Winning start for Nenagh Ormond

RUGBY: Energia All Ireland League Division 2A Round 1

UL Bohemian5

Nenagh Ormond 20

Report: Thomas Conway at UL Arena

MATCH DIGEST

Player of the Match: Niall O’Gorman (Nenagh Ormond)

SCORERS – UL Bohemian: Try: Garcia

Nenagh Ormond: Tries: O’Gorman, Penalty, Cons: Finn, Pen Pens: Finn (2)

Deep down, on some subconscious, inner Freudian level, UL Bohs must have known this was coming. Nenagh had exhibited glistening form in pre-season, sweeping aside Garryowen in Dooradoyle to record one of their greatest victories in recent history. The North Tipp club had laid the foundations, and on Saturday they began to build on them in the opening round of the All-Ireland League.

It was, in essence, the perfect start. A late penalty try certainly put a gloss on the scoreline, but on balance, Nenagh were the better side, landing decisive scores during a first-half purple-patch and maintaining a level of structural coherence which only really cracked once - when Ignacio Garcia looped in from the wing to secure Bohs’ first and only score in the 62nd minute. True, Nenagh spent long periods of the second-half absorbing waves of Bohs pressure. But they got the job done. This league is a results business, and unlike last year, there is now a sense that Nenagh know how to generate results.

An away fixture against UL Bohs carries with it an added dimension: the 4G astroturf pitch. The shiny plastic surface usually makes for quick, flowing rugby, but on Saturday the tempo suffered due to the conditions. A stiff, cross-blowing breeze hindered both sides and affected the fluency of this game. Instead, spectators were treated to a match characterised by endless kicking and a deluge of penalties - most of them secured by the efforts of the Nenagh pack.

Yet Nenagh began on a jittery footing. An early Niall O'Gorman knock-on could have precipitated a calamitous performance from the loose-head prop, but instead the 25-year-old recovered to produce another outstanding display.

James Finn, for the fifty minutes or so that he was on the field, also shone bright. The full-back might have departed the action early, but his kicking from deep, and his accuracy off the tee, gave Nenagh an indispensable advantage at half-time.

His first penalty, in the 22nd minute, was enabled by a powerful Willie Coffey break-away. The explosive centre sensed opportunity and tore through the Bohs cover, gaining at least thirty metres with a diagonal run. His snap break was followed by a quick offload to Nicky Irwin, who was brought down just right of the posts. The try never arrived, but Nenagh worked a penalty, and Finn knocked over their first score.

He added three more points some ten minutes later, edging Nenagh further ahead in a game which they had begun to dominate.

Dominate, but not control. This was still a volatile affair. The high volume of kicking caused the play to suddenly shift on several occasions, while the slippery conditions meant that handling errors were inevitable. Hence the reason that Nenagh's first try - pinned down by Niall O'Gorman underneath the posts on the cusp of half-time - was so crucial. It gave the visitors an obvious morale boost heading into the interval, but it also determined their approach to the second-half, prompting them to minimise risk and manage the game carefully.

Broadly speaking, their strategy worked. UL Bohs subjected them to a barrage of sustained pressure for much of the third quarter, but Nenagh seemed well prepared to absorb it.

Granted, they would eventually concede, but the try had always been coming, and rather than dwell on their errors, Nenagh produced an immediate response. They contrived to gain vital ground and solidify a position inside the UL Bohs half. Really and truly, the visitors should have wrapped up the result several minutes from time, but Irwin's floating pass was deemed to have travelled forward, rendering Keelan Stephenson's touchline finish null and void.

But their reward would eventually arrive. The final act of the game was a textbook maul, straight off the lineout, driven and very nearly finished by hooker Mikey Doran. At a professional level the move might have warranted a TMO intervention. In this case it was just easier for referee Dermot Blake to grant a penalty try. Nenagh happily collected the four points, celebrated at the sound of the final-whistle, and then shifted their attention to their next task - a home clash against MU Barnhall this Saturday in Lisatunny.

TEAMS – UL Bohemian: Daragh O’Gorman (7), Ignacio Garcia (8), Paul Clancy (6), Colin Ryan (7), Ihechi Oji (7), Harry Byrne (7), Charlie O’Doherty (7); Mark Bromell (6), Kieran O’Shea (6), Stephen Hayes (6), Niall Quelly (6), Pat Staff (6), Ian Condell (7), David Rowsome (7), Eoin Sweeney (7).

Reps: Dave Kinane (7) for Hayes (HT); Stephen Hayes for Bromell (61); James Burton (7) for Quelly (66); Alan Kiely (7) for Garcia (75 inj).

Nenagh Ormond: James Finn (8), Conor McMahon (7), Willie Coffey (8), John Healy (7), Keelan Stephenson (7), Derek Corcoran (7), Nicky Irwin (8); Mikey Doran (8), Dylan Murphy (7), Niall O’Gorman (8), Jack O’Keefe (8), Kevin O’Flaherty (8), Rob Buckley (7), Jake O’Kelly (7), John O’Flaherty (7).

Reps: Josh Rowland (7) for Finn (51); John Hayes (7) for O’Keefe (52); Cian Ryan (7) for Corcoran (66); Jack O’Keefe for O’Gorman (79).

Referee: Dermot Blake