Champions Ormond end historic season on a high

Two tries in either half ensured Nenagh Ormond capped off a memorable season with a deserved bonus-point victory over a relegation battle bound UL Bohemians in AIL Division 2A on Saturday afternoon.

RUGBY: Energia All Ireland League Division 2A Round 18

UL Bohemians 16

Nenagh Ormond 25

Report: James Hayden in Annacotty

MATCH DIGEST

Player of the Match: John Hayes (Nenagh Ormond)

SCORERS - UL Bohemian: Try – Neilan. Conv – Byrne. Pens – Neilan (3).

Nenagh Ormond: Tries - W Coffey, Corcoran, Rowland, Buckley. Conv – Rowland (1). Pen – Rowland (1).

Ormond’s season finale saw them travel to a UL Boh’s side in desperate need of a final day win in order to stave off a relegation playoff but despite an impressive start from the home side they lacked the necessary wherewithal to overcome a Nenagh outfit fresh from their league winning exploits a week previous.

The newly crowned champions fielded a strong side as well as drafting in two debutants in the guise of under 20 players, Frankie Butler and Robbie Tynan.

Despite Storm Kathleen making its way across the country overnight and throughout the morning, underfoot conditions remained decent although a strong gusting diagonal breeze threatened to play havoc with the kickers from both sides.

Although the home side had the gusting breeze at their backs in the opening half, it was Nenagh Ormond who took the game to the home side right from the get-go and two incursions into the 22 should really have yielded points. An incisive John Hayes carry almost had Nenagh over the line early doors before captain Willie Coffey almost breached the home side’s scramble defence with a drive for the line minutes later.

Nenagh maintained their early pressure before fly-half Derek Corcoran spun out a sublime spin pass towards the right wing, but Davy Gleeson had been drawn into contact and another try-scoring chance went a begging for the Nenagh men.

UL Boh’s eventually managed to break out of their own half and with virtually their first attack of the game fly-half Harry Byrne picked off an easy three points from a close-range penalty after John Rowland was pinged for not releasing.

Nenagh’s response was immediate and a deep foray into UL Boh’s 22 brought yet another sustained period of pressure upon the home side. Yet again, Boh’s scramble defence kept Nenagh at bay before another foray deep into the visitors territory yielded a second penalty for the home side, a carbon copy of their opening penalty after Nenagh were pinged once more for not rolling away.

Nenagh Ormond refused to let the scoreboard dissuade them though and heaped further duress on UL Boh’s with impressive carries from John Hayes, Rob Buckley, John O’Flaherty, Joe Coffey, and Willie Coffey slowly but surely grinding down UL Boh’s defensive resolve.

The Limerick outfit’s defence was eventually breached on 34 minutes after Willie Coffey neatly sidestepped his opposite number and pirouetted through a gaping hole in the UL Boh’s line to tap down underneath the posts. Josh Rowland added the extra two points to fire Nenagh into a lead they would never relinquish.

Nenagh were now up and running and within four minutes had exposed yet another gaping rift in the home side’s defence with Davy Gleeson haring down the right flank before popping off to the freshly introduced Jack O’Keefe who in turn handed off neatly to Derek Corcoran on his shoulder and the evergreen out-half dotted down with ease in the corner for Nenagh’s second try of the game.

The gusting breeze hampered Josh Rowland’s effort to add a further two points, but the visitors still took a healthy 12-6 lead with them to the interval, one that really should have been more but one that Nenagh were delighted to take considering the inclement weather conditions.

Now with their elements in the favour the champions really took the game to the home side with early pressure putting UL Boh’s under the cosh. Rob Buckley’s incisive carries were beginning to yield impressive yardage before a third Nenagh try on fifty minutes put them well and truly in the driving seat. Buckley appeared to come up with the ball after Nenagh’s pack expertly mauled over the Boh’s line.

From the kick-off, the home side found themselves well inside Nenagh’s half but a sublime 50-22 from Davy Gleeson provided the visitors with the platform for their bonus-point try after Derek Corcoran’s inch-perfect cross-field kick was gathered, and Josh Rowland lit up the Nenagh faithful with a swan-dive try, his twelfth of the season and one that guaranteed him the top try-scorer accolade.

UL Boh’s regathered themselves and despite trailing 22-6 they crafted a period of dominance in the final quarter to whittle down Nenagh’s advantage. A Liam Neilan try on 67 minutes after the number eight scythed through the defence was duly converted by fly-half Harry Byrne before Byrne once again stepped up to clip over a close-range penalty after Nenagh infringed close to their own 22’.

The home side were now back to within six and with five minutes remaining a precious losing bonus-point was within their grasp only for Josh Rowland to pick their pocket once more with a late kicked penalty right in front of the posts after referee Paudie Sheehan had awarded a scrum penalty to the visitors.

UL Boh’s did their utmost to fashion a late try and kicked to the corner in a bid to manufacture a losing bonus point. Nenagh’s defence snaffled an overthrown line-out though before a piercing shrill of the referees whistle ensured Nenagh ran out deserving winners and brings the curtain down on what has been a tremendous Division 2A League winning season for the 2023/24 champions.

TEAMS - UL Bohemian: Alan Kiely; Ihechi Oji, Paul Clancy, Joe Johnson, Myles Lawlor; Harry Byrne, Jake O’Riordan; Pauric Nesbitt, Matt Henry, Oliver Carmody; Padraic Galvin, Jack Foley; Sean Quirke, Ian Condell, Liam Neilan

Reps: Stephen Hayes for Carmody (45); Keith McManus for Lawlor (55); Tom Cullen for Henry (60); Michael McGinty for Kiely (60); Jamie Curley for Oji (75).

Nenagh Ormond: Josh Rowland; David Gleeson, Willie Coffey, Patrick Scully, Conor O’Shaughnessy; Derek Corcoran, Eoin Gardiner; Niall O’Gorman, Dylan Murphy, Colm Skehan; Joe Coffey, Kevin O’Flaherty; Rob Buckley, John O’Flaherty, John Hayes.

Reps: Nicky Irwin for Scully (25); Jack O’Keefe for Skehan (35); Cathal Ryan for

O’Gorman (38); Patrick Scully for Irwin (HT); Nicky Irwin for Gardiner (50); Robbie Tynan for J O’Flaherty (54); Frankie Butler for Murphy (56); Niall O’Gorman for O’Keefe (68); Dylan Murphy for Butler (70).

Referee: Paudie Sheehan