The difference between the joy of victory and the despair of
defeat is very slim , a fact that we now only too well this season
The difference between the joy of victory and the despair of defeat is very
slim, a fact that we know only too well this season. It is however, the manner
in which a team responds to agonising defeats which differentiates some sides
from others. A rerun of what happened in Coonagh a couple of weeks ago is
hardly necessary, but one point can certainly be made, and that's the manner in
which our lads bounced back against Clontarf last week.
The return of Mossy Lawler after his injury was a great boost while Ian
Dowling's availability once again gave a cutting edge to our midfield. We were
so disappointed for Ian that he didn't make the Munster panel for the Heineken
Cup, but any personal disappointment he had was cast aside, and he once again
proved his own loyalty to the club both on and off the field.
It wasn't all plain sailing and the possibility of another defeat snatched late
in the game became real when the home side crossed for a late try after their
only real period of momentum through out the game and despite the 5 point lead
it would be fair to say our band of loyal supporters did get a little anxious.
Thankfully, they need not have worried as, calmly, Tadgh Bennett struck a neat
drop goal to seal the win.
Realistically we were far the better side on eth day and perhaps key to that
was our defence. More often than not Clontarf travelled laterally with the ball
in hand and when they got a sniff of the gain line they were forcibly removed
from the imaginary line.
Two excellent tries in the first half set us up nicely with the effervescent
Felix Jones at the heart of both. In the 4th minute he cut through the line of
blue and red and then in the 16th minute he set Stephen Kelly on his way for
his 8th of the season. For Felix it was his first try of the season and one he
probably won't forget in a hurry, mainly due to the reward he received in the
dressing room afterwards, something to do with snakes or reptiles. Anyway, the
journey home was joyful to say the least for players and supporters who again
meet up in the familiar surroundings of the Final Furlong. All in all it was a
fantastic way to round off the AIL for 2009
It was a great weekend all round for the club with the Ladies, seconds and
underage sides all notching up wins. On Sunday the seconds played Thomond in
what transpired to be a super game of rugby with both sides showing great
willingness to keep the ball in hand. An excellent first half performance gave
us a 19 -8 lead with tries from Rory Sergeant, Barry Gibbons and Paddy
O'Sullivan while David O'Donovan tagged on 2 conversions. Thomond bounced right
back in the second half and it was full on. After Dunny put us 22-11 ahead,
Thomond came within 4 points, and with the momentum it looked like they could
go ahead. Good defence held them out and Dunny added a further penalty to see
us clear at the end by 25-18.
This was another good performance by the seconds who have now strung a number
of good wins recently.
On Saturday they play UL/Bohs` at
The thirds had a friendly against Thomond and were able to utilise their very
large squad. With a sequence of tough league games coming up the opportunity was
used to work on various combinations. It is a measure of the competition for
places that we had 29 players turn up looking to prove a point to Tony for
inclusion in the forthcoming games. The score line didn't match our ambition as
Thomond ran out worthy victors on the smallest of margins 18 - 17. It's back
to league action this Saturday in Coonagh where we will look to keep up our
good league form against Clonmel with a 2.30 kick off.
Without a game of rugby for over a month the ladies had a convincing win over
Galbally in their league. It was tough encounter with plenty of physicality. An
early try from Aoife Crowley which was converted by Amanda Greensmith set a
good early tone and when Cathy Halley crossed for another it was no more than
our ladies deserved. The platform was laid through a dominant scrum and
admirable discipline with Rachel Wallace leading the way. Once the third try
was scored through speedster Tracy Lawlor the bonus point try was very munch on
the cards. It was only a matter of time before it came and it was the
aforementioned Rachel Wallace. Amanda Greensmith made up of the remainder of
the 24 nil victory with her reliable boot. Next up for the ladies is Young
There was a good return at underage where the 13's had an excellent win over
fellow pace setters Garryowen. Our boys had a distinct disadvantage in height
and weight, but undeterred they played magnificently and recorded a 17-7
victory. Darren Gavin was on fire and opened the account with a brilliant solo
effort. Despite the light blues taking the lead in the second half, our lads
proved resilient and Jack O'Connor barged his way over to reclaim the lead and
then to cap a man of the match performance, Cian Clifford went over for a try
to compliment his brilliant conversion. They're in action again this Sunday
when they travel to Newcastlewest along with the U/14's who recorded
another big win despite a brave effort from Kilrush,
The U/9's played very well in a blitz hosted by Presentation and although it
was bitterly cold, the enthusiastic players thoroughly enjoyed the games.
The U/15's play their first league game this Sunday when they host Ennis in
Coonagh while the U/12's host a blitz.
We know it may be a little early to be thinking about the Six Nation's games,
but we need to make a big effort to distribute our allocated tickets for all
the games. Any member looking for tickets for these games should contact Tadhg
Crowe.
The Club Calendar was launched this week and is being sold through various
outlets including underage and we would ask all our members and friends to buy
one for only €10 for an excellent production. Great credit to John Leahy for
his efforts as well as our Photographer, John Humphries who gave of his time so
generously.
Finally it was great to see our weekly notes get an honourable mention
in one of the Sunday nationals. It's somewhat reassuring to know that we
still hold the interest of our friends in the capital.
Next week will see the last notes of 2009.