On a warm and misty afternoon our U20s began their Premier 1 campaign against last years Cup winners Navan RFC in Templeville Road.
Navan came with a strong pack and a willing to run backline.
It was great to see a large crowd in attendance to support our upcoming stars.
We welcomed Prop Jack Angier and centre Myles Carey back from 1st XV duty. Both were to play a big part in our victory.
We started off playing into Carville corner with a strong wind at our back. Navan ran at us on every occasion and successfully got a penalty after 10 minutes to deservedly lead 3-0. We fought back and got into their half and received a penalty ourselves. Up stands Myles Carey and slots it over, 3-3.
It was then that our outhalf David Boyle went down after a hard tackle. Dr Pat Tunney was on hand. It was a suspected shoulder/neck injury. After discussions with both coaches it was decided to move pitches as the player was not to moved.
We restarted the game on the back pitch and after good defence our line was broken and Navan scored under the posts. Score now 10-3 to Navan.
Half time and our coaches Jonathon Garth, Des Jackson and Ian Robinson got a chance to talk to the players and get them focused for the next 40 minutes.
We start to take Navan on with big carries from Angier, Corcoran and O’Gorman. The ball is spread wide to Carey who dives into the corner. Conversion missed, score now 10-8, game on.
Alex Dix is yellow carded after an elbow charge and we are down to 14. Navan get in for a try. Score now 15-8. When Dix comes back he makes up for lost time with a great break and gets scrum half Derry O’Connor in for a crucial score. Conversion missed. Now 15-13 to Navan. Replacement outhalf Tom Murray is getting the back line moving. We get a penalty and now lead for the first time 16-15. St Mary’s are now buzzing and get in for one last try by Myles Carey to finish 21-15.
We cannot afford to start so slowly against better opposition but our scrums and lineouts got on top as the game went on to provide a platform for a very exciting backline. We wish David Boyle a speedy recovery and look forward to next week as we host Clontarf at home on Sunday. Your support would be much appreciated.
Squad
15: Eamonn Byrne
14: Alex Dix
13: Myles Carey
12: Brian macmahon
11: Conor Smyth
10: David Boyle
9: Derry O’Connor
8: Ronan Watters
7: Jack O’Gorman
6: Ish
5: Michael McCormack
4: Liam Corcoran
3: Jack Aungier
2: Jamie Coolican
1: Brian Mannion
Subs:
Adam Comeford
Ciaran O’Meara
Ruairi Murphy
Ben Rock
Conor Kavanagh
James Brannigan
Tom Murray