Ormond fail to build on bright start in league opener against Old Belvedere
RUGBY: Energia All-Ireland League Division 1A Round 1
Nenagh Ormond 13
Old Belvedere 23
Report: Thomas Conway at New Ormond Park
MATCH DIGEST
Player of the Match: David Wilkinson (Old Belvedere)
SCORERS – Nenagh Ormond: Try – Corcoran. Con – McMahon. Pens - McMahon (2)
Old Belvedere: Tries - McDonald, McLaughlin. Cons - Wilkinson (2). Pens - Wilkinson (3).
Sometimes the game can betray the occasion, and even though last Saturday was undoubtedly a historic day in the history of Nenagh Ormond RFC, making their bow in the top tier of club rugby, it is not one they will remember fondly.
In the end, their old nemesis, Old Belvedere - who twice vanquished them last season on route to the Division 1B title - got the better of Nenagh once more, landing two game-changing second-half tries which ultimately propelled them to a victory.
Nenagh will rue some missed chances and curse themselves at an opportunity lost, but truth be told, this was a frustrating watch.
A low-scoring and attritional first half eventually made way for a much more exciting second period, but it was Belvo who dominated for much of the final forty minutes.
Nenagh never really caught fire - until the 69th minute that is, when head coach and substitute Derek Corcoran slalomed in to register the club’s first try in Division 1A of the AIL.
It briefly ignited hope, and Nenagh went into all-out attack mode for the subsequent ten minutes, but it wasn’t enough. Belvo out-half David Wilkinson, who pulled the strings wonderfully in the second half, smacked over a penalty from close to the halfway line and that was that. Points in the bag, they headed up the M7 content, Nenagh left reeling.
Part of them will feel disgusted. They were, after all, the better side throughout the course of a first half which delivered only three penalties and at times seemed devoid of intensity.
Play was enclosed between both sides’ 22 metre lines for long stretches, which was a credit to each set of forwards. The Nenagh pack heaved and pushed and tackled aggressively, holding up any Belvo offensive.
Nenagh enjoyed the lion's share of possession but only managed to slot two superbly executed Conor McMahon penalties. It was a stop-start affair, tit-for-tat at times, and the home side would have entered the interval 6-0 up were it not for a last-ditch David Wilkinson penalty. Forty minutes in, the crowd grumbled - this was not what they had anticipated
Things were always bound to open up as the game wore on, and sure enough the gaps started to appear. Now playing into the town end, Belvo looked re-energised, and before long they were running into channels and flinging the ball out wide. Then, two things happened within the space of a minute which swung the game in the Dublin side’s favour.
Jake O’Kelly was sent to the bin and seconds later, Belvo were in, Will McDonald sliding in over the try-line after several phases. Wilkinson - who at this stage was beginning to come into his own - lobbed the conversion over easily and suddenly it was 10-3, with Nenagh down to fourteen men.
Old Belvedere remained on top for the ensuing ten minutes and looked at times as if they might increase their lead but the home side held firm.
Eventually, as O’Kelly returned to the fray, Old Belvedere captain Calum Dowling was told to take a ten-minute rest and suddenly the tables had turned. Somehow however, Belvo seemed to improve further despite being a man down.
As the clock ticked past the hour mark, they mounted another offensive. Nenagh debutante out-half Oscar Davey was fortunate to avoid a card for a high tackle but the referee played advantage and full-back Morgan Meredith swept through. He was quickly brought down but Nenagh were stretched in defence and in the following play substitute Luke McLaughlin shot through an open channel and over the try line. Wilkinson nailed the conversion. 17-6.
The same man then rifled another penalty between the posts, and that looked to be that, but Nenagh’s penchant for late drama would ensure a thrilling finale. Derek Corcoran entered the mix and before long he could be seen blazing through a gap and making landfall near the posts. Conor McMahon tapped over the conversion and the chase began - ten minutes of frantic, helter-skelter Nenagh attacking in search of a converted try and a draw.
An immense collective effort was not, however, rewarded. Olds Belvedere repelled the Nenagh onslaught, shifted play up the field, and won a penalty of their own. Wilkinson made no mistake and that, finally, was that.
TEAMS - Nenagh Ormond: Aaron Kelly (6); Matt Brice (6), Conor McMahon (7), Angus Blackmore (7), Conor O’Shaughnessy (6); Oscar Davey (6), Josh Kerr (7); Mikey Doran (7), Dylan Murphy (7), Darragh McSweeney (6); Jake O’Kelly (6), Kevin O’Flaherty (Capt 7), Rob Buckley (7), John Healy (6), John O’Flaherty (6).
Reps: Nicky Irwin (7) for Kelly (14 inj), Joe Coffey (6) for Buckley (51), Niall O’Gorman (7) Doran (57), Kevin Seymour (6) for O’Kelly (56); Derek Corcoran (8) for Blackmore (67).
Old Belvedere: Morgan Meredith (7); Jack Keating (7), Jayden Beckett (7), Justin Leonard (7), Andre Ryan (6); David Wilkinson (8), Christopher O’Connor (7); Hugh Flood (7), Calum Dowling (Capt, 6), Ryan McMahon (7); Fionn McWey (7), Eddie Rees (6); Patrick Dowling (7), Ronan O’Sullivan (7), Will McDonald (7).
Reps: Luke McLaughlin (8) for Flood (49), Hugo O’Malley (7) for Ryan (56), Joseph Whyte (7) for McDonald (65), Thomas Connolly (7) for O’Sullivan (65).
Referee: Padraic Reidy.