Nenagh Ormond face student exam in Division 1B opener

Nobody’s getting carried away, but expectations are high in Lisatunny.

By Thomas Conway

NENAGH ORMOND

V DUBLIN UNIVERSITY

New Ormond Park

Saturday, 21st September

Kick-off @ 2.30pm

Referee: Rob McGreer

By Thomas Conway

Nenagh Ormond RFC - as a whole, is thriving, but it’s the senior men who are leading the way. After last year’s drive to the All-Ireland League Division 2B title, there’s a new sense of possibility in the Ormond dressing-room. Yes, this will be a very different test, because 1B is a very different beast with different teams and challenges, but Nenagh are confident.

And why wouldn’t they be? The North Tipp men have begun their season with statement wins in the Munster Senior Challenge Cup over Highfield and more recently Cork Constitution, an indication perhaps that they fear no one, irrespective of league status or past credentials.

That latter win was particularly special. It was the perfect way to christen the club’s new facilities - an all-weather astroturf pitch along with an enhanced indoor training space. You couldn’t have asked for a better result to mark the occasion, but it was the manner of the performance which really satisfied the Nenagh management, according to the club’s President and Director of Rugby, John Long.

“Playing a team like Cork Con - Division 1A champions - was always going to be a massive test, but also a huge opportunity for the team,” he admitted.

“And they just played unbelievable rugby - they went down 12-0 after fifteen minutes but that turned out to be the last time Cork Con scored in the game.

“The boys just got on top of them and almost bullied them for a finish, dare I say it. So, it was a massive win for the team, and an unbelievable way to christen the new facilities as well.”

That competition, the Munster Senior Cup, will resume in November, but from now until then it’s all about the league. Nenagh Ormond are locked and loaded. They’re hungry for action, and next weekend they’ll walk out proudly in New Ormond Park to start that new adventure.

The opposition? Dublin University (Trinity), a side that was relegated from 1A last campaign and will be eager to regain their top-tier status. Student turnover means that university sides can often be unpredictable, so it’s hard to know what to expect from them.

In contrast, Nenagh will enter this with more or less the same squad as last year, but with a few pivotal new additions, as Long explains.

“We have a bit more depth in our forwards, with a couple of new signings, but we’ve also brought over an Australian centre (Angus Blackmore) to come play with us.

“So, not big numbers, five new additions in total that we’ve added to the overall panel.

“The main goal this summer was to keep everyone we had and keep that panel in place, and we did that.

“We’re just excited now to see the lads tested in 1B. It’s a new level, it’ll be a massive step up, but we’ve full confidence that they’ll be able for it.”

Game by game

Long insists that Nenagh’s approach will remain consistent. Like last year, they’ll be taking it game by game, week by week. But they’re now at another level, and those weekly games will be both more competitive and more bruising.

Along with the university sides - Trinity, Queens and UCC - Nenagh will be forced to contend with other heavy-hitters, traditional powerhouses like Old Wesley, Shannon, Naas, and Old Belvedere. The going will be tough and the standard will be higher, yet Long still feels they’re in with a fighting chance.

Generally, the main objective of any newly promoted team is to remain with their new division and avoid relegation. However, the sense in Lisatunny is that Nenagh Ormond have more in them. Last year they were electric - unflappable under pressure and lethal with the ball in hand. They’ve retained that momentum and carried it into pre-season. In Long’s view, there’s no reason why that can’t continue into the league, starting next weekend.

“Our approach will be the same,” Long added.

“Like last year, it’ll be no different, we’ll take every game as it comes, and if we play well, if we play to our potential, we certainly feel we’ll be there or thereabouts at the top end of the table.

“We’ve beaten Highfield and Cork Con already in the Munster Senior Cup, which is a great start to the season for us, so we’re not going to be intimidated. We’re going to be targeting every game to go and win it. That was the plan last year and it’s the same for 2024/25. It doesn’t change.”

If Nenagh Ormond can adapt quickly and adjust to the higher pace of Division 1B, victories will come their way. There’s an unspoken desire to be right up there and competing come the business end of the season. For more than a year, Nenagh have dazzled and flourished.

This campaign is going to be more challenging, more physically taxing, and more difficult. But supporters expect them to rise to the challenge. Say it again: expectations are high in Lisatunny.