encourage this great team. Many thanks to the team coaches, Damien and Mike for ensuring the grounds were top class, parents to donated and helped with refreshments, the support for those who came to watch and to Geraldine who looks after the team admin. We look forward to Colberts photos! Well done BBRFC! C’mon Bantry.

Munster Cup semi final is Sunday 6th March. Kick off 12 against Clonakilty in Clonakilty. 
Match report from Joanna McCarthy.

 
Newcastle West RFC

Courtesy of:- Pat Daly, Youth Officer

Lotto Results (Fri 26^th)
 
Jackpot :- €15,200
Drawn numbers :- 6, 12, 18, 30
1.      Mark Liston c/o Tommy K’s
2.      Kevin Lyons, Coolanoran NCW
3.      Bryan McAuliffe, c/o NCW RFC
4.      Peg Madigan, 4 Cluan Arra
5.      Bridie O’Mahony, c/o Eoin Cahill
6.      Tim O’Connor, c/o Ed Lynch
7.      Margaret Massey, Asumpta Park
Promoter’s Prize :- Shamrock Bar
 
Next week draw in ‘The Forge Inn’ Maiden Street.
 
Newcastle West Estuary U18 rugby notes
Newcastle West Estuary RFC   8
Waterpark RFC    27
NCW/E hosted Waterpark from Co Waterford at Cullinagh on a dry sunny afternoon last Sunday. Both teams were up for the game and several attacks by both teams were stopped by good defence. On 10 minutes the Waterpark wing forward ran down the wing and broke several tackles to score a try which was converted. The lads picked themselves up and won a penalty which was kicked by Micheal Begley. However on the next Waterpark attack they too harvested 3 points from a penalty. Half time score 3 points to 10. Captain Jason Woulfe rallied his troops and there were some excellent ball carries by Darragh O’Shea, Conor Brosnan and John Forde. Unfortunately in the loose, Waterpark were on top and broke through for another converted try 10 minutes into the second half. They followed this up with another converted try on the 20 minute mark. All credit to the lads and they did not throw in the towel. Good forward pressure earned us a Jason Woulfe try. Fine tackles were made by Colm McSweeney, Noelie Griffin, John Walsh and Patrick Cremin. Despite the efforts a penalty for Waterpark was the last score of the game. So a defeat in the quarter final of the Munster cup by a better team on the day.
        The season is far from over and we are also in the semi-final of the North Munster cup. Training is on this Thursday. Well done lads for an exciting campaign and credit too to the coaches Conor Magner and Tom Fox. Thanks as always also to the soup and sandwich brigade.
Team Darragh O’Shea, John Forde, John Walsh, Conor Brosnan, Connie O’Connor, Noel Griffin, Jason Woulfe, Mark Broderick, Darragh Fox, Micheal Begley, Michael Bourke, Colm McSweeney, Liam Tierney, Jack Kelly, John McCoy, Tomas McCarthy, Donncha Scanlon, Patrick Cremin, Cathal Roche, Dawid Marcinjak, Cillian Ferris, Tom Edwards, Stephen Hennessy, Robert McCauliffe, Ben Geary and Karl Mullane.
 
 
Under 14 Notes 28/02/16
Newcastle West…..38
Shannon…..0

Last Sunday morning our under 14s hosted Shannon. It was a perfect morning for rugby with a dry pitch and clear sky. We were short a few numbers due to the other commitments but the players who took to the field did themselves, their families and the club proud. 

We started the game on the front foot but a few handling errors cost us dear. It took us about 10 minutes to really get our feet in the game. After working our way through the phases the ball came out to full back Kevin O’Connell who spotted the space to the inside of the last defender and streaked under the posts for the opening score of the game. Aaron Heffernan added the extras to give us a well-deserved 7-0 lead. Despite some poor fielding for kick-offs, we never gave Shannon a look in for the rest of the game. Jack Kiely starting in the centre instead of his usual flanker looked to the manor born in the backs and got outside the defence with a lovely arcing run to touch down in the corner. He added his second ten minutes later in very different circumstances. This time it was the forwards, led by Eouenn Ferron and Cormac Browne that gained the ground. Jack then took a good line to force his way over the line. We put another 7 points on the board when Number 8/Prop Jack Corkery went 50 yards to touch down under the posts. Aaron had no problem adding the extras to leave the half time score 24-0. 
        

Throughout the game, the forwards bullied the Shannon pack around the pitch but they were brilliantly marshalled by Ruadhan O’Connor, who has really grown into the role of scrum half this year. Jack Corkery doubled his total for the day after great carrying from Chris O’Riordan and the debuting Jack McCarthy down the wing. With the final play of the game Jack Kiely completed his hat-trick with an opportunistic try after brilliant work at the breakdown by the hard-working Bobby Donovan and David Walsh.
 
Thanks to all players and parents who came out on the day to play and support. Our next game is Sunday March 6th at home versus St. Senan’s. Training continues this Tuesday and Thursday at 7 in Killeline. 
 
We would also like to extend our condolences to the Mortell family on the recent passing of Hannah, mother of Mike and grandmother of Bryan and Andrew.
 
Panel: Chris O’Riordan, Cormac Browne, David Walsh, Jack McCarthy, Bobby Donovan, Eouenn Ferron, Jack Corkery, Ruadhan O’Connor, Aaron Heffernan, Ronan Mullane, Jack Kiely, Oliver Flanagan, Kevin O’Connell


 Mini fixtures for next weekend
All mini teams from u6 to u12 incl training in Killeline from 10:30am to 11:30 am.  
 
 

 
 
 
  Youth fixtures for next weekend  
 
 

Thurles RFC
 
Courtesy of:- Brian Scanlon, Club PRO
 
Thurles RFC vs. Ballincollig RFC – Munster Junior League

Thurles RFC 36 – 0 Ballincollig RFC 
 
The Thurles First XV returned to League action on Sunday last following up on their spirited display against Young Munster in the Junior Cup the previous week.  This was the team’s fourth last game of a League campaign which is set to go down to the wire in the fight for the final promotion spot with Cobh as Abbeyfeale seem to have the title within their grasp with the Limerick side only having two games left following last weekend’s action and they remain unbeaten.
 
Thurles welcomed Ballincollig to Loughtagalla with the Cork side full of confidence following a string of impressive displays against teams in the top half of the table in recent weeks.  Thurles were looking to get back on track following the Junior Cup exit and extend their unbeaten run at home in the League which has been intact for over two years at this stage.
 
The home side kicked off and showed great hunger early on with Ciaran Ryan, Phil Kelly & Luke Kelly impressing around the breakdown, knocking the Cork men back at every opportunity.  Within the opening quarter, Thurles found themselves with a lot more time on the ball than their previous outing which led to players taking too much out of possession and getting found out when the time came to making a decision on whether to pass or go to ground.
 
It’s fair to that despite this sloppiness, Thurles were still the dominant side and spent the majority of the opening quarter inside the Ballincollig half of the field.  The pressure eventually told as Nicky Irwin flew threw a gap created by Joey Kelly and dived in under the posts to open the scoring, Aidan Dwyer added the extras for the full complement and a deserved lead, 7-0.
 
As the game restarted, Thurles made their way back up the field through strong running from Colm Skehan, Peter Coman & Shane Moloney and found themselves just outside the away sides 22 once again.  The front row of Skehan, Dave Kelly & Ger McCormack continued their excellent season, as they dominated proceedings from start to finish, to create excellent platforms for attacks.  Thurles secured their own possession from the scrum and as the ball reached the backs, Aidan Dwyer broke through the cover before excellently offloading to the oncoming Paddy Phelan in support, Dwyer added the extras again to increase the lead to 14-0.
 
Ballincollig restarted again and to their credit didn’t let the heads drop following the early scores against them, they battled hard during a ten minute period but got no change from an excellent Thurles defence, the ball was eventually turned over by some excellent work by the forwards and John Lillis sent an excellent relieving kick down well inside the Ballincollig half.
 
Thurles managed to steal the resultant lineout from the Cork side through excellent work from the forwards, which gave Eoghan O’Dwyer & Adrian Bourke more opportunities to torment the Ballincollig defence as the ball went wide.  After some more great movement in the backline, Nicky Irwin once again took advantage as the away defence were stuck on their heels as he raced over for his second of the day, with the conversion missed, the sides went in at half time with the score reading 19-0.
 
The second half kicked off and Ballincollig enjoyed a period of dominance during the first quarter but again struggled to get anything from the Thurles defence as the home side answered any questions asked of them.  Thurles turned on the style for the remaining 20 mintues with some great passages of play between the backs and forwards, Peter Coman scored and excellent team try as he crashed over in the left hand corner facing the clubhouse, minutes later Nicky Irwin completed his hat-trick after great combination of play off the back of the scrum and to bring an end to proceedings another fine team try saw the half backs, Irwin & Dwyer combine with replacements Larry O’Gorman and Shane Lanigan-Ryan for an excellently worked move through the hands which was finished off on the right side of the field, Lillis added the extras to bring the final score to 36-0 to Thurles and the bonus point secured.
 
This was an important win for Thurles in their push for promototion, Thurles have a game in hand on the teams ahead of them and with the top two of Abbeyfeale and Cobh facing off in Cork next weekend, it will be extra important that Thurles head to Newport and do their bit to keep the momentum going, all going well weather wise, this game will go ahead at Newports home ground but if the recent adverse conditions continue, this game may be moved to the 4G pitch in UL, keep an eye on Facebook for any updates, this game is scheduled for 2.30pm.
 
The players and management would like to extend its thanks to all those who turned up to support the team on Sunday, we hope to see everyone again this Sunday as we make the trip to Newport, with only 3 league games left in the season all support as always is greatly appreciated.
 
Thurles Scorers: Nicky Irwin (3 Tries), Paddy Phelan, Peter Coman & Shane Lanigan-Ryan (1 Try Each), Aidan Dwyer (2 Conversions), John Lillis (1 Conversion).    
Thurles Squad vs Ballincollig: 1. Ger McCormack 2. Dave Kelly 3. Colm Skehan 4. Phil Kelly 5. Luke Kelly 6. Ciaran Ryan 7. Paddy Phelan 8. Joey Kelly 9. Nicky Irwin 10. John Lillis 11. Peter Coman 12. Shane Moloney 13. Aidan Dwyer 14. Adrian Bourke 15. Eoghan O’Dwyer (Capt.) 16. Shane Nugent 17. Rory O’Dwyer 18. Dwayne Stanley 19. Larry O’Gorman 20. Shane Lanigan-Ryan..
 
Thurles Women’s RFC v Clonmel

Munster Plate Final

Thurles Women’s RFC were 18 – 5 winners over Clonmel in the Munster Women’s plate final in Limerick on Sunday. Both teams got off to a nervous but determined start and Thurles found themselves defending a strong Clonmel attack early in the game. Ruth Purcell, Maria Woodlock and Miriam Harrison all putting in fantastic tackles to prevent Clonmel making ground. Clonmel were denied a try early in the game and the ball was successfully cleared down the line. 

Once again from the lineout Clonmel were on the attack but Thurles were solid in defence and Aisling O’Hagan secured a wonderful turn-over for Thurles. A Megan Callanan clearance marked the start of a good passage of attacking play from Thurles.  Ciara O’Dwyer was particularly impressive for Thurles with two fantastic carries within moments of each other. Joanne Harrison and Maria Woodlock putting in some impressive rucking. 
The first score of the game came from the boot of Megan Callanan, who had a fantastic game.  Thurles took a 3 – 0 lead. Clonmel were determined to score from the re-start and they scored a try to claim the lead from Thurles. Although the conversion was missed they had a narrow 3 -5 lead.

Thurles were strong from the re-start with Niamh Coman and Ruth Purcell making great ground in attack. Thurles were awarded two further penalties in the first half and Megan Callanan successfully scored one right in front of the posts to give Thurles a 6- 5 lead at half time.

Early in the second half Clonmel were on the attack but a wonderful tackle from Kirsty Harris saw Clonmel loose possession and Thurles player Gemma Dunican was on hand to claim the ball.  Thurles were dominant for a brief while but a determined Clonmel went on the attack again forcing Thurles players Jean Ryan and Maria Whelan to put in fantastic tackles. A wonderful defensive passage of play with Linda Ryan putting in a solid tackle allowed possession to come to Maria Whelan who made great ground. Gemma Dunican, Aisling Byrne and Kirsty Harris put in some wonderful passes and drives to make good ground. Thurles first try came from this passage of play that saw Clonmel unable to hold out against the speed and skill of Aisling O’Hagan. With the conversion attempt missed by the narrowest of margins the score stood 11 – 5 in favour of Thurles.

With Clonmel once again in possession and only six points behind their pace and determination was evident and Thurles were once again forced to defend with both Miriam and Joanne Harrison putting in fantastic tackles. A penalty for Thurles allowed Megan Callanan to clear the ball and take the pressure off. A wonderful lineout ensued and Thurles were once again building an attack with fantastic carries from Laura Carroll and Megan Callanan. 

However, possession was once again lost to a Clonmel side that were eager to score and would have done so were it not for the magnificent defensive play from Aisling O’Hagan.  The following ten minutes saw the sides swap possession a number of times. Thurles second try came from a Clonmel clearance which was skilfully won by Maria Woodlock to put Thurles on the attack. Once again Aisling O’Hagan was able to break through the Clonmel defence and score her second try. Megan Callanan duly converted and Thurles were now 18 – 5 ahead.
With ten minutes remaining Clonmel were not prepared to give up and went on the attack from the re-start but with Thurles firm in defence they were unable to score. Thurles finished the game in attack with some skilful rugby with Catherine Kearney and Maria Woodlock combining to drive forward and Niamh Coman making some great ground. The score finished 18 – 5 in favour of Thurles. Well done to all. Well done and thanks to coaches Sean Lanigan Ryan and Sean Flanagan and thanks to all those who came in support.

Lotto Results Monday 22 Feb 2016
10: 12, 16: 25. No winner 3 lucky dips
Miriam Harisson   Brian Scanlon  Tom Mcoy (Young Munster)
Many thanks to all who support our lotto
 
Waterford City RFC
 
Courtesy of:- Deirdre Barry, Club PRO
 
Munster Junior League
Waterford City 39 v Dungarvan 3
 
Tries: Simon O’Hara 2, Ben Duggan, Aidan Power, Michael Hayes, Darren Walsh
Conversion: Michael Hayes 3,
Penalties: Michael Hayes
MOM: Jack Caffrey
 
Following on from last week’s disappointing away day in Skibereen, City had the prospect of a local derby against Dungarvan to put their season back on track. Following a hugely impressive week of training, City was focused on getting back to normality in the set piece and also the structure they have worked on in the last number of seasons. Jack Caffrey was drafted in at fly half to command his troops and responded by putting in a man of the match performance as City eventually outworked their Deise neighbours.
 
Boosted by the performance of the Under 18’s City was pumped to bring another victory to the Kilbarry faithful. However, City fell behind early on to a David Hickey penalty for an aggressive hand off in the second minute, but this would be the only time the Dungarvan side would score any points. City, through the dynamism of Simon O’Hara, Ben Duggan and Joe Delahunty with Clan Foskin being his all action self and Dave O’Connor bringing ball carrying to his array of skills, City put themselves in plenty of try scoring opportunities. However, these weren’t converted through a series of mistimed final passes or some rash decisions until Simon O’Hara displayed beautiful footwork to cross the whitewash from an impressive driving maul. City continued to work, but were missing that final pass and entered the break 10-3 up against dogged Dungarvan side.
 
After the break, City had a twenty minute purple patch and played some excellent expansive rugby. Michael Hayes, moving from full back to wing looked dangerous at all times with Aidan Power utilizing his passing skills to put both wingers into try scoring poisons. City upped the tempo, particularly through the half back pairing of Darren Walsh and Jack Caffrey and, left a number of try scoring opportunities behind them. However, with five tries and 29 unanswered points in the second half, head coach Peter Jones was happy with his troops. The second half in particular answered a number of questions about City’s desire and ability to up the standard when asked and they produced some exceptional rugby.
Next up for city is a trip to Limerick to play presentation as well to avenge last year’s narrow defeat.
As always, many thanks to all of our supporters and sponsors Done Deal and the Kingfisher club.
 
Alex Fitzmaurice, Dave O’Connor, Andrew Condron, Eamonn O’Keeffee, Ben Duggan (captain), Simon O’Hara, Clan Foskin, Joe Delahunty, Darren Walsh, Jack Caffrey James Halligan, Connor Power, Aidan Power, Stephen Walsh, Michael Hayes, Brian Walsh, Liam Hayes, Tom Bowe, Aaron Foskin, Damien Kennedy
 
U18’s – ¼ Final Munster Bowl
Waterford City 31 v Thomond 0
 
U16’s Friendly
Waterford City 31 v Clonmel 38
 
Club Dinner Dance
The Waterford City RFC Dinner Dance is on April 22nd in the Woodlands Hotel. Tickets on sale every Sunday morning at the club house or you can contact Club President Jemma Jacob directly. Tickets 40pp. All welcome, parents, players, friends and family.