Nenagh Ormond 15s     36       Fermoy    13

Nenagh Ormond under 15s played Fermoy in the semi-final of the under 16 bowl competition at home on Sunday last. After a ferocious battle with Garryowen in the quarter Nenagh needed to perform to a high standard as Fermoy had beaten us in the group stages. Weather was perfect and allowed for an entertaining game of rugby. The final score line would suggest a dominant Nenagh victory but it was anything but. In the early stages of the game it was Fermoy who made use of the ball and had the momentum. They used their big ball carriers effectively but in fairness the Nenagh defensive effort kept them at bay. Fermoy in the end decided to kick at goal when they got a penalty within kicking range. That score seemed to spur Nenagh on and from a scrum the ball was moved swiftly to James O’Dwyer who came back at the angle and exploited a big gap in the defence. He still had a lot of work to do and beat the last two defenders and then had the composure to dot down close to the posts. Nenagh scored again a few mins later. From a ruck in midfield the ball was moved right to Anluan White who beat the initial defence and then rounded the fullback with some brilliant footwork to score. From that score Fermoy came back at us. Their speedy winger made good yards bringing play into our 22 and after a few phases they scored an unconverted try. Nenagh finished the half strong and were unlucky not to score a try from a set play. Cody O’Connor made a break and it took a text book tackle from the Fermoy fullback to deny him. Nenagh kept the momentum going and eventually were rewarded with a third try before half time. This try was a carbon copy of our second try with Anluan White making the break and then finishing it off by rounding the full back. The half time score was 19-8.

The second half kicked off and from the offset it was clear Fermoy had changed tactics in that they started to kick a lot more. In fairness the bounce of a rugby ball is impossible to determine at times and the Nenagh back three of Harry Walsh, Cian Murphy and Tommy Powell stood up to the challenge impressively. Fermoy scored an unconverted try next with them capitalising on a kick which bounced favourably for their centre. Nenagh did well initially but Fermoy got over after a couple of phases. That left the game 19–13 and Nenagh showed great character to bounce back. From a scrum in midfield Anluan White picked and went on a mazy run beating four defenders to score a fine individual effort. That score seemed to settle Nenagh and for the remainder of the game they showed great resilience and organisation to keep Fermoy from scoring. Two brilliant turnovers from Luke Slattery and James O Dwyer on our five metre line seemed to spur the team on. Nenagh finished with two late try’s to put a gloss on the scoreline which did not reflect how the game had played out. First, with the pack making good yards in the opposition half, the ball made its way to Cody O Connor who burst through a hole in the defence and with some brilliant footwork stepped the last defender to score a fine try.  Then from a scrum in midfield, James O Dwyer took off on a mazy run and was eventually hauled down inside the 22.  He then showed great skill and composure to offload to the supporting Cody O’Connor who  scored his second try.

Overall it was a very good squad performance with all the subs making an impact on the game. The scoreline does not reflect how close a game it was with the Nenagh defence on top at crucial times in the game. There was some good dominant tackles from Shaun Murphy, Aidan Ryan, Shane Gleeson, Luke Slattery, Ben Madden to name a few. We can now look forward to a final in the next few weeks.  Well done to all.  Training continues Wednesday evenings.