Nenagh Ormond earn tough victory at home to battling Naas side

All-Ireland League - Division 1B - Round 8

Nenagh Ormond 19

Naas RFC 18

By Enda Murphy

A fourth win on the bounce for Nenagh Ormond in Division 1B and probably deserved, but this was hard, hard work.

Storm Darragh delivered a north-westerly gale which blew directly down the pitch, making play difficult on both sides of the ball. Given the conditions, there was really only one option for the team playing against the elements and that was to hold onto the ball at all costs.

That team was Nenagh in the first half and in fairness, they gave a masterclass in the execution of that game plan, but not before they had first gifted Naas the perfect start with a second-minute intercept from winger Jack Sheridan.

Nenagh scored two tries in that first period, set up through multiple energy-sapping drives and excellent ball retention. Number 8 John O’Flaherty broke free from a forest of bodies on seven minutes and found flanker Evan Murphy in support for their first try.

Their second came from the excellent Willie Coffey who latched on to an inside pass from scrum-half Nicky Irwin and raced clear from forty meters out to score under the posts. Conor McMahon was successful with both conversions.

A Peter Osborne penalty left the score at 14-10 to the home side at half-time with the benefit of the wind to come in the second half. Nenagh were looking good for victory but injuries to both centres Angus Blackmore and Willie Coffey had necessitated a backline reshuffle with Charlie O’Doherty and Conor O’Shaughnessy entering the fray.

Hard as it was to play against the elements, both teams also struggled for control with the wind at their backs and as a consequence the game became scrappy and attritional, with regular blasts from referee Shane Guaghan’s whistle.

Naas out-half Peter Osborne pulled the deficit back to the minimum with a successful penalty 10 minutes into the second period and had another chance in a similar position to put his side in front 10 minutes later.

On a normal day, this would have been a simple three-pointer but the ball got caught up in the wind and landed 15 metres wide of the posts, almost creating a try-scoring opportunity which was foiled by a knock-on.

Shortly afterwards, Charlie O’Doherty took a quick tap penalty and made ground before throwing a long pass out to full-back Josh Rowland who steamed down the left touchline to score in the corner. The home team were now 19-13 ahead and pressing hard for a fourth try and a bonus point.

Naas however, defended bravely and scored next when a quick tap in midfield caught the Nenagh defence off guard, creating an opportunity for left wing Jack Sheridan to bag his second try with a fine finish in the corner. Against the wind, the conversion was impossible and so the score now stood at 19-18.

Although Nenagh had a couple of chances late on, they were in the end happy to settle for the win, which keeps them in second place, albeit now four points adrift of leaders Old Belvedere.

Next up is an away trip to play UCC in The Mardyke this coming Saturday before we enter a well-deserved four-week break for Christmas.

Nenagh Ormond: Josh Rowland, Patrick Scully, Angus Blackmore, Willie Coffey, Conor McMahon, Ben Pope, Nicky Irwin; Mikey Doran, Dylan Murphy, Colm Skehan, Jake O'Kelly, Kevin O'Flaherty, Rob Buckley, Evan Murphy, John O'Flaherty.

Replacements: Jack Devanney, Jack O'Keeffe, Craig Hannon, John Brislane, Charlie O'Doherty, Conor O'Shaughnessy.

Scorers: Nenagh Ormond: Tries: Evan Murphy, Willie Coffey, Josh Rowland. Cons: Conor McMahon (2).

Referee: Shane Gaughan