Ormond primed for playoff push

RUGBY: Energia All-Ireland League Division 1A Promotion/Relegation Semi-Final Preview

By Shane Brophy

NENAGH ORMOND

V

BLACKROCK COLLEGE

New Ormond Park

Saturday, 19th April

Kick-off @ 2.30pm (E.T.)

Nenagh Ormond will look to move within one game of playing in the top division of the All-Ireland League next season when they take on Blackrock College in the promotion/relegation semi-final playoff on Saturday.

It is the second time in three seasons the sides will have met in a playoff semi-final as back in 2023 it was Blackrock who edged out Nenagh 10-8 in Stradbrook, going onto earn promotion from division 2A.

Nenagh followed them up as league champions a season later and now the sides will meet for the third time in thIS campaign with the prize of a place in the final against City of Armagh and UCC at stake.

Off the back of eighteen gruelling rounds in the AIL plus five games in the run to the historic first Munster Senior Cup title, it has been a long season for Nenagh Ormond with Director of Rugby John Long revealing much of the last week has been about recharging the batteries ahead of what they will hope will be two more big games.

“Our seconds were in the Mansergh Cup final, but the majority of the lads got a break which was badly needed,” Long revealed.

“They were after playing a lot of rugby and there were some tired bodies, so they got a deserved break.

“Things are shaping up well this week getting ourselves ready for Saturday.”

Winning a Munster Senior Cup already makes it a successful season but to finish second in AIL division 1B in their first season at this level has come as a surprise, but they aren’t settling for it.

“Coming into division 1B for the first time, you don’t know how you are going to fit in,” Long admitted.

“But it has completely exceeded our expectations in the sense of finishing in second place and earning a home semi-final. It is huge and the excitement is massive.

“We are not going out to just enjoy being here, we are going out to win it and go all the way.”

Nenagh face a Blackrock College side they have defeated in their two regular season games, 38-36 in Stradbrook in round 2, and 21-17 in the penultimate round last month.

“The two meetings in the league were very close,” Long added.

“They have been in this division for the last two years, they have a really strong, mature squad. They are very well coached, well drilled, and have a threat all over with a strong pack and fast backs.

“The boys have been reviewing their last few games and trying to assess where their threats are.

“The last day in Nenagh was a very bad day weather-wise with wind and rain. It wasn’t the best exhibition of rugby from either side so you couldn’t judge that to prepare for next weekend.

“League wins are massively important but that can come down to form and the run of games at the time but come a semi-final playoff, it is like a Cup final, teams are built up for them in a different mindset.”

Nenagh were struck down by injuries midway through the campaign but have welcomed back centre Willie Coffey, prop Colm Skehan, and utility back Patrick Scully in recent weeks, the latter particularly timely with Charlie O’Doherty an injury doubt for the game. Prop Jack O’Keeffe remains a long term absentee.

“Home advantage is huge for us,” added John Long and it is hard to see why it isn’t as they have lost just one game in Lisatunny all campaign, a last gasp defeat to league winners Old Belvedere.

They have also benefited from playing all their games this season on the new all-weather pitch opened last September in the Munster Senior Cup against Cork Con, although it wasn’t the plan.

“It was never the intention to use it in the AIL,” Long revealed.

“The first game of the year was against Dublin University in September and the plan was to play it on grass, but the ground was so hard we had to move it to the 3G which is ironic. We won that day and just stayed playing on it.”