U15’s Cleary Cup Match Report
17/01/2018
“When you are so close, you know you are not far away”.
I am not sure who said these words, but whoever they are, got it spot on.
That is how it has been for our U15’s team so far this
season. Our Cleary Cup campaign begun today with a fixture against Nenagh CBS.
Awful conditions meant it was not a game that was “easy on the eye”. A lot of
spilled balls from both teams meant stoppages and mistakes aplenty. However,
this did not lessen the effort of our boys.
Diarmuid Kilroy received the kick off with solid hands
and carried well into contact afterwards. Unfortunately, that was the highlight
of the opening 10 minutes for us.
We were not taking our chances to play our way out of
defence and with some poor communication and missed tackles, we conceded 2
early tries. Their out-half was a threat throughout the first half and
everything went through him. After being 12-0 down, we took the game to them
for the last 10 minutes of the 1st half.
Our flying fullback, Fahad, whose speed was
complimented by the Nenagh coaches, was almost impossible to tackle. During one
particular attack (which led to our first try), he swerved around 4, or 5
defenders and got us close to the opposition line. We secured the ball at the
breakdown and were rewarded with an excellent try by Eoin McCormack. After
initially being held in the tackle, he rolled out of it and stretched over the
line for a great score. 12-7 to Nenagh.
Our ball carrying up front was now proving to be a
great weapon. Leon Mullaly has improved so much as a ball carrier. Many of his
hard and direct carries put us in a number of good attacking positions. This
was a good omen for the 2nd half performance. The score was 12-7 at
half time and we would go on to dominate many parts of the second 30.
We kicked off and they immediately secured possession.
They scored a very good try out wide, but we were not fazed. We had the whole
second half to play and the first half proved we could live with a physically
stronger team.
We got back on track almost straight away. After
securing possession from the kick off we held onto the ball for 8 phases. All
our players were excellent in their support of the ball carrier. We were
getting on top and the boys knew it. Our tails were up and we brought the game
to Nenagh.
Fahad pulled up injured with a calf injury that has
been hindering him for a few months now. He was a big loss, but Adriane was a
fit replacement and he proved that by finishing off a great score under the
posts. After a quick tap and go from Max, who eluded 3 tacklers with a great
carry, he off loaded to Adriane around the 22 and Adriane did the rest.
Stepping 3 defenders, he finally got tackled 5 yards from the line, but with a
great leg drive he barged his way over for an excellent score. Max did the
necessary and complimented the try with a great conversion. 17-14 to them. Game
on!!!
We knew the game was within touching distance and our
boys never gave up. We just needed the next score. While camped inside their 10m
with only 2 minutes to go, our anxiousness proved our undoing and we ended up
spilling the ball. Their winger pounced on it with a kick and chase. It was a
race to the try line and unfortunately he got there first. Only a minute to go
and with the score now at 22-14, that was it for today.
Our overall performance was very good. We carried hard
and direct with Tadhg Shanahan improving his direct lines of running in every
match. His leg drive in contact was excellent and he battled for every inch
against lads much bigger than him. On the wing, Tommy McDowell found himself
throwing his body into so many contact areas that he took a lot of knocks, but
kept getting back up. He is always in the right place at the right time in
defence and with a little bit more work on his tackling technique he will be a
very good player. Glen and Vincent were always a threat and they are so hard to
tackle when they are in full flight.
Our front row scrummaged more solidly in the second
half and protected our ball at ruck time too. Godwin and Christian used their
strength to great effect with big hits and big carries. David and Ross are a
good partnership in the second row. When we need to step up, these two are
excellent to have in the engine room.
Eoin and Max are brilliant at the breakdown and
contest every loose ball. They are the type of players who love a quick paced
game and always work tirelessly for 60+ minutes. Thomas Lillis was very good at
6 and probably turned over 4 balls. When he went to 10 he was also effective,
but I am still trying to convince him that he is better in the pack. He has 4
more years left in the school. I have plenty of time!!!
While the immediate goal is to win The Cleary Cup, our
long term goal is qualification for the Munster Schools Junior A Cup next
season. Can we do it? We certainly have the ability.