Ormond rebound from first loss with gritty win over Highfield

RUGBY: Energia All-Ireland League Division 1B Round 5

Highfield 22

Nenagh Ormond 31

Report: Stephen Barry at Woodleigh Park, Cork

MATCH DIGEST

Player of the Match: Kevin O’Flaherty (Nenagh Ormond)

SCORERS – Highfield: Tries – Cassidy, Fitzgerald, Dorgan; Convs – O’Riordan (2); Pen – O’Riordan (1)

Nenagh Ormond: Tries – Irwin, D Murphy, Pope; Convs – McMahon (2); Pens – Conor McMahon (4)

Nenagh Ormond swooped for a comeback victory with a late fifteen-point burst overpowering Highfield and elevating them to second place in Division 1B of the All-Ireland League on Saturday.

They trailed their Cork hosts for exactly an hour until grabbing the lead in the 77th minute through Conor McMahon’s tremendous touchline conversion.

That followed Dylan Murphy’s maul try and as they outlasted their tiring opponents, McMahon landed another penalty and Ben Pope denied Highfield a losing bonus with a last-gasp try.

It was the first time this season Nenagh ended without a try-scoring bonus point but after digging deep to come from behind, they won’t mind. They remain two points shy of Old Belvedere, while overtaking UCC into second place in the table after five rounds of eighteen.

The O’Flaherty brothers, Kevin & John, and Evan Murphy got through a mountain of work up front, while a scrum that was stressed early on won two crucial penalties as the game progressed. Willie Coffey and Angus Blackmore got the edge in the midfield battle and McMahon’s kicking gave Nenagh another vital weapon.

Highfield were desperate to avoid a fourth consecutive loss, but the visitors weathered their best punches to come good for a finish.

Ormond were without wing Conor O’Shaughnessy and flanker Joe Coffey due to concussion while player-coach Derek Corcoran picked up a late calf strain. John Rowland, Patrick Scully, and John Brislane were introduced to the starting line-up from the side that lost to Old Belvedere the week previous, while Pope switched back to the no.10 jersey.

There was a late bench call-up for Brian O’Rourke, who made a walk-on AIL debut at the end, while Rob Buckley came on for his 50th league appearance.

When Nenagh last visited Woodleigh for their season opener in August, they left with a 29-22 Munster Senior Cup victory. An almost identical scoreline but achieved in a much different manner.

Nenagh started brightly as Evan Murphy’s inside pass released Patrick Scully into space but Nicky Irwin, having evaded one tackle, was brought crashing down before the line. When Murphy was hit high moments later, McMahon slotted a simple penalty for his first of sixteen point haul.

Highfield bossed the game from there as Nenagh required some stern defence. Kevin O’Flaherty twice turned over possession with a smashing hit and his maul defence.

But when Dylan Murphy was yellow-carded for stopping a quick-tap penalty, Highfield instantly capitalised. David O’Connell claimed the line-out and scrum-half Richard Cassidy sniped around the blindside to score. Shane O’Riordan slotted the conversion.

A major fourteen-man Nenagh effort managed the subsequent sin-bin period and even narrowed the deficit to the minimum. Evan Murphy’s thumping tackle turned over the ball, Colm Skehan steamrolled through a defender, and McMahon punished an offside with his second penalty.

But Nenagh were no sooner back to the full compliment than they fell eight point behind. The try came from another penalty to the corner. Conor Kennelly grabbed the throw and tighthead Daragh Fitzgibbon forced his way over. O’Riordan made it 14-6.

Brilliant restart pressure from Mikey Doran and Evan Murphy forced a penalty. This time, they turned down the points in favour of going to the corner. However, a moment’s hesitation coughed up a crossing infringement and allowed Highfield a cheap clearance.

The Nenagh front-row earned Pope another opportunity to kick for the corner. This time, they made no mistake. Kevin O’Flaherty retained the line-out and armed with the penalty advantage, Nicky Irwin ducked left and dived over for his second try of the season. McMahon’s conversion cut the half-time gap to one; 14-13.

Highfield scorched in for their third try within 65 seconds of the restart. Having gone wide, Jamie Shanahan’s hand-off created space for the impressive Eoin Dorgan to sprint down the line for a textbook finish. O’Riordan’s conversion drifted onto the near post.

Angus Blackmore made a couple of electrifying breaks, the second of which resulted in a penalty for a high shot on Jake O’Kelly. Up stepped place-kicking winger Conor McMahon to trim the gap to three with 49 minutes played.

Neither team could forge a breakthrough until the closing stages. There were signs, however, of the Highfield defence tiring. After one sustained period of Nenagh pressure, four defenders took a knee to either get their breath back or receive attention for cramp.

A crucial defensive intervention by Blackmore prevented a big Highfield chance out wide. The hosts won three more penalties in Nenagh territory. Twice they went down the line but the third time, O’Riordan tapped over to pad the lead out to six with eight minutes of regulation remaining.

Nenagh’s conditioning came to the fore as they kept pushing. Highfield made consecutive mistakes when John O’Flaherty was pulled out of the air in back-to-back line-outs. Ben Pope’s kicks marched them back towards the five-metre line. Third time around, Evan Murphy was the target and amid protests over being taken out in the air again, Dylan Murphy mauled over the line.

The conversion was on the wrong side for a left-footed kicker, but Conor McMahon made light work of it. The cheers from Ormond supporters signalled its accuracy long before the touch judges raised their flags for 23-22.

When Highfield went off their feet at the breakdown, McMahon made it six successful kicks with a 79th-minute penalty from forty metres out.

They dominated the extra minutes too. Dylan Murphy’s covering tackle forced one final turnover. Willie Coffey, Blackmore, and Evan Murphy (twice) created momentum with hard carries. Charlie O’Doherty was stopped short by the strength of his jersey fabric before the replacement scrum-half released Ben Pope into the corner for Nenagh’s third try. McMahon fired a rare miss, but nobody minded.

TEAMS – Highfield: Mark McLoughlin (6); Eoin Dorgan (8), Jamie Shanahan (7), Elliot Smith (6), Luke Kingston (6); Shane O’Riordan (6), Richard Cassidy (6); James Rochford (6), Rob Murphy (7), Daragh Fitzgerald (7); David O’Halloran (6), Conor Kennelly (6); David O’Connell (6), Pat McBarron (6), Miah Cronin (Capt 7).

Reps: Corey Hanlon (6), Seán Glynn (6), Angus Floyd (6), Mark Fitzgibbon (6), Barry Spearman (NR).

Nenagh Ormond: Josh Rowland (7); Patrick Scully (6), Angus Blackmore (7), Willie Coffey (8), Conor McMahon (8); Ben Pope (7), Nicky Irwin (7); Mikey Doran (6), Dylan Murphy (7), Colm Skehan (6); Jake O’Kelly (6), Kevin O’Flaherty (Capt 8), John O’Flaherty (8), Evan Murphy (7), John Brislane (6).

Reps: Jack Devanny (6) for Scully (20-27 sin-bin); Charlie O’Doherty (7) for Irwin (52); Craig Hannon (6) for O’Kelly (64); Rob Buckley (6) for Brislane (64); Jack O’Keeffe (6) for Doran (69); Jack Devanny for D Murphy (80+4); Brian O’Rourke (NR) for Scully (80+4).

Referee: Dermot Blake.