Younger Munster RFC v Lansdowne FC
Energia AIL Division 1 A
Saturday 6th April 2024
Tom Clifford Park, Limerick
Younger Munster 22 – 29 Lansdowne
“Blow winds and crack your cheeks! Rage! Blow!”* And blow it did. However in addition to the challenges offered by Storm Kathleen, one other fascinating characteristic of this contest in Limerick on Saturday was the way it celebrated the standard and interchangeability of the present Lansdowne 1st and J1 squads. A number of younger J1 gamers getting their first “caps” and some seasoned legends returning to the highest tier, all labored seamlessly throughout the system arrange by head coach Declan Fassbender, Damien McCabe, Phil Horan, and Mark Flanagan. It was a wonderful and entertaining show in testing situations, and no matter occurs within the playoffs, this and all the opposite wins on the weekend, was proof of the entire membership in a state of impolite good well being.
We had a dream begin. Going through into the wind from the off, the “Cookies” struggled to regulate the ball and we pinned them down inside their 22 and saved it shut throughout the pack. After a lineout of their 10m line, hooker Luke Thompson defied the wind to seek out jumper Conor McMenimen and because the maul edged nearer to their line, Donough Lawlor took the initiative and powered over for our first strive inside three minutes. 0 – 5
We saved the hosts pinned inside their 22 for an prolonged interval, with clearance kicks an impossibility and highly effective tackling from Lansdowne including to their frustration. Notably efficient defenders have been flanker Donough Lawlor, centre Dan McEvoy and wing Peter Sullivan permitting no quarter. This era may need yielded extra factors have been it not for the wind blowing final passes astray and pushing the ball over the deadball line. However to their credit score, Younger Munster clawed their method up the pitch, their huge pack nonetheless cell (they might flag considerably later) and their nearly equally huge backs beginning to eat up the metres. A uncommon missed sort out allowed them into our half and a scrum penalty inside our 22 gave them confidence to open up their full attacking arsenal. Wonderful half backs and highly effective centres did their finest work now and it wasn’t lengthy earlier than their enterprise paid dividends they usually scored. Their kicker additionally struggled to transform and so it was all sq. at 5 – 5 as we entered the second quarter.
If standard knowledge is to maintain the ball tight when taking part in right into a hurricane, nobody advised the Cookies. They ran every thing at us and examined our defences to the restrict. We spent a great interval defending inside our 22 after we may need anticipated to be utilizing the weather to arrange camp inside theirs. And so it was in opposition to the run of play once they have been going by their phases that eagle-eyed centre Tom Monaghan noticed his reverse quantity wanted to make a protracted move and he stepped in to intercept it. He sped down the pitch, nearly retreating with that wind behind him, however was grounded sufficient to move it to Peter Sullivan who coated the final 5 meters and scored excellent of the posts. 5 – 12
We regained our share of possession however struggled to take full benefit with balls going out of bounds. Nevertheless, we did hold the scoreboard transferring as lightning-fast prop, Adam “Teddy” Boland gathered a free ball off the again of one in every of their lineouts, bought a dummy to their outhalf and went over for our third strive. We would wish a great margin as we confronted into the wind within the second half, so with Charlie Tector’s conversion making it 5 – 19, we regarded in fine condition. However not for lengthy. Minutes later, they got here again preventing and their huge inside middle discovered a delicate shoulder and made good floor earlier than passing inside to his supporting flanker who scored. 12 – 19.
The hosts are on hearth now and if it weren’t for wonderful and nicely organised collective defending and courageous particular person efforts from outhalf Charlie Tector, flanker Daragh Murphy and Sean Dunne, we would have gone into the break all sq., or worse. However we held out until half time.
As the talk rages in membership bars throughout the nation – do you select to play with or in opposition to the wind within the first half – this second half added a brand new twist to the dialogue: all sides truly performed higher when the wind was of their faces!
The second half resumed as the primary had begun: they struggled to get full measure of the wind behind their backs and kicked out of bounds a few instances; however we too took time to regulate to the challenges of passing whereas dealing with right into a gale. However they adjusted shortly and inside 5 minutes of the restart, they went expertly by the phases and created some area out large for his or her winger to go over within the nook. Now the hole was a mere two factors 17 -19 and with “Kathleen” constructing much more, our lead regarded precarious.
However in opposition to the chances and the weather, now we began to dominate, holding on to possession and discovering gaps of their defences. Scrum half and first cap, Oisin Devitt, freely giving about 30 kilos to his reverse quantity, was transferring the ball shortly, quick and lengthy however at all times quick, and in addition probing and discovering area behind their rucks. He took one break and ate up 20 meters, runners inside and outdoors him, however buffeted by the wind maybe or hitting a divot, he nose-dived. Unfair to say it maybe, however to his credit score, it didn’t faze him as moments later he was behind the subsequent strive when he took one other comparable break, bringing us again inside their 22. The short ball that got here out was handed by second row, Steve Walsh to Tom Monaghan standing at 10. Inexplicably, it appeared to these of us innocents on the sidelines, Tom opted to chip throughout the pitch to Peter Sullivan standing in area on the wing. However what did we all know, as Peter took it within the air and sauntered over the road for his second and our fourth (and bonus level, for what that’s value now) strive. 17 – 24.
As we approached the ultimate quarter, our health began to present us an edge. Their forwards now populated fewer rucks and a few alternatives have been showing. Spending more often than not of their 22, we regarded in management. Our set items have been extra stable and we had stopped freely giving penalties. Little doubt they hoped to clear the ball following a lineout on their 22, however we disrupted the maul that adopted, sub hooker Henry Godson making a radical nuisance of himself. Unable to get their clearance kick away, they went by the phases for a greater angle, however there was nonetheless area behind their ruck. Oisin was unsighted on one facet, however winger Sean Galvin noticed the chance and got here in from the contact, stealing the unprotected ball and rushing with it over the road. 17 – 29 as we entered the final ten minutes.
In reality, the ultimate levels of the sport have been a bit scrappy however as harm time approached, Younger Munster ultimately made it down the pitch to attain on the complete time mark. The ultimate and official rating says 24 – 29, however this correspondent is fairly positive the kicker was distracted and scuffed the conversion, so in a Final-Match-Report-of-the-Season scoop, I can reveal that the ultimate rating was actually 22 – 29.
*King Lear (Act III, Scene 2) … as in case you didn’t know.
Match Report – Brian Whelan
YOUNG MUNSTER 24 LANSDOWNE 29, Tom Clifford Park
Scorers: Younger Munster: Tries: Fionn Gibbons 2, Harry Fleming, James Horrigan; Cons: Tony Butler 2
Lansdowne: Tries: Donough Lawlor, Tom Monaghan, Adam Boland, Peter Sullivan, Sean Galvin; Cons: Charlie Tector 2
HT: Younger Munster 12 Lansdowne 19
YOUNG MUNSTER: Aidan Shortall; James O’Brien, Fionn Gibbons, Harry Fleming, Oisin Pepper; Tony Butler, Jack Lyons; David Begley, Arron Roulston, Conor Bartley, John Foley, Alan Kennedy (capt), Stephen McLoughlin, James Horrigan, Bailey Faloon.
Replacements: Mark O’Mara, Paul Allen, Darragh Keogh, Gearoid Mulcahy, Marcus Lyons, Cian Casey.
LANSDOWNE: Hugo McLaughlin; Peter Sullivan, Daniel McEvoy, Tom Monaghan, Sean Galvin; Charlie Tector, Oisin Devitt; Sean Dunne, Luke Thompson, Adam Boland (capt), Steve Walshe, Conor McMenamin, Darragh Murphy, Donough Lawlor, Lucas Culliton.
Replacements: Henry Godson, Oscar Egan, Clive Ross, Robbie Kidney, Cian Moloney, Tom Gavigan.