J2 XV — Season 2008/09

The J2s started their league campaign with a great win away to Blackrock on Saturday afternoon. Mary's scored 29 points to Blackrock's 17, but the scoreline could have been a lot wider had Mary's made the most of possession and territory in the first half. Our scores in the first half came from flanker Louis Burke, crashing over from close range, and out-half Joey Connolly, who sliced through the Rock defence and ran in from 30 metres. Just before half time we let Blackrock in for a soft try and they were next to score at the beginning of the second half, which certainly woke our lads up. Then, with Blackrock having to take risks late in the game, Jonny Ellis took an intercept pass on the Blackrock 22 and ran in under the posts. This score took the stuffing out of Rock and we followed it up with a well-taken try from the pack following a catch and drive; the last score earned us the all-important bonus point. Next up we have an even harder game against last year's double-winning team Terenure. Should be interesting.

Rob Ryan

Templeville Road

Revenge was sweet for the J2s on Saturday, beating our arch rivals and last year's champions Terenure. The foundation for the win was built on a superb first-half performance, especially from the pack. Luckily captain Rob Ryan won the toss and chose to play into the very strong wind. With memories of last year's league final defeat at the hands of the same opposition still fresh in our minds, the pack tore into Terenure from the first whistle. Using smart pick-and-go tactics and runners close in off 9 and 10, we managed to make huge inroads in the 'Nure defence. Considering the new rule of being allowed to take down mauls, it was amazing that our three scores in the first half came from catch and drives. Great control and patient build-ups were the key: Rob Ryan and Brian Moran were at the back of two, and Mikey Houlihan showed great strength to power over from another maul after it broke up.

Even though we went into the break 17–0 ahead we still knew that Terenure would put it up to us in the second half. As expected they came at us at 100mph and for most of the second half they dominated possession. However we limited them to only seven points and denied them the losing bonus point. The commitment and effort the lads showed for the 80 minutes was amazing and it was a well-deserved win, with special mention going to Graham Foran and Paul Collins for tireless work up front and Jason Verdon at 12, who looks back to his best. Wins against Rock and Terenure in the first two weeks is a great start, but feet need to be firmly planted with 'Tarf approaching next week. It doesn't get any easier!

St. Mary's: 15 Gary Roche; 14 Jack Buggy, 13 Al Shirley (Brian McNamara 75 mins), 12 Jason Verdon, 11 Alan Harrison; 10 Joey Connolly, 9 Eoin McCormack; 1 Mikey Houlihan, 2 Brian Moran, 3 Paul Collins (Kenny McInerney 75 mins), 4 Graeme McInerney, 5 Graham Foran, 6 Rob Ryan, 7 Barry O'Flanagan, 8 Padraig Lawlor (Shane Timmons 10 mins).

The J2s recorded an emphatic 70–7 victory over Clontarf on Saturday afternoon. Coming off the back of last week's big win against 'Nure, the danger was that the lads would become complacent. However from early on in the game the team showed the hunger and commitment needed and built an early lead through tries from Jason Verdon, Barry Cahill and Jonny Ellis. The first came from a clever chip by Brian McNamara, with Jay showing good pace for an owl fella to collect and score; Barry sliced through their midfield to score under the sticks; and Jonny's try came from a pick and go close to the line. A penalty from Alan Shirley gave us a good lead, and after this the lads dropped their concentration and we failed to deal with the kick-off, resulting in Clontarf scoring a soft converted try.

This seemed to wake the lads up and importantly we scored first in the second half through another excellent try from Barry Cahill, which really took the stuffing out of 'Tarf and allowed our lads to run riot for the last 30 minutes. Alan Harrison got in on the act with two tries and set another up for under-20 Shane Timmons, Barry Cahill completed his hat-trick, and further tries from Alan Shirley and Graeme McInerney completed the rout. Altogether it was a strong performance by the team. Putting 70 points on Clontarf certainly does not happen very often, but again no one will be getting complacent. It's a long season ahead.

Rob Ryan

St. Mary's: 15 Gary Roche; 14 Barry Cahill, 13 Jack Buggy, 12 Jason Verdon, 11 Alan Harrison; 10 Alan Shirley, 9 Brian McNamara; 1 Kenny McInerney, 2 Brian Moran, 3 Mikey Houlihan, 4 Graham Foran, 5 Graeme McInerney, 6 Rob Ryan, 7 Brian Brophy, 8 Jonny Ellis.

This was a game that could have gone either way in the end. In truth it was a very scrappy affair, not helped by poor refereeing, but it was a good wake-up call for our lads which will hopefully get rid of any complacency that had set in after the last few results. Playing in fits and starts we managed a try after 15 minutes, with Barry Cahill going in under the posts after a good break through Bective's midfield. Then when Jonny Ellis ran in another a few minutes later, it looked like the team had settled down and we would start to put together a good performance. However this did not happen, as again we lost our momentum through a mixture of poor play and bad refereeing. Then just before half time the Bective out-half slotted a kick, after another crazy decision from the ref (think you're getting the idea here!), which left the score at 12–3 going into the break.

The second half began well and we started to get some good phases together. The pack began taking it to the Bective eight and, from a lineout and pre-planned move, Jonny Ellis found himself at the bottom of a pile to score again. At this stage we were in control and after good work from Alan Shirley, Jason Verdon went over under the posts. At 22–3 ahead you'd think the floodgates would have opened, when up stepped the ref again. He yellow-carded our full back Gary Roche for a dubious high tackle and Bective took immediate advantage of it by scoring two tries, which brought them to within a try and conversion. Another yellow card was shown to scrum-half Mucker, for what no one really knows, but it nearly cost us the game. Luckily we managed to close it out in the end. Taking the positives from the game, it was a bonus-point win which put us top of the table and hopefully it dispelled any lingering complacency.

Rob Ryan

Templeville Road

The J2s had a hard-fought 16 points to 7 win over Greystones in Templeville on Saturday. Historically Greystones are one of the strongest teams at this level so we are well pleased to have secured the win. We quickly realised from the first whistle that we were in a game, as the Greystones forwards started well and only good defence around the fringes and in the midfield prevented them from scoring. Unfortunately we then lost our openside Brian Brophy to injury (dislocated finger), but luckily we were able to call on the considerable services of Eoin Keane, who has returned from injury. Soon after this we settled into the game and began attacking them out wide, with Jack Buggy looking dangerous on a couple of occasions. Then after good work again from Jack Buggy and Rob Ryan close to the line, Barry Cahill crashed over for our only try, which Al Shirley converted. We knew they would come back at us, and sure enough their winger scored under the posts a few minutes later after some weak tackling. We did manage a penalty just before half time from Alan Shirley, which gave us a 10–7 lead. With the wind at our backs in the second half we dominated territory and possession but could not get any more tries; two more penalties from Alan Shirley made the game safe.

Rob Ryan

Kilbogget Park

The J2s secured a hard-fought 13–7 win away to Seapoint on Saturday. Kilbogget Park must be the wettest and windiest place in the country and invariably it is a place where you can't play much rugby. The wind was blowing straight down the middle of the pitch and fortunately we won the toss and decided to play into it. Naturally enough Seapoint kept us pinned in our half for much of the first half with long kicks, but we did play some good rugby and against the strong wind played the right tactics of keeping the ball and going through the phases. Killian Lannen and Graham Foran in the back row had very strong first halves, and the pack as a whole really took it to the Seapoint eight. We managed to keep them to 3 points and got a penalty of our own through Alan Shirley, so at 3–3 going into the second half and with the ridiculous wind at our backs we were confident of racking up a few points.

Things started well and we scored a try from close range through Eoin Keane. Then on two occasions Alan Conboy cut them to pieces from full back, only to be denied inches from the line. At this stage we were getting pinged by the ref constantly at ruck time when trying to fight for the ball, which we found very confusing, and, not helped by the torrential rain, our gameplay was disrupted, so we only managed one more score, from Graeme McInerney after a strong run from the fit-again Rob Smith. All in all it was a satisfying win and we still sit on top of the table. The next three games before Christmas will decide our season: Lansdowne, Blackrock and Terenure.

Rob Ryan

St. Mary's: 15 Gary Roche (Rob Smith); 14 Barry Cahill, 13 Alan Conboy, 12 Jack Buggy, 11 Alan Harrison; 10 Alan Shirley, 9 Eoin McCormack; 1 Darren Kennedy, 2 Mikey Houlihan, 3 Paul Collins, 4 Eoin Keane, 5 Graeme McInerney, 6 Rob Ryan, 7 Killian Lannen, 8 Graham Foran.

This was too close for comfort. In truth it should never have been this close, but some awful refereeing decisions and us not taking our chances resulted in a tight finish. The first half was fairly dour so I have not got much to say about it! The ref ruined the game really: every time we worked our way into the Lansdowne 22 he gave them a penalty, hence we could not get any momentum going and our only score in the first half was a penalty from Alan Shirley. However it was Lansdowne that went into the second half ahead, after kicking two penalties, and with no decisions going our way we all knew what had to be done in the second half. In fairness to the lads everyone lifted their game and we scored early through Jason Verdon after Alan Conboy made a good break. After that we controlled the game and possession. Alan Shirley managed two more penalties but we still could not put them away, and even though the last few minutes were tense they never looked like scoring against us. It's not going to get any easier in the next few weeks, with Blackrock and Terenure next up.

St. Mary's: 15 Barry Cahill; 14 Ritchie Kilcoyne, 13 Alan Conboy, 12 Jason Verdon, 11 Alan Harrison; 10 Alan Shirley, 9 Eoin McCormack; 1 Paul Collins, 2 Brian Young, 3 Mikey Houlihan, 4 Eoin Keane, 5 Graeme McInerney, 6 Rob Ryan, 7 Killian Lannen, 8 Graham Foran.

This was the top-of-the-table clash and the one we were all waiting for and training towards. Unfortunately the bad weather absolutely destroyed the pitch in Terenure and to be honest it was probably unplayable; even the referee asked both teams before kick-off if we wanted to go ahead. Both agreed and so the game began. As a team we have become very adept at playing in poor conditions and it showed in the first half, as we controlled possession and territory through an excellent forward performance, with stand-in under-20 number 8 Daragh Maher particularly impressive. Only last-ditch tackles and good goal-line defence from Terenure saw us remain scoreless. Also any penalty kicks at goal, no matter how close to the posts, were practically impossible as the planting foot had no grip at all, hence we missed a couple in the first half.

The second half began well after a storming run from Maher which lifted the whole team again, and we never let up for the rest of the half. Again we came close to scoring on a couple of occasions, the closest being a charged-down kick on the halfway from Joey Connolly, who led the chase all the way to the line and popped it up to the support practically under the posts. Unfortunately the ball was knocked on and Terenure escaped. It must also be said that Gary Roche at full back had a seriously good game. Terenure's half-backs are excellent kickers and put up numerous bombs all day, but Gary dealt with everything they gave him and returned it with interest, and on a day like that we really needed that assurance. The soccer scoreline might suggest it was a poor game, but it must be said that the lads played with guts and heart to outplay very strong opposition and the league champions on their own turf, and really deserved to win the game. In any case this result and performance has set us in a very good position to win the league, and hard work and effort in the new year will surely bring a reward.

The J2s got back on track for the league with a shaky but in the end comfortable win over Clontarf, 19–3. With all the disruption to games due to the weather it was our first game for four weeks and only our second this year, and it showed. Our match fitness was poor and we made too many mistakes throughout the game, letting them off the hook on a number of occasions. The worst thing that happened was that we scored early, through Eoin Keane, after a charge-down from Joey Connolly landed in Killian Lannen's hands, who drew the cover to send Keaner over. Instead of taking charge from there we let them come back at us and also did not take our own chances. They managed a penalty just before half time so we went into the break 5–3 ahead.

Knowing how poorly we played, there were a lot of words said at half time. We started much better in the second half and really controlled the game from there, although we still only managed two more tries. The first was a clean break from Joey Connolly on halfway, who had the pace to make it under the posts; Al Shirley converted. Keaner got another one after being involved twice in the same move: he powered over after taking a pop around the 22, and Shirls converted again. Unfortunately we couldn't manage the bonus-point try. We now sit at the top of the league but we need to be a hell of a lot better if we are to beat Lansdowne next week. The league hinges on this result.

In what was probably our most important win of the season, the J2s produced a good display to beat Lansdowne 27–0. What was even more pleasing was that we kept them scoreless and made full use of our bench in the end. It is a performance that will give us confidence going into the final two games, but we are not going to get carried away with it as we know ourselves there is nothing won yet.

For the first time in many a game our pack were able to provide quick ruck ball to our backs, largely due to the excellent carrying of Kevin Gallivan and Paul Collins. This opened up a lot of space out wide, which the likes of Cahill, Harrison and Conboy thrive on. We opened the scoring from a catch and drive, with Brian Moran popping out at the back to get the touchdown. Alan Shirley missed the conversion, which was to set the tone for him for the whole game! Our next score came from some very good phase play: again after a big Collins drive, Barry Cahill squeezed in under the posts to make the conversion easy for Shirley. Alas it sailed wide again; luckily Shirley was making up for it in his general play, where he looked back to his best. Rob Gannon, who has just returned from a long lay-off through injury, got our next score, showing good strength and finishing. At this stage you could see Lansdowne wilting, and when we kicked off into them to begin the second half our pack totally milled the catcher, led by Mikey Houlihan. This lifted us again and we scored early through Kevin Gallivan. We dropped off in intensity from then, which is something that we need to look at, but did manage one more score through the elder statesman Eoin McCormack. All in all it was a satisfactory win, but we need to put it behind us now and focus on the next two games, as it will come down to the last game of the season by the looks of things.

St. Mary's: 15 Alan Conboy; 14 Barry Cahill, 13 Rob Gannon, 12 Alan Shirley, 11 Alan Harrison; 10 Joey Connolly, 9 Eoin McCormack; 1 Mikey Houlihan, 2 Brian Moran, 3 Paul Collins, 4 Graham Foran, 5 Eoin Keane, 6 Rob Ryan, 7 Karl O'Brien, 8 Kevin Gallivan.

League winners

The J2s entered this game knowing that a win here and one next week would guarantee the J2 league, so we brought our A game on Saturday. As it transpired Terenure only drew out in Clontarf and so the league was ours, but the lads were not to know that and turned on the style on Saturday. It was mentioned beforehand that in previous games against Bective a slow start generally resulted in a long afternoon, as we tended to drop to their level and become involved in a dogfight. Thankfully this did not arise and we scored two excellent tries early through Jason Verdon and Jack Buggy. Already it seemed that the Bective heads were dropping and they had no answer to the speed and skill of our backline. In what resembled sevens rugby at some stages, the backs to score were Barry Cahill with two; Jack Buggy, who ended up with three (I think!); Rob Gannon, who scored two hitting the line from 15; and winger Al Harrison, who finally got in on the act from the wing! Brendan Short, playing his first game for the J2s in the second row, managed to buck the trend of the backs scoring by getting two near the end.

It was great to get the reward for all the hard work the players and management put in, especially after coming so close last year. But it's not over yet. We're looking for a league and cup double now and I know all the lads are committed to achieving this, so watch this space!

St. Mary's: 15 R. Gannon; 14 B. Cahill, 13 Al Shirley (A. Harrison), 12 Jason Verdon, 11 Jack Buggy; 10 Joey Connolly, 9 Ritchie McDonald; 1 M. Houlihan, 2 B. Moran, 3 K. McInerney, 4 G. Foran, 5 B. Short, 6 K. O'Brien, 7 K. Lannen, 8 K. Gallivan.

Templeville Road

The quarter-final of any cup is always going to be a tough game and this was no exception. Wanderers brought a good cup side to Templeville last Saturday and we knew we were in a game from the first minute. The game started at a frantic pace with both sides enjoying good possession. With a strong wind behind them in the first half Wanderers generally had us pinned in our own 22 and we were forced to run it out and try to keep possession. This actually resulted in a try against us. We tried to run off the back of a scrum just outside our 22; unfortunately the ball didn't go to hand and the Wanderers centre intercepted to run under the posts. Some questionable refereeing decisions then resulted in another 3 points for Wanderers and we were in a position that we had not been in the whole season: 10 points behind.

In fairness to the lads we rallied well and really should have been ahead at the end of the first half, but we managed to waste a lot of good try-scoring opportunities after good build-up play. With a few calming words at half time we started the second half well. Our first score came after we built a couple of good phases around the fringes, and when the ball went wide Barry Cahill had the speed to round his man. A few minutes later Barry again rounded the cover off after a lovely break up the middle from out-half Joey Connolly set up the platform. Joey added a penalty and we were on top until the end but could not manage another score. Again we were guilty of turning over ball at the last minute when the line was in sight. This was very frustrating for all and we know we won't get the same amount of opportunities in the semis. Still, the double march goes on!

St. Mary's: 15 Gary Roche (Alan Conboy); 14 Jack Buggy, 13 Barry Cahill (Jack Ardagh), 12 Jason Verdon, 11 Alan Harrison; 10 Joey Connolly, 9 Eoin McCormack; 1 Mikey Houlihan, 2 Brian Moran, 3 Kenny McInerney (Paul Collins), 4 Graeme McInerney, 5 Graham Foran, 6 Rob Ryan (Karl O'Brien), 7 Killian Lannen (Joe Slowey), 8 Kev Gallivan.

We are the Champions! The J2s secured the historic league and cup double last Saturday afternoon, beating our great rivals Terenure and achieving an unbeaten season in the process. This was a huge occasion for the team and management: not only was it a cup final, but it was against the team that we have been battling against for the last two seasons in both competitions and who knocked us out of the cup last year. All this resulted in a very intense and physical game.

Before kick-off the point was made by the coaches that we needed to start well and get ourselves into the game early. This is exactly what happened. The pack went through the phases very well and, with the wise head of Eoin McCormack guiding us at the base, we controlled the first 10 minutes. After a sustained passage of play and some excellent hard yards gained by Graham Foran, Joey Connolly got the ball in midfield just outside the Terenure 22. There was a wall of defenders in front of him but somehow he managed to evade three tackles and with great acceleration he sprinted in under the posts for an excellent try, which he converted. Alan Conboy from full back had a great day with his boot and certainly made the forwards happy with some Ronan O'Gara-like touch finders. Under this kind of pressure Terenure gave away a penalty in front of the posts, which Joey converted. Indeed had we been more accurate with other penalties the gap in the scoreline could have been wider. At 10–0 ahead we looked to be in control, however Terenure came back at us and in the final ten minutes of the first half we were camped on our line, and it was only some heroic defence, especially from Robbie Hudson at first centre, that kept the line intact. They did manage a penalty to bring the scoreline at half time to 10–3.

The second half began like the first had ended, with Terenure enjoying a lot of early possession, and again our defence was strong, especially around the fringes with Paul Collins and Kevin Gallivan putting in some huge hits. Our next score came from Jack Buggy. Joey put a lovely chip into the Terenure 22 and the ball bounced right into the hands of Buggy, who got hit just as he caught it but managed to pull himself up and crash over the line. This was a huge score and put daylight between us. Terenure came back very strongly again and were putting us under a lot of pressure in our 22. Then one of their moves in midfield broke down, Barry Cahill latched onto the ball, and it went through a couple of hands and reached Buggy again, who showed great pace to run in from halfway for the most dramatic score of our season. We knew we had it won then, but fair play to Terenure, they never gave up and scored a late consolation try in the last few minutes. There was great celebration when the final whistle went, from the players and supporters alike. To go a season unbeaten and win two trophies is really a great achievement and all involved deserve great credit.

St. Mary's: 15 Alan Conboy; 14 Barry Cahill, 13 Jack Buggy, 12 Robbie Hudson, 11 Alan Harrison; 10 Joey Connolly, 9 Eoin McCormack; 1 Paul Collins, 2 Brian Moran, 3 Mikey Houlihan, 4 Graham Foran, 5 Graeme McInerney, 6 Rob Ryan (C), 7 Killian Lannen, 8 Kevin Gallivan.

Subs used: Kenny McInerney for Collins, Ollie McCormack for Moran, Gareth Austin for Ryan, Garry Roche for Buggy, Ritchie McDonald for Lannen.

Scorers: Tries: Joey Connolly, Jack Buggy (2). Conversion and penalty: Joey Connolly.