(Picture shows action from an exciting U15 game vs Birr RFC last Sunday)
Senior: Nenagh continued their campaign in the Munster Senior Cup last Saturday with the difficult assignment of an away trip to the Temple Hill fortress of Cork Constitution RFC. The Cork side are second only to Garryowen in the roll of honour in this competition with a massive thirty titles to their credit, not to mention 6 wins in the top flight of the All Ireland League. Needless to say this would be a tough ask for the Ormond men. Tough asks are something this squad have continuously risen to however in recent times and for the majority of this game the home side were made to well and truly sweat about the outcome. It was very much a stalemate in the first half with the sides turning around at 11 points to 8. Nenagh’s scores coming from a Kevin O Gorman try and a Ben Pope penalty.
The second half playing out to 28- 11 final score would suggest Nenagh ran out of steam and the inevitable surge from the favourites saw them through. The scoreline however is a little unfair to the Nenagh effort. This one was really only settled late on. Nenagh for their part manufactured probably just as many chances and should have been closer in the finish but a little inaccuracy in the lineout in particular ultimately saw them struggle to finish enough opportunities. Credit on the other hand must go to the Cork men for their efficiency in the red zone and with two wins from two it is they who now control the outcome of this group.
A home tie for Nenagh with Highfield sees a repeat of last year’s cup semi final in Lisatunny next Saturday. A win for Nenagh would leave them in the hunt for a semi final spot should Shannon manage to turn over Con in their final game. With both of those sides having one eye on the start of their Division 1A campaigns on the horizon this group might have a twist in it yet.
All support for the game next week would be much appreciated. Kickoff is at 2.30pm on Saturday.
Under 20: Under 20 rugby made its long awaited return to the pitches of NORFC on Wednesday night with Shannon RFC visiting in the opening round of the North Munster League. The Nenagh side put in a tremendous performance in spite of having had very limited training time together. Shannon, winners of the Donal Walsh Trophy at this grade last season were a polished outfit and possibly had a little more done in their preparation but they were made to fight all the way through to secure their 28-0 victory. This was a really encouraging display from a Nenagh side who will only improve with more time together as well as the return of a few more players from GAA commitments. Their season continues with a trip to Garryowen FC on Wednesday night for a 7.30pm kickoff. We encourage as many supporters as possible to make the short trip in the M7 to support the boys.
U18.5: Nenagh Ormond U18.5 team commenced their North Munster league opening match at a blistering Lisatunny last Sunday. In extremely warm temperatures a very competitive contest with Young Munster saw the home side take the spoils but there were a few hairy moments in the last ten minutes and lots for the coaches to work on. Nenagh had played Young Munster’s in a friendly a few weeks, winning comfortably with Marcus O’Mahony on his U18.5 debut nabbing a hat trick of tries. However, in this competitive game it was always going to be a different story. Nenagh started well and after a lineout on the Munster’s 22 outhalf Darragh Gleeson switched back to the sideline and put Ryan Imhoff in for the first try, the conversion slipped past the post. One great breakout from Conor Gleeson from our own line took play to the 22 but the inside pass did not go to hand. Then after 19 minutes a Munsters attack saw a kick ahead that was not dealt with well and it led to a converted try for the visitors to leave them 7-5 ahead. Their tails were up and a very kickable penalty in front of the posts was pushed wide by the visiting outhalf, a bit let off for the home team. Play ebbed and flowed and when some good play saw us awarded a penalty on the 10 metre line, Darragh slotted a good kick to leave us 8-7 ahead, despite not playing to our potential. Half time came and we upped the pace at the start for the second half. Some good play between forwards and backs with good carries by Nicki Nie and Kedagh Broderick saw the ball flash across the line to Valters who scored outside , converted by Darragh. Then after 10 minutes the visiting no 7 was shown a yellow card by the referee for a tip tackle. Nenagh applied more pressure and again some good phase play saw Dan Keneally score and Darragh converted to leave us 22-7 ahead. Ryan Imhoff and Tommy Wilkinson were carrying well in the backs and captain Sam Lancaster was doing well leading from the front but then the game turned, perhaps with the heat taking its toll. A long kick through was touched down for a goal line drop out and the Munsters 10 ran onto it and beat a tackle through a dummy and was through for a converted try. Nenagh were still in control but discipline became an issue and we were heavily penalised by the referee. In the last 10 minutes he issued three yellow cards, including two for one incident, which was a very unusual decision. Down to 12 players and defending a scrum in our own 22 things looked ominous but the boys dug in magnificently and were able to defend their line for the remaining minutes to leave the final score Nenagh 22 Young Munster 14. A difficult first day out with a few players missing through injury, holidays and GAA commitments but a vital win, with one more pool game to come away to Kilrush to qualify for a semi final. Lots to work on in training, especially the discipline, with the concession of a lot of penalties, some players struggle with the new tackle laws and this will have to improve in the coming weeks.
U15: A great match was witnessed on Sunday between Nenagh Ormond and Birr at Birr's home ground. The weather was just perfect at 23°C, slightly overcast with a gentle breeze - ideal conditions for a great game of rugby.
Here's the breakdown of a fiercely contested match. From the kick off Birr opened the scoring with a swift try followed by a successful conversion. Nenagh struck back immediately with Hugo finishing a brilliant team effort initiated by Danny and aided by Oscar to narrow the gap to 7-5
Birr responded again with a try, taking the score to 12-5. But the action was not done for this very exciting half as Danny Powell showcased his speed with a stunning break-away run, covering over half the pitch to score for Nenagh. Charlie Talbot added the extras to level the score at 12-12.
Unfortunately despite no lack of endeavour on the Nenagh side, try as they might they were not able to extend their tally in the second half. Birr were that little bit more clinical and added three tries for the final scoreline of 29-12.
Kudos to Nenagh's team captain Dara Gaynor for leading the team with spirit and determination. A special mention to Danny Powell for his incredible effort throughout the match even without his usual goggles.
We appreciate the hard work and effort showcased by all 18 players today. It was a match filled with passion, teamwork, and a true display of skills. Well done to all and congratulations to Birr on their victory!
Please remember, training continues every Wednesday and Friday evening at 7:15 p.m. in the NORFC grounds in Lisatunny. New players, with a year of birth being 2009, are always welcome.
Looking forward to seeing both familiar and new faces!
U14: Nenagh Ormond under 14s played their first game of the season away to Thomond/Richmond on Sunday. Nenagh started slowly and conceded a try early on. That try spurred Nenagh on and they replied with 2 tries of their own, with Luke Slattery and Donagh Carmody dotting down. Marcus Finn added the extras for one of those. The opposition team scored next to leave the half time score at 12-10.
Nenagh started the second half well and scored 2 more tries, Aidan Steed and Anluan White scoring. Nenagh seemed to be in control with a 12 point lead (22-10) but for the last 10 mins the opposition had us under pressure and got back to 22-20 with time up. A large amount of penalties were conceded and unfortunately one was conceded within kicking distance of the posts with which their kicker scored to win them the game. Nenagh played well in patches for the first game of the season but there is loads to work on in training. New players are always welcome.
Split the Bucket: Our Split the Bucket fundraiser continues to hand out a minimum of €500 in prize money each and every week. Enter for as little as €2 per week at nenaghormondrfc.com/products or access the link on any of our social media pages.
Fixtures:
Senior: Home vs Highfield RFC. Sat @ 2.30pm (Lisatunny)- Munster Senior Cup
Under 20.5: Away vs Garryowen FC. Wednesday@ 7.30pm (Dooradoyle)
U16: Away v Bruff RFC. Sunday@ 12pm (Kilballyowen)
U14: Home v Shannon RFC. Sunday@ 11.45am (Lisatunny)
U13: Away v UL Bohemians RFC. Sunday@ 11.30am (Annacotty)
