On point Ormond rout Malone

To describe last Saturday’s game in Lisatunny as an annihilation would be to do Nenagh Ormond a great injustice. It was more than that.

RUGBY: Energia All-Ireland League Division 2A Round 12

Nenagh Ormond 83

Malone 12

Report: Thomas Conway in Lisatunny

This was a cold, ruthless demolition of a Malone side that will, in all likelihood, struggle to retain their place in Division 2A for next season. It was men-versus-boys, pros-against-amateurs - a complete mismatch which saw Ormond quite literally cut through their northern opponents at every possible opportunity.

It was as if the home side had been so badly angered by their home defeat to Cashel a fortnight previous that they took it upon themselves to mount a revenge mission. Malone, a team languishing second from bottom in the table, were the unfortunate victims of Nenagh’s wrath.

At one point in the second-half, Ormond supporters started to jokingly suggest that their side might reach the 100 point threshold, a bar which is seldom crossed in any game of rugby at any grade or level. In the end it didn’t quite turn out that way, but Nenagh came pretty close.

They entered the half-time dressing room with a 45-point advantage, leading 50-5, and rather than take their foot off the gas in the second period, they slammed the accelerator further, signalling that no mercy would be shown - not at this point, in this season.

And this really could be their season. Nenagh are now perched comfortably at the summit of Division 2A, having amassed fifty points from their twelve games. They’ve scored 386, have a points difference of plus-258, and remain eight points ahead of their next nearest nemesis - Cashel.

Incidentally, Malone are bottom, with just twenty points to show from their twelve outings. They’re headed for the trapdoor. Saturday will have done nothing to raise the spirits or give hope that any outcome other than relegation is possible.

Nenagh Ormond required a mere ninety seconds to get up and running, captain Willie Coffey making the vital incision before offloading to his flamboyant winger David Gleeson who employed some shimmering footwork and practically danced over the line straight in front of the posts. The conversion proved no hassle to Conor McMahon, whose kicking was once again exemplary. So too was his contribution from general play - the stylish kicker scored two tries in quick succession, in the eighteenth and 21st minutes. All of this after he had landed arguably his most impressive conversion, negotiating a tricky cross-blowing wind to put the gloss on Nenagh’s second, and Willie Coffey’s first try.

In reality you could have picked anyone, but it was a toss-up between Coffey and McMahon for player of the match. The former dotted down a hat-trick. McMahon, on the other hand, scored twice and converted nine times. Some of his kicks were so sweetly-struck they had the crowd screeching roars of approval. He just about shaved it to get the award.

Malone had responded to Nenagh’s early try with a five-pointer of their own, winger Mark Galvin collecting a swirling elliptical pass out near the touchline and flinging himself over in the corner. It was a fine passage of play, and raised expectations that Malone might pose an actual threat. That illusion was, of course, short-lived. Malone didn’t see sight of the try-line again until the very latter stages.

Nenagh, on the other hand, crashed through the visitors with bruising force. Their backs were irresistible. One by one they queued up patiently, waiting for their turn to slide across the try-line. Patrick Scully was the creative mastermind behind the fun on at least two occasions. In the 29th minute he teed up Derek Corcoran, before assisting his scrum-half, Nicky Irwin, some five minutes later. The half would end with a Coffey hat-trick, the Nenagh Ormond captain effectively wrapping up the encounter with another vintage try.

At 50-5, Malone knew there was no coming back. Nenagh, in their attractively blue changed strip, were literally on fire. They continued to set the place alight over the course of the second half. Josh Rowland was first in, followed by Scully himself in the fiftieth minute.

It wasn’t only the backs, either. Mikey Doran got in on the act midway through the half. It was champagne rugby from the hosts - a romantic, artistic frenzy of try scoring.

Nenagh get to regather themselves next weekend before resuming in round 13 with a somewhat hazardous trip to fifth-placed Banbridge, their last trip to Ulster, scheduled for February 10th.

On the face of it, Nenagh Ormond look like a team that is cruising to a league title. However, they won’t be thinking like that until the job is done, but this victory re-enforced their upward trajectory and reinvigorated the supporters. Anything could happen in the last six games, but this league title is now theirs to lose.

TEAMS - Nenagh Ormond: Josh Rowland (8); David Gleeson (8), Willie Coffey (9), Patrick Scully (8), Conor McMahon (9); Derek Corcoran (8), Nicky Irwin (8); Mikey Doran (8), Dylan Murphy (7), Jack O’Keeffe (8); Jake O’Kelly (8), Joe Coffey (8); John O’Flaherty (7), John Healy (7), Evan Murphy (7).

Reps: Niall O’Gorman (7) for O’Keeffe (52); Rob Buckley (7) for E Murphy (55); John Brislane (7) for O’Kelly (65); Eoin Gardiner (6) for W Coffey (70); Conor O’Brien (6) for Corcoran (75).

Malone: Andy Bryans (6); Mark Galvin (7), Lorcan Hanratty (6), Nathan Brown (6), Jack Lennon (6); Matty Rae (6), Jack McMurtry (6); Ben Halliday (5), Dan Kerr (5), Ricky Greenwood (5); Zach Devine (6), Jordan Magner (6); Jacob Edwards (6), Sam Green (5), Michael Crothers (5).

Reps: Timmy Cunnane (6) for Rae (30 inj); Jonny Caskey (6) for Halliday (45); Oli Scott (6) for Green (54); Josh Storey (6) for Hanratty (68).

Referee: Paul O’Connor.