Ormond set to take their place among the elite of club rugby

By Shane Brophy

The realisation of how far Nenagh Ormond have come over the last twenty years or so will dawn this Saturday afternoon when they officially take their place among the elite of club rugby in the country as division 1A of the All-Ireland League 2025-2026 kicks off against fellow promoted Old Belvedere in Lisatunny.

This Saturday will be five months to the weekend since Josh Rowland galloped in from half-way to complete their scarcely believable recovery in the promotion playoff final against UCC, which secured their place in the topflight for the first time in their history.

While the step up will be steep, Nenagh have shown in their competitiveness and indeed victories over Young Munster and Cork Constitution in the Munster Senior Cup in recent years that they won’t be out of place in the top-tier, however the challenge is to do it week in, week out.

In terms of encouragement, the teams that have been promoted from division 1B in recent years have had good first seasons in the top division, including St Mary’s who finished second in table last year. The excitement and enthusiasm should carry Nenagh some of the way in the early going, with their first two games against Old Belvedere and UCD winnable if they perform to a high level. A good start will be half the battle.

The recent 35-13 Munster Senior Cup defeat to Cork Constitution could be a blessing in disguise, bringing everyone back down to earth, following the heroics of last season and a taste of what lies ahead over the next seven months or so, eighteen league games, plus a semi-final in the Bateman Cup (knockout competition for the provincial cup winners) at home to Clontarf in November.

It would be easy to change things massively for such a challenge, but Nenagh Ormond are largely staying with what has worked over the last three seasons.

The retirements of utility back Josh Rowland and prop Colm Skehan are losses in terms of leadership and experience, as is out-half Ben Pope who has returned to his native New Zealand.

There is a lot of belief Nenagh have a bright young talent in Aaron Kelly who missed much of the last campaign through injury but has featured in the Munster Senior Cup games so far. That head coach Derek Corcoran will be lacing up the boots again is a massive help for Kelly who is still learning his trade and will have tough moments.

Getting Angus Blackmore to return for another season is another massive shot in the arm as his understanding with Willie Coffey gives Nenagh stability in the centre, while on the wings, there are plenty of options in Colm McMahon, David Gleeson, Conor O’Shaughnessy and Patrick Scully, while new Aussie recruit Matt Brice has been impressive in his two outings so far.

Nenagh are also well stocked at scrumhalf with Nicky Irwin and Charlie O’Doherty joined by new recruit Luke Kerr from Cork Con who brings with him topflight experience.

Prodigal son Kevin Seymour returns home after a seven year spell with Garryowen and adds to Nenagh’s options in the middle of the pack which will be important considering the increased physicality they will face week in, week out, where injuries and fatigue will be an issue so to have another option to go with skipper Kevin O’Flaherty, Jake O’Kelly, Craig Hannon, and Fionn O’Meara is welcome.

One of the benefits of Nenagh Ormond now being in the top tier is they can also get access to Munster players, from whom utility back Sean O’Brien, as well as prop, Birr native Michael Milne, and hooker Lee Barron are registered with the Tipperary club for the coming season.

Their availability will depend on whether they are part of a Munster squad for a given weekend in the URC or Champions Cup. The likelihood is they won’t appear much in the cherry & white of Nenagh, apart from when Munster management request they need some game-time, but Ormond coaches will have the final call whether to start them or bring them on in a given game.

That is important as one of the special aspects of the Nenagh Ormond success story is it is largely home-grown with a handful of carefully chosen players added in, so has not to upset the cohesiveness.

The level Nenagh Ormond are competing at is they will be up against clubs, particularly the Dublin outfits, with budgets of over €1 million to spend on their teams, highighted by New Zealand great Carlos Spencer at the helm at Terenure College.

Nenagh might be only 20% in terms of that budget, but in the off-season they did try and bridge the gap with a training camp in La Rochelle, organised by Nenagh’s own Donnacha Ryan, while also increasing their panel numbers from 40 to 50, adding depth to ensure their seconds team is also building in tandem to ensure the drop off when injuries occur isn’t severe.

“Harder, faster, stronger,” is what the level of division 1A has been described as by Nenagh Ormond Director of Rugby John Long. It’s a challenge but this team relish those, and the fact they will be seen as the plucky underdog will suit them, but the players won’t see themselves as being inferior.

There are many players on the Nenagh Ormond squad who have been courted by division 1A teams in recent years, but they have chosen to stay at home to help the club build, and their loyalty has been rewarded. That togetherness has been key in getting them to this place where they are now among the best teams in the country. It promises to be an exciting campaign and while an eighth place finish and safety would be a terrific season, this Nenagh team will be aiming higher.