Ormond enter key phase with win over plucky Highfield

RUGBY: Energia All-Ireland League Division 1B Round 14

Nenagh Ormond 38

Highfield 25

Report: Shane Brophy at New Ormond Park

Photos: Bridget Delaney

MATCH DIGEST

Player of the Match: Conor McMahon (Nenagh Ormond)

SCORERS – Nenagh Ormond: Tries – D Murphy (2), K O’Flaherty, O’Shaughnessy, O’Meara, Rowland. Convs - McMahon (4).

Highfield: Tries – Fitzgerald (2), E Dorgan. Convs – O’Riordan (2). Pens – O’Riordan (2)

Nenagh Ormond got back to winning ways in division 1B of the All-Ireland League with a hard-earned victory over Highfield in their round 14 clash on Saturday.

The six try to three victory was far from comfortable as it looks on the scoreboard, as it was the visitors who played the sharper and more physical rugby for long stages, but it was Nenagh’s greater efficiency which proved the difference as they bounced back from the loss to Queens University the previous week.

Performance wise, there will be plenty to stew over for Nenagh as there were a lot of inaccuracies, particularly in dealing with kick-offs with the home side losing all four in the first half which prevented them building on tries scored, allowing the visitors back into the game.

Maybe there were a few nerves off the back of the Queens loss, their poorest performance of the season, but there could also have been an element of complacency against a Highfield side who were second from bottom of the table, while also having more than one eye on two big upcoming games, firstly the Munster Senior Cup semi-final next Friday against Young Munster, and then the top of the table league clash with Old Belvedere at the start of next month.

Nenagh welcomed back Mikey Doran, John Healy and Conor O’Shaughnessy to the starting line-up while Evan Murphy started from the bench, but their sloppiness was evident right from the off as failure to claim it, albeit in the swirling wind, led to the concession of a penalty for a high tackle by Healy with Shane O’Riordan slotting over the penalty.

However, Nenagh didn’t take long to get up to speed, winning a penalty at the breakdown which led to a lineout ten-metres out where once again their maul was potent with hooker Dylan Murphy scoring the first his two tries. Despite the difficult wind, Conor McMahon gave an exhibition off the tee to convert. He did it again on thirteen minutes, this time converting a Kevin O’Flaherty try, again off a lineout close to the line.

The 14-3 scoreline was harsh on Highfield who were always threatening, and they showed just how on seventeen minutes when prop Daragh Fitzgerald barged over from close range, after Nenagh failed to claim the kick-off restart.

The home side were also falling foul of the referee and conceded a further three points on 21 minutes to O’Riordan before Conor McMahon was sent to the sin-bin on 27 minutes for leading with the arm in the carry.

Frustration was growing among the home players, but they gave themselves a tonic with one of the tries of the season, begun by a Josh Rowland break from his own ten-metre line and carried to the opposite ten-metre line where he off-loaded to Nicky Irwin, and then through John O’Flaherty, Dylan Murphy, Conor McMahon and finally to Conor O’Shaughnessy who touched down in the left corner for an unconverted try and a 19-11 half time lead.

When Dylan Murphy touched down for his second maul try on 47 minutes, Nenagh looked to have the game under control but within five minutes had given the score back with Daragh Fitzgerald getting his second try, 26-18.

The game was finely poised, and the next score would be crucial, and it came in the 54th minute with a sustained attack to the right and then back to the left as Highfield ran out of defenders with replacement lock Fionn O’Meara crossing for his first try at this level, converted once again by McMahon, who judged the wind superbly.

Nenagh lost prop Mikey Doran to the sin-bin but didn’t concede a score in the ten minutes but again Highfield responded and a superb team score, finished by Eoin Dorgan and converted by Shane O’Riordan in the 69th minute brought the deficit back to eight points once more.

Another try would see the visitors leave with two bonus points which would have been the least they deserved for their performance, but they were taken away on 74 minutes when a kick over the top of a ruck by Charlie O’Doherty was read superbly by Josh Rowland who raced in for an unconverted score as Nenagh finally sealed a thirteen point victory, but with plenty of scope for improvement for the big games to come over the next two weeks.

TEAMS – Nenagh Ormond: Josh Rowland (8); Davy Gleeson (7), Conor McMahon (8), Angus Blackmore (7), Conor O’Shaughnessy (7); Ben Pope (7), Nicky Irwin (7); Mikey Doran (7), Dylan Murphy (8), Matt Burke (7); Jake O’Kelly (7), Kevin O’Flaherty (7); Joe Coffey (6), John Healy (6), John O'Flaherty (6).

Reps: Fionn O’Meara (7) for O’Kelly (48); Charlie O’Doherty (7) for Irwin (48); Evan Murphy (7) for J O’Flaherty (57); Jack O’Keeffe for Burke (57); Derek Corcoran (6) for O’Shaughnessy (64); Shane Malone (NR) for D Murphy (75).

Highfield: Jamie Shanahan (6); Colin O’Neill (6), Elliot Smith (6), Mark Dorgan (7), Eoin Dorgan (7); Shane O’Riordan (8), Richie Cassidy (8); Rob Murphy (6), Travis Coomey (7), Daragh Fitzgerald (8); Eoin Keating (7), David O’Halloran (7); Conor Kenneally (NR), Mark Fitzgibbon (7), Dave O’Connell (7).

Reps: Ewan Kennedy (7) for Kenneally (1); David O’Sullivan for M Dorgan (31-48 blood); Cillian Buckley (6) for Fitzgerald (53); Shane Buckley (6) for Fitzgibbon (57); David O’Sullivan (6) for O’Neill (57); Aidan Keane (6) for Murphy (68).

Referee: Oisin Quinn.