Nenagh Ormond endure toughest outing yet as they are dismantled by strong Ballynahinch outfit

Energia All-Ireland League - Division 1A - Round 13

Ballynahinch 47

Nenagh Ormond 0

By Mike McMahon

Successful raids across the border are a rarity at the best of times in the All-Ireland League. For a defeat-weary Nenagh Ormond, the long trek to county Down to take on Ulster kingpins Ballynahinch was bordering on the impossible.

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Although they kept battling to the end, Nenagh’s prospects of coming away with anything from this match had pretty much evaporated before half-time as a rampant ‘Hinch scored five tries and led 33-0 at the break.

Ballynahinch are a very good side and has shown improved form of late, drawing away to leaders St Mary’s and following that up with a comfortable win over Lansdowne last week. 

Nenagh had been showing improved form themselves, scoring five tries in the recent home defeat to St Mary’s, but they had no answer for the pace and power of a slick Hinch outfit who still have top four and championship ambitions.

Nenagh started the game reasonably well and held their own in the early stages, particularly at scrum time. 

It took Hinch time to gain a foothold inside Nenagh’s 22, but when they attacked from a scrum on 15 minutes, the outcome looked inevitable, with second rower Kyle Gill crossing for the opening try.

It took less than five minutes for Hinch to add to their lead. A mix-up in midfield gave rise to a penalty for offside, which was quickly taken – centre Matthew Booth racing clear to touch down under the sticks with the Nenagh defence at sixes and sevens.

As the errors began to mount, the home side punished Nenagh with further tries from speedster wingers Aaron Sexton and Paul Crowe and a third from out-half Paul Kerr, who was on hand to finish off a slick backline move down the right.

Staring down the barrel of an ignominious scoreline, Derek Corcoran and his coaching team decided to unload the bench before and after half-time, bringing on Jack Devanny, John Brislane, Darragh McSweeney and Charlie O’Doherty. 

Further changes followed early in the second period when both Kevin O’Flaherty and Willie Coffey were forced to leave the field. 

O’Doherty’s introduction at scrum-half did change up the dynamic somewhat, although Hinch remained very much on top, particularly in defence, where they were excellent throughout. 

With both sets of replacements on the field early, the flow of the game became a little disjointed. The home team continued to press, however, with tireless wing forward Reuben Crothers becoming more and more prominent as the game went on.

After a penalty kick to the corner, Hinch set up a concerted phase of attacks, which culminated in second row Ryan Connolly spinning out of a tackle to touch down for his side’s sixth try. 

As the game moved into the final quarter, Crothers capped off a fine individual display with an opportunistic try of his own, showing good pace to break clear and touch down in the corner. This turned out to be the game’s final score, albeit that the outcome had long since been decided.

As for Nenagh, they finished the game scoreless, a late glimmer of a chance for full-back Sam Cusack snuffed out by a crunching tackle from Hinch substitute Cairns. 

How they go about picking themselves up from this latest defeat remains to be seen, but it is undoubtedly just as well that they have a three-week break before their next game, at home to Lansdowne on February 28.

Nenagh Ormond: Sam Cusack, David Gleeson, Conor McMahon, Willie Coffey, Fionn Higgins, James Finn, Luke Kerr, Mikey Doran, Dylan Murphy, Matthew Burke, Kevin Seymour, Kevin O’Flaherty, Rob Buckley, Joseph Coffey, John O’Flaherty.

Replacements: Jack Devanny, Darragh McSweeney, Fionn O’Meara, John Brislane, Charlie O’Doherty, Conor O’Shaughnessy.

Ballynahinch: Conor Rankin, Pierce Crowe, Matthew Booth, Quinn Armstrong, Aaron Sexton, Paul Kerr, Chris Gibson, John Dickson, Claytan Milligan, Tom McAllister, Ryan Connolly, Kyle Gill, Josh Hanlon, Reuben Crothers, Bradley Luney. Replacements: M. McCavery, Matthew Burke, Jon Charles, Declan Horrox, John Rodgers, Aaron Cairns.

Referee: Jack McNeice

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