Ormond end Cashel hoodoo

RUGBY: Energia All-Ireland League Division 2A Round 16

Cashel 17

Nenagh Ormond 21

Report: Shane Brophy in Spafield

MATCH DIGEST

Player of the Match: John O’Flaherty (Nenagh Ormond)

SCORERS – Cashel: Tries: Kingston, Begada, J Ryan. Conv: McDonald (1).

Nenagh Ormond: Tries: W Coffey, J O’Flaherty, K O’Flaherty. Convs: McMahon (3).

Nenagh Ormond ended their winless run against Cashel in a timely fashion to secure another valuable win in their promotion push in this AIL Tipperary derby on Friday night.

January 2018 was the last time Nenagh had tasted success over their great rivals with seven games (including one draw) in various competitions having come and gone since with the Cashel side having the upper hand.

The sound of Paul O’Connor’s final whistle ignited great celebrations amongst the Nenagh players and the large travelling support who travelled to Spafield on a rough night weatherwise as they stretched their unbeaten run in the league to eight games.

Not only did the victory end their poor run against Cashel, but it also confirmed Nenagh’s place in the promotion playoffs, with their final two regular season games now focused on trying to finish top of the table and with it automatic promotion to Division 1B of the All-Ireland League. That appears a tall order as Queens University are three points clear and their final two games are of the very winnable variety but Nenagh will be keen to keep them honest in case there is a slip up, while also trying to get ahead of Blackrock College for second place and a home playoff semi-final if it comes to it.

Nenagh Ormond have had a lot of satisfying wins this season but this one must top the lot, not just with it being a derby success, but they had to do it the hard way, coming from 17-7 down with less than twenty minutes to go, showing great courage and belief, vital characteristics in the key games that are to come.

Coming just eight days after the emotional and energy sapping Munster Challenge Cup Final defeat to Young Munster, Nenagh showed few hangovers, although they did field without the injured winger David Gleeson and influential back row John Hayes, although John O’Flaherty moved from the flank to the back of the scrum and was outstanding, scoring the second try to get Nenagh moving again, before interfering with another Cashel lineout in the final play to seal the win.

Nenagh began brightly and benefitted from the early sin-binning of Cashel no.8 Mikey Wilson for a high tackle with Willie Coffey going over for a try from close range off an penalty advantage. Conor McMahon slotted the extras and into the stiff breeze, it was the ideal start.

The referee was nothing if not consistent on high tackles and Nenagh’s Rob Buckley spent ten minutes on the side-line soon after but despite this the visitors were in control and despite the wet and breezy conditions, still tried to play expansive rugby at a high tempo. Their maul was also strong as was their lineout defence which prevented Cashel from gaining a foothold.

However, the home side did cross for their first try on 23 minutes, somewhat against the run of play as Nenagh coughed up possession in their own 22 and with them caught short out wide, Cashel moved the ball quickly to wing Richard Kingston raced in at the corner for an unconverted score which proved to be the final one of the half as Nenagh led 7-5 at the break.

However, forty seconds after the restart they were behind as a box-kick from Nicky Irwin was blocked on his own ten-metre line, from where the ball was hacked on with Cashel full back Freddie Begada winning the race to touch down, with Aidan McDonald converting.

It got worse six minutes later as Nenagh’s penalty count grew, handing Cashel good field position and from a lineout five-metres out, Ormond defended the initial maul well but flanker James Ryan broke off the side to score despite the best efforts of Derek Corcoran to hold him up. McDonald added the extras for 17-7 and it looked a long way back for Nenagh.

Nenagh struggled to get out of their own half but the concession of a penalty on the ground by Cashel on 58 minutes handed the visitors the opportunity to get into the 22 and after a few initial forays were denied, John O’Flaherty picked from the base of the ruck to touch down with Conor McMahon reducing the deficit to three points.

Despite his mistake for the second Cashel try, Nicky Irwin was superb once again for Nenagh at scrum half and it was his raking kick from inside his own half and a 50-22 to the five-metre line, which led to the decisive third try as replacement hooker Peter O’Connor, with his first throw off the bench, found Kevin O’Flaherty and with Cashel’s defence soft, the second row burst over for the lead score, converted once more by McMahon.

From there on, Nenagh were strong in defence and indeed it was they who were pushing for a fourth try late on after Cashel’s Mikey Wilson was sent off for a second bookable offence but a bonus-point win wasn’t to be which would have been the cherry on top of the night for Nenagh whose terrific run of league form continues and will look to keep it going with another tough away game in the penultimate game of the league away to MU Barnhall this Saturday

TEAMS – Cashel: Freddie Begada (7); Michael McCormack (6), Conor Cashman (6), Ben Murray (6), Richard Kingston (7); Aidan McDonald (7), Josh Pickering (6); Cathal Ryan (6), Niall Fitzgerald (6), Brendan Ryan (6); Idris Raqibi (7), Fearghail O’Donoghue (6); Adam O’Connor (6), James Ryan (7), Mikey Wilson (6).

Reps: Sean O’Connell (6) for C Ryan (44); Michael Hickey (6) for Raqibi (60); Corman O’Donnell (6) for O’Connor (71).

Nenagh Ormond: Josh Rowland (7); Conor McMahon (7), Willie Coffey (7), John Healy (7), Patrick Scully (6); Derek Corcoran (6), Nicky Irwin (8); Mikey Doran (7), Dylan Murphy (7), Jack O’Keefe (6); Jake O’Kelly (7), Kevin O’Flaherty (7); Rob Buckley (6), Evan Murphy (7), John O’Flaherty (8).

Reps: Joseph Coffey (7) for Buckley (48); Sean Frawley (6) for O’Keefe (49); Cian Ryan (7) for Rowland (53 inj); James Finn (6) for Corcoran (58); Peter O’Connor (7) for D Murphy (66); Rob Buckley for E Murphy (66); Jack O’Keefe for Doran (66).

Referee: Paul O’Connor