J3 XV — Season 2008/09

Parsonstown, Leixlip

In extremely windy conditions the J3 earned a hard fought and deserved victory in their second league match of the season, away to Barnhall yesterday. Barnhall presented a wise, old heavy pack of forwards for this game and were well organized from the start. They had (at least) a stone a man advantage on a significantly more youthful St Mary’s pack and started the game with a very physical approach to all set pieces and contact areas. They had one back playing number 12 who was their ‘go to’ man for virtually all set plays. St Mary’s showed great heart and spirit to absorb all of the first half pressure (against a swirling wind) and held the half time score to a creditable 5 3 to Barnhall.

At half time the team were rightly disappointed with some of their own missed opportunities and resolved to get stuck in to the heavier pack right from the start and take them on at their own game. Barnhall’s game plan did not consist of a plan B and so their repeated pick and drive into our pack eventually ran out of steam. Pressure on the Barnhall back line in one of their (rare) passing movements forced a poor pass which was quickly scooped up by Peter Timmons who ran 60 yards under the posts. Ably converted by Philip Keegan. 10 5 to St Mary’s. Playing with the wind, Barnhall won two long range penalties and with the aid of the wind and an excellent boot on their number 10, converted both.

11 10 to Barnhall and they were sniffing a victory against these ‘young fellas’ from St Mary’s. In spite of (way too) many ‘match rusty’ errors, this spirited St Mary’s team stuck to their task, dug deep, tackled everything that moved and were rewarded with a 35m penalty chance into the wind. Philip Keegen dispatched this very difficult kick and then another penalty with about 10 minutes to go to seal the victory. (St Mary’s could have scored another late try however that chance was spectacularly squandered by a nameless player who managed to kick the ball away from himself whilst trying to pick it up! And yes, he was a forward!)

Bobby O’Connor

Templeville Road

In perfect playing conditions, the J3’s went down fighting in a closely contested League Game on the back pitch in the club yesterday. ‘Went down fighting’ is the most appropriate term as the St Marys ill discipline, in the second half especially, allowed Salmo score 8 unanswered points during an important 10 minute period when the St. Mary’s College Team were reduced to 14 men.

We were told that Salmo were strong at this level and they were certainly the best drilled unit that have come across this year in terms of their set pieces and organisation on the pitch. Having said that, St Marys had no problem absorbing the pressure from Salmo’s bigger scrum and heavier pack during the first half. In fact, St Marys held the lead at half time, 13 10, thanks to the conversion of two long range penalties by Philip Keegan (Keego!) and the quick thinking of Peter Timmons (Timmo!) and Stephen Higgins (Higgo!) who took a quick line out and managed to score a great opportunist try in the corner after Salmo were caught napping in defence. In the second half, we allowed some whistle happy refereeing decisions get the better of the composure of the team, and a yellow card was produced at exactly the wrong time as we were absorbing some close in pressure. A last minute break away try near the end of the game flattered the score line for Salmo somewhat but a hard lesson was learned from a discipline point of view. Some excellent individual performances from Joey Slowey at 7 and new recruit Marc Burrows at 9 reflect a settling of the team ahead of some more tough upcoming league fixtures.

Bobby O’Connor

JJ McDowell Memorial Grounds, Sutton

On a wet, windy and cold afternoon the J3's took on Suttonians in the league. Playing into the wind and up the hill we started at 100mph and put them under fierce pressure breaks by Crepy an Kennedy made inroads into their territory. A scrum on there line was disrupted and as the outhalf tried to clear under pressure David Kennedy blocked his kick and Dunne picked up and dived over, Philip Keegan slotted the conversion, 7-0 to Mary's after 10 minutes. what happens next defies belief, Suttonians outhalf kicks to touch and the ball roles into touch and role back into play over our try line, touch judge puts up his flag and a Suttonians players runs up and touches the ball and the ref gives a try!!. 7-5, again we storm back at them with a good break by Dave Kennedy and we are back up in their 22, from a scrum we move the ball wide and Timmons crashes over near the sticks, Keegan converts 14-5 to us, we are on top and playing our best rugby to date. Suttonians get a break away try 14-10. Suttonuians are pining us down in our 22 and again the referee features centre stage as Suttonians tries to take a quick free Dave Kennedy rushes out to tackle their man and in the process punches the referee in the nuts, as he got between the two players, proved to be the highlight of the afternoon!!. Suttonians tag on a penalty 14-13 at half time. In the second we did not start as well as the first and put ourselves under pressure and Suttonians score another penalty 14-16, then after much pressure we concede a try 14-21. the match ebbed and flowed and Sutton began to run down the clock, Mary's kept to the task and good break by Smyth brought us into their 22, a penalty by Keeagn brought us to within 4 points 17-21 and as we put pressure on the Suttonians for the winning try we were pinged on a number occasions which knocked us out of our stride and we couldn't find away through and the match ended 21-17 to Suttonians a disappointing victory considering the bizarre try awarded by the referee. The lads kept going today and our performance are coming together and we just need a little luck to go our way, we move on and look forward to next week.

Team:1.MaximeCrepy.2.Smyth.3.O'Driscoll.4.Shortt.5.Culligan.6.Dunne.7.Slowey.8.Kennedy.9.Burrows.10.Lyons.11. Keegan.12. Chets.13.Timmons.14.McNamara.15.Goodhall

Ruaidhri Moran

Templeville Road

The J3 secured their 2nd victory in the league on Sunday with a display of true grit and determination under extreme circumstances.The team led by Gavin Edgeworth took to the pitch with only 12 players, six backs and six forwards against a fired up Belvedere team. The next 80 minutes looked daunting and the task was enormous but the 12 men tore into Belvo from the off and after 5 minutes we were 3 points up Philip keegan slotting the kick. Soon after we were 13 after Joe Norton took to the field having being asked to play and in true Mary's spirit went home and got his boots. Belvo were making good head way but could not make their superior numbers pay and after 15 minutes we were 6 nil up! Niall Rynne joined the fray to increase our numbers to 14 men, it took about 20 seconds for Rynner to decide to dash come and get changed into his gear. Half time and Mary's are up 6 nil.The half time talk was all about how we could win the game and that the lads didn't even feel tired! Belvo came back at us in the second but the team to a man put their bodies on the line and tackled like men possessed even Philip Keegan tackled! The commitment was so great that Mick Dunne who dislocated his knee popped it back in strapped it up and played on, Joe Norton cut his head open went off got patched up and came back on, true Mary's spirit. Belvo came back at us and brought the score back to 6 - 3, then 6 all with another penalty, the game ebbed and flowed and with 7 minutes to go Belvo went 9 - 6 up! What happened next was what playing for St.Mary's is all about from the kick off we went back at Belvo and won the ball in some good counter rucking, we moved it wide and Brendan Shortt(second row) showing great footballing skill chipped the ball over their defence and out sprinted the winger who had five yards in time to win the race to score in the corner, Philip Keegan kicked the touchline conversion to put us 13 - 9 up with only minutes to play, we played down the clock and the relief and joy when the referee blew his whistle was as if had won the cup! It was an immense performance from all those who turned up to play, everybody gave their all and never gave up, contested for every ball and we played some rugby in the process. A great performance by everyone well done lads.

This was an important win for the team and the belief that we can go on from here, a special mention and thanks must go to Niall Rynne and Joe Norton who pulled on the jersey when their club needed them and made a great contribution to our win, Joe will have a permanent reminder of the game with the four stitches he received for his efforts.

Ruaidhri Moran

Santry

The J3 notched up their first back to back wins in the league with a good bonus point win over Trinity at a freezing Santry. We got of to flying start with a try by Brendan Shortt after 5 minutes, Joe Norton slotted the touch line conversion, 7-0 to St.Mary's. We were making inroads into Trinity's lineout and scrum, but a penalty in the 22 gave them 3 points and a way back into the game. We upped the ante again and we won a penalty which Joe converted, 10 - 3 to us. A well taken try by Darragh Keller playing on the wing put us further ahead Joe again adding the extra points, Trinity came back at us and were awarded another penalty 17-6. Half way through the first half we lost Joey Slowey to a badly sprained ankle. Half time and we began to play some good rugby and when we put the ball through the hands we looked very dangerous, but the referee decided that he would penalise us at every breakdown and we were pinged on no less than 15 occasions which took the momentum out of our game. But we did not let it rattle us and we scored another try through Darragh Keller, who went on score his third and best try to seal the bonus point, from 30 metres out Darragh beat/ran over three Trinity defenders to touch down in the corner, all three players were injured in trying to tackle him!! Some serious competition for the rest of the U20 wingers. Joe slotted the conversion and another penalty to put us 29 - 6 ahead, with the last play of the game Trinity scored an intercept try and converted to leave the final score looking closer then it actually was. The 3 U20 players played well, Robert Ferris in the tight and made some great breaks in mid field and Owen McGill won numerous opposition lineout ball and was tough in the loose, but with his hat trick of tries Darragh Kelleher playing out of position was the standout U20. The rest of the team played well and we put some good of passages of play together and we are building some good momentum and are looking forward to the visit of Skerries next Sunday. A word of thanks to Connor McPhilips for the use of his players and Barry Cahill for playing for us when his team had no game.

CUS Sportsground, Clonskeagh

On an appalling day the J3 went down valiantly 22-0 to league leaders Stillorgan. Having won the toss we played into the gale force wind up the hill, Stillorgan put us under immediate pressure and from a 5 metre scrum their no.8 broke from the base and crashed over, the kicked missed we kicked off and began to control the game as we tackled hard and kept Stillorgan on the back foot, We lost our 9 Brian McNamara to a stray kick to the shin just before half time, which changed the complexion of the game

Half time and we were only 5 nil down, playing with the wind and down the hill we expected to kick on from here, but it didn't work out that way we couldn't get our hands on the ball and we struggled at the line out as we had to play two back row forwards in the second row, Stillorgan crashed over for two more tries from the base of the scrum and a break away try at the end of the game gave them their bonus point. The lads turned in a defiant spirited performance and never gave up despite the appalling conditions. We will put this behind us and move on to Barnhall next week.

De La Salle College, Churchtown

The J3's played against DLSP the team second in the league and whom had beaten us earlier in the league. We started the game late as the referee went to the wrong ground and a result was not the happiest of campers, he went on to ruin what was turning into a good game of rugby. We took an early lead through John Andrecetti who crashed over in the corner and Philip Keegan slotted the conversion, 7-0, we were playing good rugby and putting DLSP under immense pressure and had a good try disallowed after a couple of missed penalties Philip Keegan put us 10-0 up. DLSP were not making much headway against our scrum or lineout and we were in control of the game, all this was to change with the intervention of the referee who had a final tally of 5 yellow cards and 1 red card!! This in no way reflects what went on during the game as both teams tried to play rugby, the red card was justified as result of over enthusiastic rucking by the Salmo second row, but the yellows were bizarre in the extreme. Salmo missed a couple of penalties chances but half way through the second half the kicked their first points 10-3 to us. The game became a stop start affair as people were being sin binned and the frustration of both teams was obvious. That said we put in a great performance in the defence and made some good headway in attack, the four U20's played a big part in our success and they slotted in well with their new team mates. Thanks to Connor McPhilips for letting us have them. This was a great team performance and a good win against a fancied DLSP win, we move on to our next match next week with confidence high.

Team: 15. Norton, 14.O'Neill, 13. Shortt, 12. Andrecetti, 11. Timmons, 10. Keegan, 9.Crawford, 8. Kennedy, 7. Kelleher, 6.Keating, 5. Magill, 4. Culligan, 3.Ferris, 2. Edgeworth, 1. Kelly.

Templeville Road

The J3's notched up another win in the league to go 3rd in the table. The match was played on a perfect day for rugby, no rain for a change. We played with the wind in the 1st half, and took an early 3 point lead thanks to a penalty from Joe Norton. We were back in Barnhalls half and putting pressure on their line through some good forward play we went through a couple of phases and moved the ball wide for John Andretti to go score, Joe Norton added the conversion. 10 - 0 to St.Mary's and we were in control of the game, Barnhall could not get out of their half. We came back again and a good break by Carl O'Brien was nearly rewarded with a try but a last ditch tackle pulled him down short from the ensuing ruck we moved the ball and Philip Keegan dotted down in the corner, a difficult kick drifted wide. 15-0 at half time. The second half was a different affair we started well and a good break from Joe Norton nearly saw us under the posts but a tap tackle denied him at the line. Barnhall came back us and scored a penalty from in front of the posts and after concerted effort the crashed over and converted to leave us 15-10 up, the ebbed and flowed for the remainder of the half and some outstanding defending kept Barnhall on a number occasions. The highlight of the half was with 10 minutes to go we rolled back the clock with the appearance of Bobby O'Connor on the wing as a replacement for the injured Chetts! The cheer from the sideline was deafening!!. We held out for a hard won win, which moves us into 1/4 playoff position. We look forward to Trinity this week and kick on from there.

Templeville Road

The J3's racked up their 6th win in the league with a 32-5 win over Trinity, which included a 4 try bonus point to consolidate our 3rd place position in the league. The first half was all St.Mary's and we took an early 3 point lead thanks to Joe Norton, despite having most of the possession and territory we made hard work of getting over the try line, with many opportunities going astray. A quick tap penalty by Ross Wynn sent Geoff Foley crashing over in the corner. 8-0 at half time. The second half was a different affair as we upped our tempo and went through good phases of play and put Trinity under enormous pressure at lineout and rucks, tries from Dave Kennedy, Gavin Edgworth, Joe Slowey and Mark Donnellan sealed the win for us. Mark Donnellan had his first run in 13 months at inside centre and made some good breaks his try was scored from the wing as he crashed over 2 Trinity players to score in the corner which was expertly converted by Joe Norton from the touchline. A big performance from the team this week and every one played their part in this comprehensive victory, we are building some good momentum as the cup begins.

Templeville Road

Another victory for the J3's in a very tough match against a good Sutton side we played into the wind and played some very good rugby, lineout, rucking and good back play. We exerted enormous pressure on their line and from a 5 metre scrum Dave Kennedy picked from the base and scored a good try, Joe Norton added the conversion. 7-0 to St.Mary's at which point we were looking to kick on from this but Sutton came right back at us and scored an easy penalty and from a lineout there outhalf weaved through some soft tackles to score under the posts, conversion slotted and we were down 10-7 at half time. Oranges at half time seemed to do the trick as we came back into the game and put Sutton under enormous pressure but we only got our reward of a penalty after 60 minutes, 10 all. From a quick taken penalty Brian McNamara on half way put ball through the hands and Peter Timmons powered over from 40 metres to put us 15-10 up and that's how the game finished. We put in a good performance against a very street wise team and came out on the right side of the result which before Christmas might not have been the case, the team is now playing good smart rugby, we now look forward to the cup with real confidence of making a good run.

Ruaidhri Moran

Templeville Road

The J3's kicked off their Moran cup campaign with a comprehensive victory over a young Clontarf side. On a perfect day for rugby we kicked off into the wind and up the hill and set about Clontarf. There were great phases of play with fowards and backs linking well together, our lineouts and scrums were strong and from a well worked lineout we moved the ball through a number of phases for Brian Heavey to put Brendan shortt away down the touchline for a well taken try in the corner. With a 5 point lead we upped the pace of the game and only for final dropped passes or forward passes we would have scored sooner than we did. This time it was some good inter play that sent Peter Timmons touching down in the corner. 10-0 to St.Mary's at half time. After a full and frank team talk from Captain Edge we started the second half very well enormous pressure on the Clontarf lead to a number of quickly taken penalties but no try. A converted Norton Penalty put us 13-0 up and in the driving seat, Clontarf could not live with the pressure we exerted at the scrums, lineouts and rucks and the tries began to flow another break down the touchline by Shortt yielded him his second try. There were tries for Heavey, Norton and Crotty who showed his class by seemingly gliding over the pitch to score a try from the half way. Final score 33-0 to us. Next up Monkstown in the quarters. A very good all round performance by everyone today in all areas of the pitch and all those who took to the field stepped up to the mark. Thanks once again to Connor McPhilips for letting us use his U20's they all played well and slotted in well with the rest of the team.

Team was: 15:McNamara. 14:Timmons. 13: Walsh.12:Daly. 11:Crotty. 10: Norton. 9:Heavey. 8:Kennedy. 7:Slowey. 6:Young. 5:Culligan. 4:Shortt.3:Ferris.2:Edgeworth(C).1:Barrett

Ruaidhri Moran

Templeville Road

The J3 season came to an end on Thursday night in the Semi Final of the Moran Cup. On a wet night the team played their hearts out with pride and commitment, but a street wise Terenure team won out 6 nil in a tightly fought contest. From the off we were under pressure and Terenure were camped in our half for most of the first period, some great tackles kept them at bay but a penalty put them 3-0 up, we came back at them and a long range penalty fell short. We lost two thirds of our front row in the first half and our captain which meant we had to reorganise our team accordingly. At half time we felt that we could kick on and win the game but this was not to be as Terenure used their more experienced players to keep us under pressure and disrupt our lineout and we could never get any real momentum going. After a concerted period of pressure we gave away a penalty under the posts and had our 15 sin binned for a failed intercept. 6-0 and that is how the game ended. We fought like lions and kept Nure from crossing our line, the only difference was experience really as St.Mary's demonstrated what is great about our club, a never say die attitude, which was demonstrated by our brake out from our own goal line in injury time to try an win the game but time ran out and the game ended in defeat.I would like to say that all involved on the night gave it 100% and did not shy away from the challenge laid before them.

So our season ends and a big thank you to all those who were involved in our journey which was never boring and always enjoyable, a lot of effort and sweat went into developing our squad and special mention to Connor McPhilips and his U20's who played for us during the season they were a great addition to our squad and slotted in well with the rest of the team.

A special mention to the help provided by the rugby council who were an invaluable in the guidance and council they offered us when we were getting to grips our new roles and when we needed players a big thank you to Dermot, Kevin, Gavin & Michael

Thanks too to Edge for taking on the captinancy and leading the team with good humour and honesty, Rynner & Joe Norton for playing in the 13 man Belvo victory. All those guys who played, trained and subbed for us through out the season, some at short notice or with little or no game time but gladly helped out when needed a big thank you from Bobby, Dermot and I

Team from 15 to 1: Ray Crotty, Shane Cunningham, John Andrecetti, Mick Daly,Peter Timmons, Joe Norton, Brian Heavey, Mark Donnellan, Geoff Foley, Brian Young, Andrew Culligan, Brendan Shortt, Peter Barrett, Gavin Edgeworth, Robert Ferris. Subs: Mick Dunne, Killian Keating, Colin Smith, Shane Walsh

Ruaidhri Moran