Good win for Tipperary rugby club Kilfeacle in difficult conditions

Kilfeacle 21 Muskerry 17

Kilfeacle and District RFC welcomed Muskerry to Morrissey Park for their second fixture in the Munster Junior Rugby League Division 1 campaign on Sunday last.
Kilfeacle had some first team players missing due to injuries and illnesses, so the coaching staff and selectors had once again a much-changed side.

The weather was very wet, with a strong wind blowing down the pitch, which meant the conditions were not ideal. All the Kilfeacle supporters were hoping that having home advantage would help their team.
The opening 20 minutes saw both sides battling against each other and the inclement weather. The visitors had the advantage of the very strong wind at their backs, which saw them have the better of the territorial battle.

In the 20th minute Muskerry managed to put together a number of controlled phases of play, which culminated in them scoring a good team try, which was converted with the aid of the strong breeze. Having a 7-0 lead and with the aid of the strong wind, Muskerry came hunting for another score.

In the 26th minute a fantastic break by the Muskerry full back saw him elude three Kilfeacle defenders and burst over the try line to score. The conversion was scored from a tight angle and Muskerry had doubled their lead to 14-0.
The home supporters were now worried that if the opposition kept using the strong wind to their advantage they might build up a lead before half-time that would be unassailable.
An injury to the Muskerry tighthead prop saw Kilfeacle gain the upper hand in the scrum set-pieces. Now that Kilfeacle had gained an advantage, they started to use it to slowly but inexorably put pressure on the Muskerry defence.
In the 32nd minute, after many phases of controlled play, Paddy Finnan surged into the Muskerry 22 before being brought to ground. His offload in the tackle to Darren Lowry meant that Muskerry’s defence hadn’t time to reset. Darren Lowry made a further 10 metres before supplying a sublime pass to Killian Noonan, who finished with some aplomb.
Luke Heuston faced a treacherous kick for the conversion from a tight angle and against a very strong wind and driving rain. His execution of the kick was textbook and belied his young years. The score was now 14 points to 7 in favour of Muskerry.
Kilfeacle’s tails were up and they were starting to dominate in every position. In the 37th minute the pack had gained an excellent attacking position and unleashed their backs to go in search of a second try.
Gavin Heuston, Luke Heuston, Conor O’Sullivan, JJ Cooney, Kelan O’Connor and Darren Lowry all gained vital yards before moving the ball quickly to Killian Noonan, who made a scything run to touch down in the corner. Luke Heuston’s conversion attempt was one metre in from the sideline and into the teeth of the wind and rain, but he was coolness personified. His kick scraped the inside of the upright as it went over and the two teams were now level at 14 points apiece.
Kilfeacle now had Muskerry on the ropes but some excellent defending saw them reach the break without conceding anymore, which meant the half-time score was 14-14, with all to play for.
Kilfeacle knew for the second half that they would have the elements at their backs and that this should be a huge advantage.
The manner in which Kilfeacle started the second half only confirmed to Muskerry that they had a game on their hands.
However, it took Kilfeacle 10 minutes to come to terms with the conditions. In the 50th minute Kilfeacle’s forwards worked as a unit and after 10 phases of play involving carries by Diarmuid O’Donnell, Adam O’Connell, Simon Barry, Jack McLoughlin, Paddy Finnan, Kevin Kinane, Rares Stoica and Ben White, they provided the opportunity for Darren Lowry to burst in unopposed under the posts to score Kilfeacle’s third try. Luke Heuston duly added the conversion and Kilfeacle finally led, by 21 points to 14.
Kilfeacle were now in the ascendency and were probing for more scores. Muskerry were doing their best to slow the game down and play to their strengths.
As the half wore on the conditions worsened and both teams started to show signs of fatigue. Both sides emptied their respective benches to try add badly -needed impetus to the game.
As the second half wore on it was blighted with handling errors on both sides and became a very stop-start affair. Muskerry started to put together good phases of play in the 70th minute, which culminated with them being awarded a penalty inside Kilfeacle’s 22. On this occasion they elected to kick for the posts and the penalty attempt was converted. This brought the score to 21 points to 17.
Buoyed by this score, Muskerry finished the game the better team but Kilfeacle’s defence held out strongly to see out the game and earn the victory by 21 points to 17.
Kilfeacle’s next game is an away Munster League Division 1 encounter against Waterpark RFC on this Sunday October 16 at 2.30pm.
Kilfeacle’s squad on the day consisted of Diarmuid O’Donnell, Adam O’Connell, Simon Barry, Jack McLoughlin, Paddy Finnan, Kevin Kinane, Rares Stoica, Ben White, Gavin Heuston, Luke Heuston, Conor O’Sullivan, JJ Cooney, Kelan O’Connor, Darren Lowry, Killian Noonan, Dubhan O’Grady, Brian Barron, Ryan Renehan, Robert Noonan and Kevin Doyle.