Ormond’s history making day doesn’t get its happy ending

By Thomas Conway

Inside Nenagh Ormond’s rustic, cosy clubhouse, beside the bar, you’ll find a series of photographs that flash a window into the world of twenty years ago.

Two decades have passed since Ormond triumphed in the 2005 Munster Junior Cup, but it’s still intriguing to examine the picture from that day. Likewise, the photo of the Nenagh side that conquered Rainey Old Boys to secure senior status.

The juxtaposition between those two snaps, and the team shot of the Nenagh under-8 squad from 2005 is quite something. The contrast was definitely intentional. Both Willie Coffey and Niall O’Gorman feature amongst the children. Little did that duo know that they would eventually be sharing a stage with the now legendary Derek Corcoran, who is in one of the above pictures.

It’s a reminder of how generations intertwine on this Nenagh team, how young and old seamlessly mix in that perfect blend of youth and experience. It’s also indicative of the club’s overall development strategy. In recent years Nenagh have put an emphasis on nurturing younger players and prepping them for the demands of senior club rugby. The strategy has worked, as club president Tony Wells explains.

“We’ve had success at juvenile level for years, so the success of the adult section of the club - a lot of that is due to the feeding of our underage squads into the senior team. Then obviously success breeds success, so when the senior team is doing well it helps the entire club,” he said.

Had you approached Wells a few years ago and informed him that Nenagh would be playing Division 1A rugby in 2025, he probably would have stared back at you incredulously. He wouldn’t have been the only one. Nenagh’s rise over these past few seasons has been nothing short of remarkable. And they’re readying themselves for another spin on the rollercoaster.

“It’s fantastic,” added the Nenagh club president.

“It’s uncharted territory for the club, but I suppose it’s no more than the product of years and years of effort by lots and lots of people. In the past we would have thought to ourselves that maybe this type of scenario was beyond us, but we’ve developed in confidence, we’ve developed our own self-belief that we are one big club. So, we’re looking forward to an exciting season.”

Lure of top tier

People are coming from far and wide to watch this Nenagh team play, to discover how and why this humble rural club from a hurling heartland could flourish so brilliantly and compete alongside the urban giants of the club game.

Teenagers Niall Daly, Colm Boylan, and Iarla Sheahan travelled all the way from Birr. The three friends are genuine rugby enthusiasts - they even brought their own ball to spin around the place before and after kick-off. They’re not just here to jump on the bandwagon either, as Iarla attests.

“We came because we’re interested,” he said.

“Nenagh are our nearest Division 1 side and we saw how good they were last season. So, you could say we’re Nenagh supporters. We’re not from Nenagh, but we are supporting them.”

The three lads are well able to fling the ball around as well. They’re loyal to their home club of course - Birr RFC. But don’t rule out one or more of their names featuring on an Ormond starting XV in the future. Because that’s the status Nenagh now has. It’s the go-to destination for elite players in the wider region.

The game itself didn’t quite materialise like the lads, or indeed most of the Nenagh supporters, had envisaged. The first half never really took off, the second took off in the wrong direction, and while Nenagh came good late on, it ultimately wasn’t enough.

The mood of positive anticipation that had been present prior to kick-off quickly disintegrated. The whole thing felt like a bit of an anti-climax, but that happens sometimes.

Supporter Denis Healy remained in upbeat form, nonetheless. He was focusing on the positives; and he was right. If Nenagh had started like they had finished, the game would have been wrapped up by half-time.

“Some silly mistakes cost us,” he says.

“I thought that the Nenagh try, Corcoran’s try, was absolutely excellent. It looked for a minute like we might get the second one, but in fairness to them, they kept us out in the end. Plenty of positives. Lots to build on.”

Onwards to UCD next Saturday.