The Old Crescent RFC Committee elected for the 2010-2011 season is:

Elected Committee members, Tom Barry, Dan Gallery, Dermot McGovern, Anthony O’Dwyer, and Eugene O’Riordain

With our senior rugby over for another year, Club focus turned to our Under Age section where our season reached an exciting if disappointing climax last week, when we played Garryowen in two Cup games at under 14 and 15 levels.
 
And so the final act of our Under 14 season arrived last Wednesday evening with our 4th match in 7 days when we lined out against Garryowen in the cup final at Annacotty. We started brightly with quite a bit of both possession and territory and were not at all flattered to be ahead by 5 - 0 early on, through a try out wide by Daniel O'Keeffe. Other opportunities came our way, which we were unable to avail of, as we also sought to nullify threats from Garryowen attacks through strong tackling in mid-field, in particular by Paul McNamara. Mid way through the first half Garryowen changed their tactics to drive more up through the middle and we found this difficult to cope with as they mauled successfully and protected their possession, resulting in them gaining significant territory and two tries before half time.  Garryowen also got the all important first score of the second half to open up the margin and with a final score in the last few minutes, we were well beaten by 22-5 in the end. We returned to the Club after the match where we were treated to a fabulous BBQ by Helen O'Donnell, which helped with the 'healing' - many thanks Helen. Thanks also to Peter Doyle who did all the organisation of our recent tour to Cork. It has been a long season and one in which our young players have made great progress from our first competitive match in mid/late September, losing just 2 competitive matches all season (unfortunately the league final and the cup final) - the commitment of the players and their parents has been magnificent and now we all look forward to a long summer break and re-grouping in the autumn.
 
Our U15’s played UL Bohs the evening after they returned from their Wales tour. As all but three of the squad were on tour, no one was sure what type of performance would follow for our side. To their immense credit, the players to a man raised their game and put in a tremendous performance. We started brightly and went in front with a try from Cormac Blake but conceded three kickable penalties all of which were converted to leave us trailing 9-5 at the interval. Playing with the conditions in our favour, we continued to pressurise the UL Bohs defense and regained the lead with a try from Mark Rickard which was converted by James Cusack. We then increased our lead with a 50 meter penalty goal from Cormac Blake and captain Robbie Scott rounded off the scoring with a fine try to give us victory by 22 points to 9 and set up a semi final clash away to Garryowen on the Wednesday. We took the field on Wednesday in Garryowen for our third game in five days and again took the game to our hosts. With our defensive work on a par with teams playing at the highest level, we succeeding in frustrating our opponents. Alas, the rub of the green was not with us and we conceded a freak try after a penalty attempt for Garryowen came back off a post to give Garryowen a 5-0 half time lead. The second half was pretty much a carbon copy of the first, with our defence holding firm and some great attacking play failing at the last pass. We conceded six further points from penalty goals and so our season ended in defeat by 11 points to nil. It was a extremely brave performance from the lads and they have shown that they are among the elite teams in their age group. Credit too to the coaching staff for the way in which they have brought on this team over the season and we look forward with confidence to the under 17 competitions in 2 years time.
 
Looking ahead, Tag Rugby at Old Crescent RFC kicks off on Thursday, 13th May, when we expect the usual large numbers at Rosbrien for the tag season.
 
Finally, another reminder that our AGM takes place in the Clubhouse at 8.00pm on Wednesday, 26th May.

In the only Senior fixture played last weekend, our Under 21 team took on UL Bohemians in the Under 21 Cup Semi Final last Saturday in Rosbrien.  It was a hard fought game against a strong and experienced side.  Lack of competitive matches over last few months went against us and we weren't at our best against a well drilled team who have been playing week in week out since start of the year. Old Crescent were only 19 points to 10 down at half time, and were right in the game at that stage. However, UL Bohs dominated the second half and they piled on a further 34 points without reply to leave the final score Old Crescent 10 points UL Bohs 53. This game brought our Under 21 season to a close.  With a lot of the team underage again next year, players and management are looking forward and planning our assault on Division One next season.  We wish the players who are overage next season all the best with their rugby careers and look forward to seeing them playing for the senior team next season and beyond.
 
Our Under Age teams continue their hectic end to the season with important cup games interspersed with long awaited end of season tours.  Our Under 14s wound their way frantically to the end of the season, playing our 3rd match in 5 days, when they faced Ennis in the cup semi final on Monday evening in Ennis RFC. With tired bodies and hard ground we really did wonder what sort of a night it was going to be as after last weekend's injuries, we had Geoffrey Coyne suffer a deep cut (requiring stitches after the match) in the warm up and Diarmuid McDonnell also suffering a shoulder injury early in the first half. Thankfully we started very well and inside the first 10 minutes we had engaged the sizeable Ennis pack up front and whilst perhaps fortunate not to have suffered a score against us from deep due to some loose tacking and poor alignment, we did score out wide with very good ball from our forwards enabling the backs to move the ball wide where both Michael O'Neill and Dylan Hennessy (fresh back from his extended stay in Florida + Mexico - high altitude training !!) were causing havoc with their strong running lines resulting in the opening 3 tries between them all of which were converted with some stunning goal kicking from the side lines by both Shane Eades and Michael himself. We stayed very committed to the task at hand and further scores before half time, including one from Paul McNamara and another from Dylan had us well ahead by half time. A number of changes were made to the side for the 2nd half and we continued to control the game but Ennis got themselves back into it with 3 unconverted tries to one converted try scored for us by Gerry Fitzpatrick. This was as good a performance as we have given all season based on a very committed display by the forwards and very strong running by our backs. Next up, our Under 14’s play Garryowen in the cup final on Wednesday evening (28-Apr) in Annacotty, while our Under 15’s play their league semi-final game also against Garryowen in Dooradoyle on the same evening.
 
Finally, we send our congratulations to Limerick hero Sean McGowan who is nearing the end of his epic row single handed across the Atlantic.  Sean’s two sons, David and Patrick, play their rugby with our Under 13’s and Under 11’s, respectively.

Old Crescent Under 21’s were back in action last weekend in the Under 21 Cup Quarter Final against Newcastlewest RFC.  This was their first game after an almost a nine week break from competitive matches since securing promotion to Division One.  The team started slowly as you would expect after such a long break from competitive matches and Newcastlewest put us under pressure from the start. We keep them out with some good defence form our forwards, in particular, Robbie Walker, Kieran Murphy and Peter Power. We began to settle into the game and started to find some form and, after a number of phases, the ball was moved across the pitch to Captain, Shane O'Carroll, who crashed over for a well worked try.  Ten minutes later we worked our way back into the Newcastlewest half with some good inter play between forwards and backs, from which the ball was moved through the backs to Jurgen Quinlan who found a gap and went over for our second try. Newcastlewest came right back at us from the kick off and kicked two penalties before the half time break. In the second half, Newcastlewest worked their way into our half and scored a well deserved try, leaving the score 14 - 13. 15 minutes later, they scored with a fine drop goal from their outhalf leaving the score 14 - 16. Our lads didn't panic and we worked our way into the Newcastlewest 22 with a fine run from Lucas Keane on the wing. We moved the ball across the pitch for Cian O'Brien to break their defence and cross the line, leaving the score to 21 - 14. Newcastlewest came back us again but some fine defence from replacement backrow, Keith Hodkinson, and scrumhalf, Eoin Durham, we kept them out and turned the ball over. Close to the end of the match we scored another try which was converted by outhalf, Darragh Yelverton, who had a fine day with the boot, to leave the final score, Old Crescent 28 Newcastlewest 16.

We now take on UL Bohemians in the Under 21 Cup Semi Final at 1.00pm next Saturday in Rosbrien.

Last weekend was a very busy weekend for the Under Age Section of Old Crescent.  Starting early on Saturday morning, the team of Brian Toland, Jim Murphy and Eoin Kearney were at Old Crescent bright and early getting the pitches ready for the inaugural John O’Riordan Festival of Rugby for an Under Ten’s. Visiting teams for this blitz included teams from Enniscorthy RFC, Tralee RFC, Midleton RFC, Ballina-Killaloe RFC, Presentation RFC, Corinthians RFC and Kilfeacle RFC. Wonderful performances by all teams reflected well on their coaches and mentors. Michael Murphy manned the PA and kept the whole audience up to date with match scores and the blitz’s progress. Old Crescent was delighted to welcome members of the O’Riordan family to the event, and everyone acknowledged the work and commitment that the late John O’Riordan had to Under Age in Old Crescent. Special word of thanks goes to our referee’s, Pat Rickard, Bernard Quinn, and Billy Breen, who gave up their free time to support the festival. Thanks also to Gavin Randles, David Higgins, and Simon Fenton, who helped out during the day. Final word of thanks goes to Brian Toland, his commitment to the event made sure that it was an over-whelming success. Greystones U12 have been coming to Limerick for a number of years on their annual Tour. We have normally played a blitz in mini rugby format however this year we took the opportunity to introduce the 15-man game playing 10 minutes each half. We had four teams participating, two from Greystones, and one each from UL Bohemians and Old Crescent. Each team played three games and the standard of rugby all round was excellent considering that this was the first taste of the 15-man game for most of the lads. Old Crescent had a squad of 24 players and we rotated the players to give each ample game time. There was a great buzz in Rosbrien on Saturday and there were plenty of supporters about after the U10 Tournament and the U21 match. It was a great thrill for the U21’s to perform in front of so many people and this contributed to a very enjoyable afternoon.

On Sunday, we welcomed Greystones U15's for the annual Bill Mardell Memorial Cup.  The late Bill Mardell coached in Greystones RFC and was Under Age Chairman in Old Crescent, so it is very appropriate that Greystones supplied this year’s opposition. After a good and lively match, Lisa Mardell presented the trophy to Greystones RFC. Shane and his team manned the BBQ after the match and kept everyone well feed, thank you. It is hoped that this will now become a regular fixture between the two clubs at this level.

A final word of thanks to Anthony and his staff in the Clubhouse, over the course of the weekend his BBQ fed many a happy player and supporter.

Away from Rosbrien our U17 travelled to England and U14 made their way to Galway for their end of season tours.  Trip reports are being reviewed and may yet be published!

Well done to everybody involved in Under Age rugby in Old Crescent. Last Saturday and Sunday was a fantastic weekend for the Club and on the evidence of all the rugby that was played at the different age groups the future for Old Crescent is very bright.

Please remember that that our Under 21’s are playing UL Bohemians in the Semi Final of the Under 21 Cup, at 1.00pm next Saturday at home in Rosbrien.  Come out to Rosbrien next Saturday at 1.00pm and support our Under 21’s.  They deserve our support after the fantastic season they have had this year.

Finally, our Hon Secretary wishes to remind members that the AGM of Old Crescent RFC will take place in the Clubhouse at 8.00pm on Wednesday, 26th May.

It was down to earth for Old Crescent RFC last weekend after the excitement and the triumphs of the previous weekend when we retained our Division Two status and won the McInerney Cup.  Our First’s lost their final AIL game against Highfield RFC in Cork, and our Thirds were beaten by Cashel RFC in the Webb Cup. With our League position secure, it would be hard to fault our team as they found it hard to get into their final game against Highfield.  For Highfield too, it was also a difficult game, knowing that before the kick-off they were already relegated to Division Three. Notwithstanding the above, both teams competed strongly in the brilliant sunshine that was nearly too warm for rugby.  The game was evenly contested until midway through the first half, Crescent pressure resulted in an excellent try by Brian O’Shea, which he then converted to give us a 7 points to nil lead. However, Highfield replied immediately by scoring a try which they didn’t convert.  Highfield went ahead for the first time just before half time, when they were awarded a penalty which they converted, to leave the half time score Crescent 7 and Highfield 8. Crescent had several scoring chances in the second half, which unfortunately didn’t come off, and midway through the second half, Highfield went further ahead with an unconverted try.  They ended the game with a drop goal just before the final whistle, to give a final score of Crescent 7 and Highfield 16. While it was disappointing to lose our final AIL game of the season, the main business had been done the previous weekend with our epic victory over Lansdowne, when they suffered their only defeat of the season at the hands of Old Crescent on their way to winning Division Two.

Our Thirds came up against a very strong Cashel side in their Webb Cup game last Saturday and went down by 12 points to 7.  Perhaps the exertions in winning the McInerney Cup the previous weekend, and the celebrations that followed, took their toll!

In Under Age News, the Under 14 league originally scheduled for mid-January was finally played against Shannon in Coonagh last Thursday evening, when the two unbeaten teams in the competition went head-to-head in the winner takes all final.  Shannon had the possible advantage of their semi final taking three matches to settle in recent weeks, while Crescent had qualified for this final in February and so maintaining our competitive focus was all the more challenging. And so it proved as we started the game perhaps somewhat nervously and took time to settle and adjust to the pace and power of the Shannon pack and find our feet and get our bearings on the large Coonagh pitch. Shannon were ahead by 10-0 with less than ten minutes gone, before we got into the game.  Although we owned the ball and territory for the remainder of the first half, resulting in many attempts on the Shannon line, unfortunately, with just the one score by Daniel O'Keeffe, converted from the side line by Michael O'Neill, we were 10-7 down at the break. In the second half we again took the game to Shannon who began to vary their play more and as the match wore on we began to suffer a little from their continued power and pace. Shannon went further ahead with a try and conversion, and Shane Eades landed a penalty to bring the game to 17-7. Try as we did, we could not maintain our intensity and field positions and retain enough quality ball to force the necessary score to tie the event. Well done to all our players and squad, we will have many more days in finals and will win in due course. Well done Shannon and we'll see you in the Cup shortly! After their disappointing defeat in the league final on Thursday evening, our Under 14’s were back in action on Sunday as we hosted Teddington RFC. Played in fantastic weather, we were against up against opposition who started very strongly and were a few scores up after 10-15 minutes before our first and only score of the game came in the form of a penalty from Shane Eades. After Munster beating Northampton on Saturday, our Irish hospitality got the better of us and we did not want to beat two visiting sides on consecutive days! After the game we had a barbeque and made a presentation to Teddington RFC, who we may visit next season.

In fixtures for next weekend, the only senior fixture is in Rosbrien at 2.30pm next Saturday when our Under 21’s take on Newcastlewest RFC in the Under 21 Cup.

Our Under Age have a busy weekend coming up, with our Under 10’s hosting the John O’Riordain Under 10 Blitz, on Saturday from 11.00am until 2.30pm.  Eight teams from Munster, Leinster and Connaght, will take part in the Blitz which is held in memory of our respected past President, John O’Riordain, who died four years ago.

On Sunday, our Under 15’s take on Greystones RFC in the Bill Mardell Trophy, at 12.00 noon in Rosbrien.  The late Bill Mardell was also a respected member of Old Crescent, and of Greystones RFC, who devoted enormous time and energy to developing Under Age Rugby at Old Crescent RFC.

Last Saturday was a fantastic day of rugby for Old Crescent, with our Firsts securing our place in the Second Division next year and our Thirds winning the McInerney Cup!

Our First Team played one of the grittiest games of the season last Saturday in pulling off a memorable victory over table toppers, Lansdowne FC, and thereby ensuring Old Crescent’s place in AIL Division Two next season.  Lansdowne came into the game with 13 wins and no defeats in their march through Division Two, but right from the kick-off our First team showed that they were not going to be intimidated by their illustrious opponents. Both teams contested the ball at every opportunity with no quarter being given.  Playing with the wind, Crescent were first on the scoreboard with a converted penalty by Brian O’Shea after 12 minutes.  We continued to pile on the pressure and were rewarded with another penalty midway through the first half, which Brian again converted.  Lansdowne looked dangerous at every stage but our defence held strong with some great tackling.  Further Crescent pressure forced another penalty from Lansdowne which Brian again converted, leaving the half time score at a barely believable 9 points to nil lead for Old Crescent. Crescent started the second half in determined mood and pressure by our pack brought us to the Lansdowne line where long serving James ‘Buffalo’ Cullinane got in for a super try.  The convert was missed from out wide to leave us now 14 points to nil in front. Lansdowne however did not give up and showed why they lead the Second Division.  With 12 minutes gone in the second half, they halved their deficit by scored a converted try.  Crescent now had an anxious period, however, our First’s were buoyed up by the triumphant return of our Third’s with the McInerney Cup who proceeded to add their voices to the already loud Crescent support on the sidelines. After further Lansdowne pressure, midway through the second half, Lansdowne scored a second try out wide. The convert was missed to leave Crescent narrowly ahead by 14 points to 12 with 15 minutes to go.  To the great delight of the home crowd, Crescent not only defended the narrow lead but were deep in the Lansdowne half when the final whistle sounded, leading to great rejoicing on and off the pitch.

Earlier, Old Crescent 3rd XV had faced Shannon in Coonagh at 12.30 in the McInerney Cup Final, after losing out in the toss for home advantage as their was no available neutral venue. The Thirds had defeated Young Munsters and Garryowen in previous rounds and faced into this match as underdogs against a Shannon side who had beaten a strong Richmond side in their semi. The game started at a very high tempo with neither team willing to give an inch, it was the start that the Thirds wanted as they came out all guns blazing signalling their intent for the afternoon. With the game only 15 minutes old, Old Crescent pressure told, with the Shannon number 6 being sent to the bin for an infringement. The Thirds gained a penalty and Paul McDonagh duly converted in very trying conditions to leave Old Crescent 3-0 up. In what was a very physical first half that’s how the score remained until half time as both teams exerted maximum defensive pressure on each other, with the packs in particular keeping the tempo at a very high level. At the start of the second half a botched restart gave the Shannon pack the impetus they needed. They were on the front foot and with the pressure being applied, managed to get themselves into a scoring position where they finally managed to break down the Thirds’ fringe defence and their number 6 redeemed himself after his earlier indiscretion and got over for their first try of the game. The try was unconverted but was the start of Shannon’s best period in the game. Shannon kept the pressure on after the restart and worked themselves down the pitch to get themselves into a good field position which was rewarded by the whistle of the referee to give them a penalty which was converted by former AIL top scorer, Andrew Thompson. Our Thirds got a deserved foothold in the Shannon half through defensive pressure exerted and pressed home their advantage at both scrum and lineout time to get themselves into their opponents 22. After winning clean lineout ball the pack set up a driving maul to present clean ball for Trevor Whelan which was used to devastating effect with John Noonan making a great break in the centre and managed to get his hands break through the tackle to offload to John (JOCK) O’Connor who ran a great line to cross the whitewash and levelled the tie at 8 all. The score remained at 8 points apiece for the remainder of the second half. The first period of extra time saw some of the most exciting rugby of the game being played. The Crescent forward pack put together a great driving maul, and the backline released flying winger Tommy Pratt to score in the corner.  Our lead was to be short lived however as the Shannon team upped the pace of their game and after a number of phases found their winger in the Old Crescent 22 with space to play with and he duly delivered with a finish to level the tie again at 13 all. The second half of extra time was a blur! The Thirds got themselves into the Shannon half of the field and after working extremely hard through the pack, they had a penalty advantage. With Shannon players bearing down, Trevor Whelan threw an absolute ‘Missile’ of a pass to Paul McDonagh who threaded the eye of a needle with a drop goal through the cover of the on-rushing Shannon backrow! Cometh the hour, cometh the man!!!!!! 16-13! This signalled one of the most tense 5 minutes of rugby ever seen at this level. Old Crescent had good field position and looked to finish out the game. After two line breaks from Props Bernard Quinn and Alan Lynam, the ball was turned over and Shannon broke into Old Crescent territory; with the defensive line not set, the Shannon Winger broke clear and could have broken Old Crescent hearts were it not for a game saving tackle from backrow Kieran O’Brien. Old Crescent held their discipline at this stage to ensure that Shannon would not get a equaliser. This forced Shannon to spread it wide and with barely seconds remaining the Shannon Winger was once again tackled by the Old Crescent cover into touch at the 5m line. This was the last play of the game and this should have seen the final whistle, but in this epic game there was always going to be one more chapter! Shannon stole the Old Crescent lineout and drove for the Old Crescent line. The Thirds held out wave after wave of Shannon attacks within the 5 metre line. It was bodies on the line stuff and our Thirds weren’t found wanting, after a second penalty within the 5, the outstanding Odran Power was harshly sent to the bin leaving 14 to repel the attack. Three phases later and Shannon did cross the line, but could not get the ball down as every available limb ensured that the leather would not touch the soil. With the final whistle, the sheer joy of the thirds squad, coaching staff and support was a joy to see, as all jumped in the air and hugged on the sidelines. The McInerney cup would proudly be heading to Rosbrien!!!! The Cup was presented to Captain, Bernie Quinn, who proceeded to thank all and sundry with a grin that has yet to be removed from his face! The cup was passed to Coach, Fergal Kearney, who called each member of the squad to receive their medal as all gathered for a stirring rendition of the Sloop John B!

Fixtures for next weekend:  Our First’s play Highfield in Cork at 2.30pm next Saturday in our last fixture of the AIL season.  Our Third’s play Cashel in the Webb Cup at home in Rosbrien at 2.00pm next Saturday.

Our U14’s play Shannon in their delayed League Final on Thursday night (8-Apr) in Coonagh with a 6:45 pm ko.

Apologies to Buffalo for getting the try scorer wrong in our initial report yesterday!

All clubs have good days and bad days and Old Crescent seems to see more than its fair share of bad ones but today may mark a turning point in our fortunes.

Old Crescent 14 – 12 Lansdowne
Most neutrals must have felt with Crescent languishing at the AIL Division 2 drop zone precipice that next week’s clash with Highfield would decide which of the two clubs would join Greystones in Division 3 next season, today’s game against runaway Division 2 leaders Lansdowne, being but a formality for Lansdowne. After last week’s performance one had to ask if Crescent could ever be as bad again but given what went before one also had to wonder if Crescent had any real chance of competing against this exceptional Lansdowne squad. Before today’s game Lansdowne’s statistics read, Played 13, Won 13; Points scored 408, Points conceded 152; League points 60. At the start of the day Crescent were all of 40 league points and 13 places beneath them. However, as we were to find out, miracles do indeed happen and Crescent pulled off a shock but on the day well deserved win over Lansdowne. With Brian O’Shea controlling matters in the centre of the park and converting three penalty goals and with the pack putting in a herculean effort culminating in a James Cullinane touchdown. Crescent’s win was worthy of any David-and-Goliath encounter and means that we are now safe in Division 2 next season. A huge vote of thanks to the Players and Management Team and thank God we now have that defibrillator, as at times it seemed that many of our supporters may have needed its recuperation properties, particularly if we had had to go to Highfield next week needing a win.

Shannon 13 – 16 Old Crescent: In another good news story for Crescent our Thirds won the McInerney Cup today when beating Shannon in Coonagh by 16 points to 13 points. Congratulations to all involved.

Our First’s suffered a heavy defeat by 44 points to 3 to Thomond last Saturday in the AIL, and we remain in the danger zone near the bottom of Division Two.  We must win at least one of our two remaining AIL fixtures to survive in Division Two.  Thomond scored five trys without reply from Old Crescent, although we had a few changes which, if they had come off, could have made it a very different game.

All eyes are now focused on our remaining games, at home against table toppers Lansdowne, at 2.30pm next Saturday and away to Highfield the following Saturday.  While our League position is serious, Old Crescent has been here before and has fought its way out of trouble.  With everyone’s support over the next two Saturdays, our team are capable of doing the business.

Our First’s did have a well deserved win in the O’Donovan Cup over a full strength Garryowen side by 24 points to 17 in Garryowen a week ago.

Our third XV took the field against Garryowen on Saturday last in the McInerney Cup semi final. Having suffered defeat against Garryowen in the latter stages of the league, Crescent had a few scores to settle. During the previous weeks training, we suffered the loss of our starting outhalf, a restructured backline took to the field. Paul McDonagh stepped into the breach, and his wise old head brought composure to the backline in both attack and defence. However, this game was going to be won and lost in the pack. Garryowen had a large rumbling pack, and our pack had to step up to the plate to counter them. We started well with Paul McDonagh landing a penalty to take the lead 3-0. Garryowen came back into the game with a penalty soon afterwards. We made our way downfield and our pack put in a good scrum, Keith Burke made a break off the base of the scrum to make good ground, and the pack sealed it off, another sniping break off that ruck and with quick hands we moved the ball to the overlap on the wing where Tommy Pratt went over in the corner. Paul McDonagh’s conversion went just wide. Garryowen responded with a penalty to leave the score at 8-6. Just before half time Trevor Whelan got a crucial score following good pressure defence from Tommy Pratt. Paul McDonagh slotted the conversion to leave the score at 15-6 at half time. The talk at half time was about maintaining the intensity of our game and after Garryowen got another penalty, our pack increased their effort and set up a maul off a lineout just inside the Light Blue’s 10mt line. Trevor Whelan feinted to go open off the maul and then darted around the blind side and showed good pace and strength to crash over the whitewash. Paul McDonagh missed the difficult conversion to leave the score at 20-9.  Garryowen added a penalty later on to leave the score at full time 20-12 to our thirds. Good performances all round, in particular our pack who had a storming game, negating the highly regarded Garryowen maul throughout the game.

Next up for our Thirds is the McInerney Cup Final this Saturday (3rd April) against Shannon in Coonagh, kick off is at 12.30. We’d encourage all club members to come out and support the thirds before the seniors game in Rosbrien.

Fixtures next weekend: Our First’s play Lansdowne in Rosbrien at 2.30pm next Saturday, in our final home AIL game of the season.  Our Thirds play Shannon in the Final of the McInerney Cup, away in Coonagh at 12.30pm next Saturday.  On Easter Monday, our Under 21’s play Cashel in the Under 21 Cup at home in Rosbrien at 2.30pm.In Under Age news, last Sunday our Under 14’s were back on the 'friendly' trail and hosted Tralee again. We had a few of our team away on holidays and a few 'defected' for a football match, but we still had a good line up and started very brightly with 2 scores, one from Shane Eades, after a lovely break, and the other from Eoin Sheehan, who got over from close range, one of which was converted by Shane, to lead by 12-0 after 15 minutes. We then allowed Tralee to get into the game and run at us, particularly in the forwards, as they secured more ball and with their quality backs opened up the game and before long it was tied at 12-12 as they replied with 2 tries, one of which was converted. And although we did score a further try to put us in front again, after a fine break by Fionn White, which got him all the way to the line, we were unable to build on this and again allowed Tralee to much ball and too much space. Tralee came back with a further try to tie the game at 17 all going into the last 5 minutes, and they clinched the game with a score with 2 minutes to go and they then added a further score in the last play of the game. So well done to Tralee. Having been unbeaten for much of the season, we have now lost 3 times in our last 5 outings, but all friendlies. Coaches and players have much work to be done before our league final and next cup outing.