Club News & Match Reports 28.03.2022
Mitchelstown Rugby Club
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Munster Junior Rugby
Mitchelstown 10 Cobh Pirates 28
It was on a warm, balmy day that the junior (adult) side took the field for the final time this season, with a visit from Cobh Pirates to Currabowen. The pitch was immaculate as ever, testimony to Harry Kinsella and his trusty helpers.
Cobh starts the game as hot favourites, having made a recovery from a shaky start to the league. The impression that they would have an easy ride in Mitchelstown was soon dispelled, when early pressure yielded a penalty which was duly converted by Pa Magee to give an early lead. More intense scrummaging and lineout domination led to a pick and drive session which resulted in juggernaut Josh Evans crashing over the visitor’s line. The conversion was duly landed and the ‘town boys had a ten point lead at the interval.
The breeze was favouring the leaders after the break, but several chances were missed before Cobh finally scored a try to reduce the deficit. The visitors took the lead after thirty one minutes, but the result was still in the balance when after 42 minutes of play Cobh scored again. The second half was 51 minutes old when the Pirates stole the try bonus point.
The performance was a tribute to the lads on the field, and also an accolade to our coach of seven years, Cillian Bohane, who will not be with us in the club next season. He will still be teaching in CBS, and we hope that his coaching will bring forward a stream of talent.
Thank you, Cillian for the magic ride through those great times.
Under 16 boys
Squad: Cian Coughlan, Ben Cooke, Sean Gorry, Dylan Spillane, Sean O’Grady, Andrew McEnaney (C), Conor Dooling, Peter O’Keeffe, Eoghan Kelly, Jack Kelly. Gearoid Desmond, Jayden Lynch, Ben Cotter, Diarmuid O’Brien, Dean Fitzharris, Lorcan Murray, Ross Barry. Missing: Darragh Casey, Jack Twomey, Stephen Flynn, Josh Kearney, Will Murphy.
On Saturday last we travelled to Fermoy for our final game of the season. This was always going to be a difficult game against a very strong home side and while we got off to a poor start we started to find our feet and scored a try born out of pure determination when our 2nd row Ben Cooke surged forward in a powerful run to carry deep into the 22, a number of phases later Ben was again on hand to drive over the line and touch down. Buoyed by this score we started the 2nd half very brightly, a Garryowen put up by Diarmuid O’Brien was chased after by Sean O’Grady who collected and sprinted from the halfway line leaving a number of defenders in his wake to touch down under the posts. A couple of minutes later Cian Coughlan scored yet another trademark try, running in from his own half. Our 4th and final try came after a number of good passes put Diarmuid O’Brien away who scored under the posts after beating a number of tackles and added the conversion to the 2 he scored earlier. So, while the score line went against us there was a lot of fine performances and positives to be taken from the game.
With this being our last game, our season has now closed in what has been a remarkable year for us. We added new players, made new friends, bonded as a team which was clear to see on our away game bus trips and we won games. We developed depth in our squad and hopefully this will stand to the club for next season.
Report courtesy of Kevin Kelly
Under 14 girls rugby
Mitchelstown 36 – 14 Clonakilty
Our girls had an historic win in the cup over Clonakilty in Currabowen on Saturday week last. They played the game with an intensity which gave the visitors little chance to settle. Congratulations to all the girls, coaches and parents who have been very committed throughout the season.
Mini Rugby
All groups will train in Currabowen unless otherwise advised. The training arrangements at present:
Boys U14 Thursday @ 7.00pm
Minis up to 12, Sunday @ 11.00am
Normal covid guidelines are now eased, but please continue to keep social distancing. Please bring your own bottle, gumshield, towel, etc. as no swapping or using other people’s kit is allowed. Non-members will be advised of registration procedures at the time, so please come early to avoid disappointment. It has been a tough time for all of us, with several local people losing relatives to the virus. Let’s make sure that our actions do not contribute to its spread. All club merchandise is available via the website, www.mitchelstownrfc.com