Tipperary Rugby: Three tries for Darren Lowry as Kilfeacle win well against Seapoint in Dublin

Energia All-Ireland Junior Cup Round 1

SEAPOINT 21 KILFEACLE & DISTRICT 29

This week “The Boys in Blue” were on the road again facing Seapoint RFC in the All-Ireland Junior Cup.

Kilfeacle welcomed back two more of their first-choice squad members to training prior to this game. Their inclusion was much needed and appreciated as a number of other first choice players are still absent due to injury.

Qualifying for the Energia All-Ireland Junior Cup is an accomplishment in itself as the top four Junior teams from each province qualify for the following year’s competition.

Everyone hopes for a home draw as travelling long distances to play these games is a huge disadvantage. Unfortunately, Kilfeacle were drawn away from home for this encounter and had to travel to Dublin.

On Saturday last the travelling fans waited to see if the team could build on a number of good performances and extend their unbeaten run or if this was the game that would be the one to end that run and what kind of performance would await them, luckily their team didn’t leave them down.

The game started in rain and with a cold breeze that blew down the pitch and favoured Seapoint. Being against the elements it was vitally important that the team got off to a good start to silence the sizeable home support and take the wind out of the opposition’s sails, which everyone in blue hoped would in turn help nullify the home advantage.

Straight from the start Kilfeacle took the game to Seapoint and for the vast majority of the first half Seapoint were no match for an ever-improving Kilfeacle squad consisting of Adam O’Connell, James Ryan Salmon, Paddy Finnan, Jack McLaughlin, Bryan McLaughlin, Kevin Kinnane, Brian Barlow, Diarmuid O’Donnell, Ben White, Cormac Ryan Minor, Gavin Heuston, Luke Heuston, Darren Lowry, Keith Bourke, Rares Stoica, Kelan O’Connor, Ryan Renehan, Killian Noonan, JJ Cooney and Kevin Doyle, that was to be reckoned with on the day.

Kilfeacle laid siege to the Seapoint line from the very beginning and after just five minutes they had landed the first blow when they worked a scoring opportunity after some great phase play that saw Darren Lowry score a try in the corner.
Luke Heuston was unable to score the conversion against the wind and rain.

Clonmel return from Skerries empty handed after bruising second half performance

Kilfeacle secured the restart and immediate went on the offensive. Kilfeacle kicked the ball in behind the Seapoint defensive line and it was expertly recovered by Darren Lowry, at top speed, to rush past Seapoint’s winger and then side step the onrushing full-back to score under the posts. Luke Heuston had no problem with this conversion and with just seven minutes on the clock Kilfeacle led 12-0.

Seapoint weren’t able to match the intensity of the visitors and were losing all the major battle they were finding it very difficult to even break into the Kilfeacle half. The visitors’ pack continued to work well as a unit and eventually worked their way into a scoring position and all their hard work paid off when, after numerous phases of play they were awarded a penalty inside Seapoint’s 22. Luke Heuston scored to add the three points and Kilfeacle were now leading by 15-0.

Kilfeacle’s intensity seemed to drop after this penalty and Seapoint started to see some of the ball. With the elements on their side, they gained the upper hand and it seemed only a matter of time before they would reap their reward.

However, it wasn’t until the 26th minute and another series of phases of play before they would reflect their dominance on the pitch with a score on the board. The score came in the shape of a try under the posts after two missed tackles in the middle of the pitch saw their centre scythe through the Kilfeacle defensive line to run through from the halfway line. Seapoint converted to bring the score line to 15-7.

This score stung Kilfeacle back into action and they totally dominated the remainder of the half. In the 35th minute a Seapoint clearing kick was blocked down. The ever-alert Keelan O’Connor pounced on the lose ball to touch down under the posts. Luke Heuston converted to make it 22-7.

The remainder of the first half was played out in the Seapoint 22 with Kilfeacle probing Seapoint’s defence. This pressure paid off again when a fine move by the backs was finished once again by Darren Lowry to score his third and Kilfeacle’s fourth try. Luke Heuston once again converted. The half-time whistle came with this absorbing game poised at 29–7.

In the second half Kilfeacle started to apply a kicking game to use the elements to gain territorial advantage. As the half wore on it started to become apparent that this suited Seapoint’s running game. Seapoint were asking questions of Kilfeacle and in the 60th minute another fantastic move by their backs yielded a try under the posts, converted, for 29-14.

Kilfeacle emptied the bench to bring on new legs and reverted to keeping the ball in hand. These changes in personnel and tactics worked and slowly, definitely and inexorably Kilfeacle once again started to have more of an impact on the game. The remainder of the game was being played in the middle of the pitch with neither side in control.

With the clock having passed the 80-minute mark and the referee playing three minutes of injury time Kilfeacle were attacking in the Seapoint 22 when a long looping pass was intercepted by the Seapoint number 11. Kilfeacle’s fullback had joined in the attack, so with nobody home Seapoint’s winger ran the length of the pitch unopposed to score under the posts. The conversion kick put some respectability on the score board bringing the score to 29-21.

The final whistle came shortly afterwards.

HOME TIE V ENNISKILLEN

This win, means that Kilfeacle continue on in the Energia All-Ireland Junior Cup and now face Enniskillen at home in the last eight.

ABBEYFEALE VISIT ON SUNDAY NEXT
Kilfeacle return to Munster Junior League action next week and welcome Abbeyfeale RFC to Morrissey Park on Sunday next, November 6 at 2.30pm. We hope that our supporters will turn out in large numbers to cheer us on.