Nenagh Ormond under 15s had a busy 2 weeks.  Firstly, we played Fermoy away in the last group game of the under 16 bowl competition and then we played a preliminary quarter final against Clonakilty away. The Fermoy game was a tight tense tussle. Nenagh started well in this game and showed great physicality to impose their game plan on the opposition. However, we struggled to turn the pressure into points with silly errors kicking in. Fermoy got 2 breakaway tries and it stood at 14 nil at half time. Even though we were down it did not reflect the flow of the game. We seemed to start slow in the second half and let the opposition in for another converted try, but this score seemed to spur Nenagh on.  We got on the score sheet soon after, Fionn Wallace making the initial break to put the Fermoy defence on the back foot. The ball was moved out to the wing where Tommy Powell was having his best game in a Nenagh shirt. He carried up further and then the ball was moved into midfield where Anluan White spotted a hole in the defence and powered through to score. Kaden Fogarty added the extras.  Nenagh kept the momentum going and scored again five minutes later. A good clearance kick by Harry Walsh got us down deep in the opposition half.  Then a brilliant turnover from  Aidan Ryan, who had an exceptional game, gave us possession in the Fermoy 22.  Again, Anluan White was floating around the middle of the pitch and when he received the ball he beat 2 defenders to score a good team try. The extras were added to leave it a one score game. There was still 10 mins to play and Nenagh gave it everything to get another score, getting very close on a couple of occasions but unfortunately the score we craved did not come. It was a very good performance by all, and the game could have went either way.

Seven days later we played Clonakilty away in a preliminary quarter. With the deluge of rain overnight the game was moved to the Clonakilty 3G field. Whilst it is not a full sized 3G it is an exceptional facility to have to accommodate days when the weather dictates when a game goes ahead or not. We were very slow to start in this game.  The very early start and the journey down and the amount of rain falling seemed to sit on the players minds in the first half. Clonakilty probably adjusted to the field better as there was very little space to be found. We found ourselves down 20-0 at half time. In fairness to the players they upped the ante in the second half and started to play some quality rugby. Aleksander Monko lead from the front with tackles and carries. We got our first score after 10 mins when from a lineout we carried well in midfield. Then after the next phase Ben Madden cut back at an angle to cut through the gap and on being tackled showed great composure to extend his arm and dot down to score.  We kept the momentum going and got on the scoresheet again.  A brilliant turnover from Anluan White had us on the front foot and Luke Slattery and Scott Powell got us close to the line.  Aleksander Monko spotted space and picked at the base of the ruck to power over the line. After that the second half turned into a ding dong battle with play going from end to end. Clonakilty got a penalty try after a high tackle to leave the final score at 25-10 to Clonakilty.  Next weekend we are at home in a quarter final game against Garryowen.