J2 XV — Season 2019/20

Our J2s made the 1 hour and 20 minute drive to Enniscorthy this afternoon expecting the game to be a washout – with awful weather predicted. However, from the minute we arrived in Wexford the sun shone down in the sunny south-east. For the whole game the heat made its impact on both teams, with plenty of water being drunk throughout.

Our lads, having lost to Terenure last week were eager to add some winning points to the league table. In what must be a first for our junior lads, the referee for the day towered above almost every player on the pitch and made sure that no one stepped out of line. It was agreed by those watching and playing that it was the one of the finest refereeing we have ever seen. And even if it wasn’t, no-one would have been brave enough to tell him.

Within 10 minutes of playing the score was Mary’s 5 – 7 Enniscorthy and it looked like it could be a high scoring game. Hard hits coming from both sides with very fast back-line moves and plenty of forward play too, played in the hot sun made for some very tired lads for both teams. However, the intensity never dropped throughout.

Enniscorthy made use of one or two missed tackles and scored again leaving it Mary’s 5 – 14 Enniscorthy. However, a well-placed Penalty kick from the always reliable James Bourke meant we were now only 6 behind. This was followed by a lovely try under the posts making it easy for Bourkey to convert putting us ahead. Mary’s 15 – 14 Enniscorthy.

We went into half-time with some sore bodies from the relentless pace of the game a few points ahead, and it looked like we were now in control. However, from the kick-off, Enniscorthy grabbed a try to put us on the back-foot. As the game moved on it was getting closer and closer and there was really nothing between the two. Two tries scored by Enniscorthy, with the second coming 4 minutes before the final whistle, it looked like our lads were going to lose a game they deserved to win. The ball was kicked to Enniscorthy and with some phenomenal work in the scrum that had been driving Enniscorthy backwards the whole game; the ball came back to Mary’s.

With the clock now at 80 minutes, any break in the game meant full time. Our pack bruised their way through the defence with relentless power. New signing, Alan Blake, who can only be described as the largest man in the world, broke through the line (he had earlier in the match cleared out a ruck that consisted of himself and three opposition players who dropped like bowling pins). Following this forward after forward crashed up. With Enniscorthy defending very well it looked like it was too little too late. The famous Lenzo got the ball down just on the line but heard no whistle so managed to get the ball back through the ruck. Somehow, in the mass of our huge pack, winger Nigel “Nidge” Kerr managed to grab the ball and touch it down over the line. After about 83 minutes of play, Mary’s had snatched a well-deserved victory!!

Tries scored on the day by the never-aging Donners who nabbed 2, Murph (who has played with the J2s for about 15 years it seems) scored 1, and new signings Nidge and Jack Hatfull grabbing the other 2.

An incredible game with a nail-biting conclusion was won by the Boys in Blue who played some brilliant rugby today. Well done lads and we look forward to your match with Skerries next weekend!

Congratulations to Donners who was awarded Man of the Match following his incredible performance today. 80 minutes of crash ball from a man who has just turned 40, but still showing that he never lost it! He somehow gets better as he gets older!!

First published on the club website.

On Friday October 18th, our J2s were set to ‘face off’ against a strong Skerries J1 side, and just like the movie, it was going to be a thriller. The rain had been pouring down and it looked like it would be a miserable night for a match under the floodlights in Templeville Road on the main pitch. However, as the lads began their warm-up, the rain stopped. It was a first sign that this was to be our night.

The St. Mary’s College SCT had just beaten Clongowes and as they walked off the pitch, our lads passed them as they got set to face Skerries. A slightly delayed kick-off meant both teams had a few more minutes to prepare for what was to be a fantastic match. Captain Fionan Magee and his team were more than prepared, as was evident while watching their warm-up earlier in the night.

The match started off as usual with big hit coming from both teams. It initially seemed like we in for a closely-fought match, until the first scrum of the match. As the barrister-cum-rugby star Ciaran Murphy rolled the ball into the scrum, our pack, who consist of some of the biggest and best of St. Mary’s forwards, pushed back the Skerries pack and won a penalty. Not to exaggerate the strength of our pack, but there were approximately 7 or 8 penalties won from scrums by our lads throughout the game. Due to the inclement weather before the match, the ball was, like a freshly mopped floor, slippery when wet. This suited us perfectly as due to numerous knock-ons, the scrum count was high.

This was truly a day for the forwards, with the backs seeing very little of the ball. Crash ball after crash ball, phenomenal mauls, lineouts won easily and of course the scrums driving Skerries back with ease, meant the backs could only sit and wait, and hope the forwards would feel pity for them as the backs waited patiently for something to do. When they did get the ball however, they showed incredible pace and handling abilities as we conceded very few penalties or knock-ons.

The first try of the day came from the ‘Famous-Lenzo’ as he is now referring to himself (I regret giving him that name but he seems to like it). He was unlucky last week to not get over the line – he could almost taste the chalk he was so close against Enniscorthy. However, on home soil he was able to summon up the strength to drive over the line and record our first try of the match. Even though it was a forwards-dominated game, our backs played some great rugby with the graceful Bourkey putting in some phenomenal kicks to touch, giving the forwards lots to work with. The backs certainly showed their prowess when the returning Sean Donohue, son of Dave ‘Dirty’ Donohue played his first J2 game and scored an incredible try in the corner following some wonderful passing across the backline – there’ll be tough competition for places in this stacked backline for sure this season.

The final try of the match went to Robert ‘Bev’ Beverland. A man of few words (some say he has never spoken, but when he finally does, all wars will end); but a titan of Mary’s rugby. Bev doesn’t need a warm-up or a stretch – he just needs a Mary’s jersey and to be pointed towards the opposition try-line and then you just sit back and watch the magic happen. Unfortunately his try didn’t come from a cross-field kick as he so often loves to do, but rather through brute force and sheer determination.

3 incredible tries, with points added by Bourkey, meant the game finished 26-14. More praise would have gone to Bourkey, however, with the clock at 80 and us in their 22 with a penalty, he opted to end the match rather than go for the bonus point try. We trust his judgement and we won the match, so there’s no hard feelings – but he will regret doing that at our court session – he will regret it big time. Skerries never gave up and came back strong with some well worked tries, but our defence was too strong for them to come out with any points on the day.

Congratulation to Lenzo (like Bono he just has the one name) who has been awarded the Man of the Match. Lenzo played incredible, with some great carries and no missed tackles. Like last week’s Man of the Match Donners, he’s getting older but showing our younger lads that skill and experience is an invaluable asset for a junior side. Well done Lenzo and keep putting in these performances.

First published on the club website.

On Sunday, December 1st, our J2s faced off against Tullamore RFC in Templeville Road. Having not played a match in over a month, one may have mistakenly thought that Mary’s might not have the same spark that has left them 3rd in the league with 2 games in hand. However, the lack of game time had little or no effect on the Boys in Blue who stormed their way through a young Tullamore side, winning the game 47-0.

The side-line was like an episode of ER with 2 Mary’s men hobbling around on crutches. The Artist Formerly Known as Lenzo and the recently-paroled Cal Gray both selfishly injured themselves, with no consideration for their team mates. Shameful carry on from both. Looking at our starting team, it’s easy to see how we kept a clean sheet and ran in seven tries. Led by the bearded Fionan Magee, our boys took a few minutes to get going and after 17 minutes, Andy McCarthy ran in a super try – he had support on the wing but backed himself and rightfully kept all the glory for himself. 5-0.

3 minutes later, Pottsy, who seemed to forget he’s a 2nd Row and not a winger, ran in a try under the posts. It must be mentioned that in the lead up to the try, Bev and Darran Kennedy skilfully passed the ball across the pitch showing that sometimes forwards can pass the ball. 7-0. After 29 minutes, Dil “Literally the Nicest Man in the World” Zaidel crashed through a strong try, with Murph converting, leaving the score 19-0 at halftime.

The 2nd half begun and despite the whole 2nd half being played in the Tullamore half, it took until 57 minutes had passed for us to score again. Andy McCarthy selfishly scored another try rather than allow one of his team mates to get a try under their belt. That won’t be forgotten. Converted by Murph again – despite his inability to kick to touch, Murph is very dependable when kicking between the posts. 26-0. After 63 minutes, Donners, having recently celebrated his 65th birthday, powered over the line following a phenomenal scrum that meant he literally only had to fall over the line and not drop the ball. Thankfully he was successful in this effort. 33-0. 4 minutes later, Captain Fionan scored a fantastic try – cheered on by his family who watched from the side-line. Despite constant efforts on the Tullamore try line, we were struggling to get the ball over the line for the next 10 minutes; however, Morgan Mooney had other plans.

Having literally torn one of his boots almost in half by demonstrating a speed only ever seen before in Mary’s at last orders, Morgan forced his way over the line for try number 7 after leaving the defence with no chance of stopping him. 47-0. Thankfully Morgan brought an identical spare pair of boots to the match, which is apparently something people do. Throughout the match Morgan spent more time on Mick O’Connor’s wing than Mick did, and seemed to demonstrate to us that he would rather play with the backs, than have to stick his head behind Bev at every scrum. A great showing in attack and no mistakes in defence means that Morgan has been named Man of the Match by Management – well done Morgan and keep it up.

The lads played some incredible rugby and to keep a clean sheet for 80 minutes, make very few errors and to keep their cool throughout the match (bar Darran and Dil who both got a little hangry towards the end of the match). 7 tries and 6 conversions – amazing stuff. Well done and we can’t wait for the match VS Terenure in Lakelands next Saturday afternoon!

First published on the club website.

On Saturday the J2s had their penultimate match this side of Christmas. The team were dealt a crushing blow in the weeks leading up to the match when Director of J2 Rugby and Joe Schmidt’s understudy Gavin “Not Nigel” Thornberry told the lads he couldn’t make it. Thankfully Ronda, Lenzo Harry were dedicated enough to show up for this week’s match vs Terenure in Lakelands so the show went on. Unfortunately Lenzo injured himself about a month ago so walking isn’t easy – just imagine how the Penguin in Batman walks and you have an idea of what the Lenzo Shuffle looks like.

After a sluggish start Mary’s were caught off guard and 10 minutes in Nure had a converted try. 5 minutes after this Nure had a man in the bin for an intentional knock down. 5 minutes later Mary’s also had a man shown a yellow. McGov tackled his opponent so well the referee decided that it was too good of a tackle – so off to the bin went McGov. It seemed the referee thought that there was a prize at the end of the season for most yellows awarded as this trend continued for the match.

At the 30 minute mark Andy McCarthy made his triumphant return from “an exam” – yeah we don’t believe it either. After presumably rolling out of bed still smelling of tequila and regret, Andy put on his Mary’s shorts, 1 Mary’s sock and some other sock he found in the back of his drawer. He was clearly still hammered because he seemed to think he was playing for the Barbarians. However, his impact was huge because a minute after he came on, McGov scored a phenomenal try with help from a strong break from Captain Fionan right beside the posts – clearly as a direct result of the energy Andy brought onto the pitch with him. Converted by El General James Bourke. 7-7.

Nure came back early in the 2nd half and after some easy mistakes scored a try in what must have been the longest try zone in history. 12-7. Shortly after, the man who still holds the record for most yellow cards at U20s level, Sean D recieved his first at J2 level. We would to congratulate Sean on this achievement and we hope he can match his U20s record. An intercept / tackle off the ball led to another try for the Nure men despite Mary’s protests. 19-7 to the home side. A penalty was given after 10 minutes as Mary’s continued to dominate the scrums, and Bourkie, in his French accent, put the ball between the posts. 19-10.

55 minutes gone, and another bin for Nure. Another kick for Bourkie left it 19-13. Nure then grabbed another try to leave it 26-13. After 76 minutes, Nure received yet another yellow – the referee not afraid to hand them out. At all.With 1 minute left to go, Morgan Mooney crashed through the Nure defence and scored a great try to leave the score 26-18. Unfortunately, kicking from the sideline with winds that would excite and possibly arouse Theresa Mannion, Bourkie sent it just wide and Mary’s missed out on a losing bonus. Unfortunately Mary’s just couldn’t get the scores required and Nure handed Mary’s their 2nd loss of the season.

Mary’s still have 2 games in hand with their final game of the season against Navan this Sunday, December 15th at home in Templeville Road at 2.30pm. Get down to Mary’s and cheer the lads on!

First published on the club website.

St. Mary’s RFC J2s vs Navan:St Mary’s College RFC J2s got back to their winning ways on Sunday after a last-gasp 24-22 win at home to Navan at Templeville Road. The Men in Blue needed to summon every drop of fight to come back from second-half setbacks and seal the win with the last kick of the game. A bright, crisp December afternoon with the sun low in the sky and no breeze to complain of made perfect conditions for a game of rugby. Having been disappointed with last week’s performance away to Terenure, St Mary’s looked to bounce back with a win.

Some changes to the match-day squad saw Head Coach Gavin ‘Logistics’ Thornberry return to the prowl the sidelines, while team manager Harry Ebbs took his turn to go on the mitch. Ciarán ‘One-Leg Lenzo’ Lennon continued to bark orders from the Mary’s bench while Macklemore lookalike Cal did his best to keep up the festive cheer in the dugout – his crutches now covered in Christmas wrapping paper.

In terms of playing personnel, British Bulldog Alan Blake came into the starting XV at loosehead prop and Sean Tevlin added some ballast to the back-row, with the tear-away open-side Morgan Mooney shoved into the engine room. Another change saw Matt Fagan starting in the middle of the front row. U20 Stephen Landy came in at No.9, continuing the fine trend of flame-haired J2 scrum-halves this season. He wasn’t long making his mark though, putting in a string of fine tackles around the fringes in the early skirmishes.

Mary’s started brightly, taking the game to Navan with some fine carries from No.8 Mark ‘Zinzan’ Donnellan and skipper tighthead Fionan Magee. A reshuffle in the pack was soon needed as Fagan had to be replaced just a few minutes into the first half, after head-butting an opponent’s knee. Daz Kennedy was straight into the fray, still humming from his 10 pre-game coffees, and wasn’t long putting himself about.

Centre Andy McCarthy made some nice incisions in midfield and full-back Conor Sexton threatened a couple of times when Mary’s moved the ball wide to Navan’s defensive edge – Dillon Zaidel and David Sloan also making good inroads. But malfunctions at the line-out and indiscipline allowed Navan a foothold in the game – Saints’ left winger Sean O’Donoghue and the referee not seeing eye to eye on occasion. Navan counter-rucked effectively and a couple of Mary’s infringements later, they had their first points, kicking a penalty.

The game was evenly balanced however, with neither side giving an inch. One or two lapses aside, the defensive wall posed by the Men in Blue was extremely effective – Liam McKnight (still refusing to wear regulation Club socks) and fellow flanker Tev putting in some big hits on the gain line. But more indiscretions by Mary’s lead to them conceding a try, with Navan gaining a foothold in the 22 and their pack picking and driving over the line from close range. The conversion was missed, leaving the visitors 8-0 up.

Again, Mary’s showed they were up to the challenge by regaining territory and possession and playing some very attractive rugby; forwards running hard and out-half James Bourke picking holes in the Navan defence. A Mary’s line-out close to the visitors’ try line saw second row Robert ‘Bev’ Beverland soar highest and pluck the ball from the winter sky before deftly feeding the onrushing Morgan who waltzed untouched through the Meath men’s defence.

A laser-like strike by Bourkey saw the conversion dissect the posts and Mary’s were back in the game, trailing 8-7. All that good work was undone early in the second half though as Mary’s – now defending the Templeville Road end – conceded a breakaway try, which was converted. Bourkey kept Mary’s in touch with a penalty before the Templeogue outfit again conceded a soft try, making the score 22-10 to Navan entering the final quarter.

In recent seasons this could have spelled the end – but this year’s J2s are made of sterner stuff – exemplified by a last-gasp smash-and-grab win in Enniscorthy back in October. Huge workrate and plenty of skill by all involved saw Zinzan crash over. Bourkey added the extras as the clock ticked down. Mary’s then showed exceptional composure to work the ball out of their own half and drive into Navan territory and, with seconds remaining, the ever-young Donnellan grabbed his second try – again from a pushover. This left the score tied at 22-22 with the conversion to come.

Bourkey – who earlier in the season unilaterally decided that his team didn’t want a try bonus point against Skerries – did the sound thing this time around and slotted the conversation, giving Mary’s the win and a huge four points. His kicking kept Mary’s in touch throughout so, despite ZinZan’s brace, the Man of the Match award goes to El Gèneral James Bourke – well done Bourkey!

With seven games played, Sunday’s result leaves St Mary’s College joint-second with D6W rivals Terenure, on 23 points, eight points behind leaders Wanderers.

Mary’s have a game in hand though and will be hoping to pick things up early in the New Year when they’re away to Malahide.

Happy Christmas from all at the J2s and thanks for your continued support!!

First published on the club website.

It may only be 4 days into 2020, or more importantly – 4 days into ‘Dry January’, but thankfully all of the alcohol seemed to have left the system of most of our J2 warriors. Most of. The day was gloomy and windy and we had the prospect of making the arduous sojourn to Malahide RFC. However, even the prospect of crossing over to the Northside wasn’t enough to put a stop to the momentum our lads carried through the New Year; having beaten Navan RFC in the final game of 2019. 8 points off the top of the Division 3, with 1 game in hand, meant this was a much needed win – with a bonus point badly needed to close the gap on League-toppers Wanderers RFC.

The match kicked off with the familiar face of Sue Carty in charge of keeping law and order – a job no one was envious of during or after the game – but all credit to Sue, she took no prisoners and ensured no one stepped out of line for the duration of the game – with all commenting on the fine performance from the referee on the day. Our J2s jogged on to the pitch with enthusiasm – so much so that Big Al seemingly forgot he was starting and only remembered to take off his jumper when he reached the pitch. The lads were ready for a battle against a strong, physical side – perhaps the largest team (physically) we have come across this season. Our management team were also ready, with Coach Gavin ‘I swear I have a real job, I don’t just make Simpson’s memes all day’ Thornberry having bought a set of walkie-talkies for the management team to use throughout the game. They came in handy as Ciaran ‘One-Leg Lenzo’ Lennon wanted to stay on the far side of the pitch just to use them – more excited about the walkies than a kid on Christmas. We didn’t have the heart to tell him his one wasn’t even charged – he was just so happy.

A physical match from the start, it took 11 minutes to open the scoring with Bev crashing through under the posts after some brilliant crash ball rugby from our forwards. El Géneral James Bourke converted to make it 7-0 to Mary’s. After 15 minutes, Conor Sexton used his magic feet to keep the ball in touch and after a beautiful offload, Mary’s crashed over in the corner for a try. However, in a shocking turn of events, the touch judge (from Malahide) decided that after we had scored the try Conor’s foot had been in touch – conveniently only after we had made it over the line. The referee taking the advice from the touch judge ruled it a lineout and the game continued. This wouldn’t be enough to rattle our feathers though. After 27 minutes, Mary’s dominating Maul forced their way over and it was another try for the boys in blue – this one coming from Brian McGovern who bullied the Malahide defensive and offensive lines all day. Again, converted with no issues by Bourkey. 3 minutes later, after our lads took their eyes off the ball for a second, Malahide crashed through the middle and scored an easy try – 14-7 to Mary’s going into half-time.

The Mary’s side-line wasn’t without some familiar faces throughout the game. Club President Mick Flats graced Malahide with his presence – which was greatly appreciated by the lads. ZinZan Donners who was allowed out of his nursing home for the day cheered his team on as he was allegedly injured (turns out he had a date with a young lady that night and didn’t want to have any marks on his body before his date. Any marks left after his date though he said would be fine). Jack Hatful was there and it’s very likely he pulled his hamstring or tore his quads or something to that effect which seems to happen every time he even walks, never mind plays. And Matty Fagan was there – 1 day shy of his return to rugby – Matty selfishly got injured on a Sunday so could only return on a Sunday – dreadful carry on.

10 minutes into the second half, Malahide knocked the ball on just outside their 22 metre line. Captain-extraordinaire Fionan Magee scooped the ball up with ease and offloaded it brilliantly to Dil ‘So nice literally nothing bad can be said about him’ Zaidel who caught it and sent it out wide to Andy ‘Wrong Socks’ McCarthy who dove over the line. A brilliant try which then left the score at 19-7. Just 5 minutes later however, Malahide snuck a try in the corner to leave the score 19-12 to Mary’s. Mary’s at this point had 3 tries and desperately needed a fourth for that much-desired bonus point. McGov, with 5 minutes to go barrelled over the line and snatched that bonus point for the boys in blue after some brilliant phase work from both the forward and back-lines!! The match then ended shortly after; Final score: St. Mary’s College RFC 24 – 12 Malahide RFC.

A tough-fought win for our lads sees them just 3 points off the top spot going into next weekend’s game at home against Enniscorthy RFC. Congratulations lads on a well-deserved win. Man of the Match this week goes to the only Frenchman playing for the J2s – out-half James Bourke. Bourkey didn’t miss touch once and some well-placed and well-timed kicks were instrumental in gaining territory throughout the game. A great game in attack and defence means that this week Bourkey was the stand out man. Well done to all the lads in the forwards and the backs who gave it their all and left everything on the pitch. Super stuff from all.

First published on the club website.

I’d like to start this match report off with a warning – as I’m doing “Dry January” I feel like after 12 days that all the alcohol has finally left my system. This means two things – I had no hangover watching the game so I missed nothing and I am currently totally sober writing this match report which may or may not be a new experience – let’s see how it goes.

As our J2s warmed up before our home fixture VS Enniscorthy RFC, it seemed like all was great in the world. We had a home match that could potentially put us on top of the league, the weather conditions were perfect and everyone was in a great mood. However, about 10 minutes before kick-off, we realised something was off. With only minutes until 2.30pm, we had no referee. After a lot of scrambling and phone-calls, no ref could be found. Go tobann, the clouds parted and a light shone down on the just-arrived Michael O’Flaherty, fresh from hosting his Annual Club Dinner the night before – it was a sign from above. After discussions with Leinster Branch and both management teams it was agreed that Flats could ref the match. We then told Flats his assistance was needed and he graciously accepted the mantle – rushing home to find his dusty ref attire.

At 2.55pm, 25 minutes late, the game kicked off. 8 minutes in, a scrum was wheeled and overturned to Mary’s who won it comfortably. The ball was picked and the fast-paced Conor Sexton (no relation) dove over the line in the corner to put us ahead. Sexton unfortunately then injured himself during his post-try celebration dance and had to come off – “totally worth it” was the response when questioned by management. 5-0. After 15 minutes, Rob Trew, who swapped roles with Sean Donohue this week and started on the wing, crashed Trew (see what I did there) the Enniscorthy defence and barrelled over the line on his wing – a brick wall wouldn’t have stopped him – for a brilliant score. 10-0. 19 minutes gone – after some silly mistakes, a penalty was given to Enniscorthy in front of the post and this was easily converted by their number ten. 10-3. Just minutes later Enniscorthy slipped around a ruck and cruised under the posts for a try – also converted – 10-10.

Mary’s then realised that a capable Enniscorthy side would take advantage of any errors. From the kick-off, Mary’s were on the offensive – stealing the ball from the visitors and offloading the ball off to the pacey Denis Daly who dove over in the corner – thankfully, unlike Sexton, Denis didn’t injure himself in the corner. As our resident Frenchman Bourkey had to be replaced due to injury, our resident Barrister – Ciarán “The Law” Murphy – took over kicking duties and put it between the posts to make the score 17-10 to Mary’s. Enniscorthy, again taking advantage of a slight error in defence snatched an easy try and converted to make it 17-17. With only ten minutes left in the first half, Robert “Chatty” Beverland won a lineout 5 metres away from the Enniscorthy try line and held on to it tight. After only a handful of crash-balls, the recently appointed number seven Sean Donohue thundered over the line to guarantee a 4-try bonus point. Murph then added the two extra points. At 38 minutes, Enniscorthy had a lineout on our 22 metre line – but Mary’s snatched it from their hands and after some brilliant hands from our fantastic back-line, Mick O’Malley-Cat went over for the try. The score at half time was 31 – 17 to St. Mary’s.

The start of the second half saw the introduction of backs’ coach, Ronan “Ronda” Doherty. Ronda kindly said he would fill a spot on the team as we were low on numbers – pretending he wasn’t dying to play. “Oh ok fine…I’ll play” he said before anyone could even ask him to tog out. Despite being closer to 40 than 30, and despite the fact that he’s greying faster than his hair dye can keep up with, Ronda put in a phenomenal half and showed the lads that despite his advanced years he can still move like he used to – almost impossible to catch and feet that would make Jordan Larmour jealous. Just don’t tell his wife he played today…

2 minutes into the second half, Denis Daly intercepted a looping pass and ran 50 metres to score his second try of the match under the posts with Murph converting. 38-17. I could give some insight into the next 34 minutes but it generally consisted of each team putting in massive hits and making line-breaks – but it’s Sunday and I’m tired so basically neither team scored until 36 minutes gone when Enniscorthy ran in a try to make the score 38-22. Our centre-extraordinaire Ciaran Collins unfortunately went down injured and the game ended shortly after with the Boys in Blue coming out with a bonus point win to put them on top of Division 3!!

There are a number of lads who played out of their skin today – we were left very short on players – finishing the game with no subs left, meaning everyone who played today put a tremendous shift in. Matty Fagan who turned his hand to play in the back row instead of number two didn’t miss a tackle and carried like a trooper. As did Captain Fionan Magee who led the team as only he could. Bev played as he always does – reliable and strong. Nidge – who played an instrumental role in defence from the backline put a tremendous shift in and played another blinder (as always). Ciaran Murphy who stepped up for kicking duties played the full 80 – kicking tremendously despite getting tackled up and down the pitch – not once did he complain or let up. A tremendous team effort from every man on the day.

This week was possibly the hardest to choose a Man of the Match for – every single player had a tremendous game and it came down to overall effort, work-rate and adaptability. The Man of the Match for this week goes to Sean Donohue who moved to the forwards this week from the backline – Sean put in some massive hits, rucked and scrummaged well and despite taking some big hits, carried on for the full 80 – well done to Sean, and to all of the lads today.

Thanks to all who came out to cheer on our boys and a big thanks to the management and coaching team who thankfully put batteries into Lenzo’s walkie-talkies this week. Gavin “Joe Schmidt” Thornberry over-ruled me and said that it was just cruel to keep doing it to him. A massive thank you to Mick Flats who refereed the game – without him the match wouldn’t have gone ahead. He played it right down the middle and was commended by both teams after the match. Well done lads and roll on next Saturday when we play Skerries away.

First published on the club website.