It was a mixed bag over the weekend, bookended by two brilliant performances with contrasting results. On Friday, the 1st XV were pipped at the post by UCD, losing 23-18 in the Leinster Senior League Final, while on Sunday afternoon, the U20s cut loose against Blackrock, eventually sauntering home 47-10 winners. Seven tries were scored by a rampant Terenure side, and they wasted no time, scoring first through Jake Swaine after only 5 minutes. Five minutes later a neat move from a scrum put centre Robbie Carroll over to double the lead, and Rock had a mountain to climb. Although they managed to pull one back, the home side went in at the break leading 19-5 after no. 8 Niall Lalor superbly put winger Tom O’Brien away in the corner, and took only two minutes to extend the lead after the break. From then on, it was all Nure, and the only question was when they would stop scoring. A great start to the Super Six, with UCD to follow in two weeks.
 
The 4th XV travelled to Naas on Friday night, and had an eventful start to the match, with Brian O’Sullivan dotting down, but dislocating his shoulder at the same time. Naas responded with two intercept tries, and from then on, the game saw little scoring. Although having plenty of territory, Nure were unable to get the scores needed, and lost 12-8. The upcoming match against joint league leaders Clontarf now becomes even more important. On Sunday afternoon, we suffered two defeats to Old Belvedere, with the 2nds losing heavily in Anglesea Road, and the 3rds losing at home, 3-27.
 
Full Results
 
1st XV   18-23   UCD
2nd XV  13-52   Old Belvedere
3rd XV   3-27     Old Belvedere
4th XV   8-12     Naas
U20s     47-10    UCD

It was an agonising defeat in the end for Terenure, as UCD held on to their lead to take the Leinster Senior League back to Belfield. The students took the lead midway through the second half, and despite a late score, Terenure couldn’t find enough points to reel them in. It was a thrilling game, with both sides looking to play rugby the way it should be played, with two brutal packs feeding backlines who just wanted the ball in hand and a chance to take on their opponents. Played in great spirit, this final was a fitting end to the competition – even if the result was the wrong one for those of a Nure persuasion.
 
UCD started like they’d been shot from a cannon, with outhalf James Thornton spraying the ball wide for the UCD back three to cut Terenure open, but their only reward from the opening salvos was a couple of missed penalties, and Terenure grew in stature from then on. Pressure at scrum time led to a penalty for the Division 1B leaders, and Mark O’Neill made no mistake to give Nure  a 3-0 lead. Thornton responded in kind to draw UCD level, before a set-piece move put John Bollard away in midfield for Terenure. A couple of phases later the ball was hacked over the UCD line and second row Kev O’Dwyer was on hand to dot down. O’Neill added the extras to give Nure a 10-3 lead, and a soon added a penalty to give Terenure a 13-3 lead at half time.
 
A great start for sure, but UCD had showed flashes of brilliance out wide, and Terenure had struggled to get to grips with referee Alain Rolland’s interpretation of the breakdown, so this game was far from over. The Nure defence held strong for the early parts of the second half, with UCD’s handling continuing to shackle their attacking efforts, but pressure told eventually and Thornton knocked over a penalty to make it 13-6. However, a turnover in midfield gave the UCD backline all the opportunity they needed, with Leinster Academy fullback Andy Boyle showing seering pace to score under the posts and draw the sides level at 13-13. There followed a sustained period of UCD pressure, including another missed penalty, before Barry Daly was put away for the students. Sub Niall Earls converted to leave it 20-13. The pace of the game started to show for Terenure, with several players looking out on their feet, but coach James Blaney used the bench wisely, with each sub making a huge impact when introduced. Brian Moroney in particular looked like a man on a mission, skittling several would-be UCD tacklers – we’ll say nothing about his ‘unconventional’ warm up!
 
Earls tacked on another penalty to leave Nure 10 points down, but there was no question of heads dropping, with skipper James O’Neill leading the fightback. Wing Conor Kelly showed great instincts late on to pinch a pass and score in the corner, but despite their best efforts, Terenure couldn’t find the equalising score. UCD were worthy winners, but the narrow margin of victory tells all. On this evidence, Nure have what it takes to challenge the very best. The scrum and lineout were dominant, and while you could simply list the entire team if looking for heroes, some names jump out. Kyle McCoy had a superb game at 8, while there seemed to be two or three Robert Dukes on the pitch at times. Our backline didn’t take a backward step against the much vaunted UCD backs, with Mark O’Neill and John Bollard to the fore. Coach James Blaney can be very proud of his side’s efforts, and will no doubt be heartened by the overall performance. Roll on next week against Shannon!

 

Our U20s play Blackrock in Lakelands on Sunday in the Super Six having qualified for the first time ever last weekend with a win over Clontarf. The Super 6 has all the big hitters at U20 level with UCD, Lansdowne, Old Belvedere & Trinity the other teams who have qualified.  The JP Fanagan Premier is a straight league with the top 3 teams qualifying for the U20 All Ireland Cup. The team and management would like to thank the large number of parents and supporters who have come to support the side over the group stages and we would love to see you all this Sunday in Lakelands KO 2 30 supporting Danny and his team.

 

Super Six Dates for your Diary

 

Sunday Nov 17^th Blackrock ( H ) KO 2 30

Sunday Dec 1^st    UCD ( A ) KO 2 00

Sunday Dec 8^th Old Belvedere ( H ) KO 2 00 TBC

 

Sunday Jan 12^th UCD ( H ) KO 2 30

Sunday Jan 19^th Trinity ( H ) KO 2 30  

Sunday Jan 26^th Lansdowne ( A ) 2 30

Results from the Weekend

Last weekend saw a nearly full schedule for the Club, with everyone except the Firsts in action. With The Heineken Cup in full swing, all Saturday kick offs were brought forward to 1pm, with four matches taking place in Lakelands at the same time! On the top pitch, the Seconds renewed their rivalry with Dublin University in a cracking encounter. Nure got their noses in front early on, taking a 14-0 nil lead before the heavens opened. Despite the deluge, Trinity fought back, but Nure kept their lead intact, eventually running out 33-22 winners with a bonus point.

One pitch up, the Fourths took on Mary’s in a typically hard fought local derby. The home side took an early lead, before Mary’s, playing with the wind, eventually scored near the posts to take the lead. After a great effort from the Nure pack, the lads regained the lead, with Dave ‘The Canadian’ Donaldson crashing over to give Nure the lead at half time. The game was settled midway through the second half, as a Shane Doyle profited from a fantastic, and wholly intentional piece of skill from Donal Murphy. Taking a clearance on the Mary’s 10m line, Bago spotted the onrushing Mary’s defence, and brilliantly dropkicked the ball against the defenders, playing everyone onside. Doyle reacted quickest and sprinted over to score. 20-13 the final score.

With Parkmore on the third pitch, the 6ths took on Tarf on the top pitch. With the visitors top of Division 10, this was a hard fought battle, with Nure fighting back from a half time deficit of 8-0 to pip Tarf to the post, 11-8. Meanwhile, out in Stradbrook, the 3rds and 5ths faced Blackrock. The 3rds were once again narrowly defeated, losing by a point 19-18 to a last gasp try. The 5ths had a tough day at the office, going down 59-7.
 
Sunday saw a huge crowd in Lakelands to see the 20s take on a well organised Greystones side. Playing down the hill in the first half, Nure saw most of the possession and territory, but struggled to get past the last line of Greystones defence. A brace of tries was enough, however, to see the sides change ends with Nure 15-12 up. The introduction of Harrison Brewer in the second half helped to give Nure control of the game, with three quickfire tries coming before some supporters had made it back from the bar. Comfortable for the rest of the match, Nure ran out 32-12 winners.
 
Another good weekend so, with four wins from six. Next week sees the return of the AIL, with the 1sts making the trip up the M1 to Belfast Harlequins. A supporters bus will be leaving from the club at 10am on Saturday, and those that are interested should leave their names at the bar, or contact Vinny Kearns.
Don’t forget that Rala’s book launch takes place on Wednesday evening in the club, and all members are welcome. See the club website for further details.