Clonmel Under 16s advance to Munster Rugby Cup semi-final

On a wet, miserable day in Ard Gaoithe, Clonmel u16s faced Bruff in the Munster club cup quarter final. Both sides were wary of the horrible conditions, but it never took away from the quality of rugby.

Clonmel kicked off and a Bruff fumble allowed Clonmel an early attacking platform. Within 10 minutes they turned their early dominance into points, scoring an early penalty.

Bruff woke up after their early bout of defence, and went up the field and rumbled over the line to take the lead, but the conversion was missed. Clonmel ran up the pitch and 3 minutes later, they had a try of their own as they used blistering pace to get in behind Bruff. Once again, the conversion was missed.

For the next ten minutes, the conditions took their toll on the game, as the driving rain forced some handling errors. Eventually Bruff took the upper hand and scored in the corner, putting them in front for the first and last time.

Clonmel were not going to allow Bruff to seize control over this crucial match, and they rucked hard to get a turnover, which they quickly converted into a five pointer.

At the break both sides felt like they had a handhold in the game. Both had enjoyed purple patches of territory and possession, but Clonmel came out on top of the first half.

At half-time the score was 13-10 in favour of the home side.

Clonmel's James Morris attempts to break the Bruff line during Saturday's Munster Cup quarter-final. In support is  Harry Lane.

Clonmel were gifted a try after five minutes of the second half, as some Bruff confusion underneath the posts after a missed penalty allowed Clonmel to rush up and dot the ball down for a unique try. It was duly converted. Ten minutes later Clonmel were gifted another try, as they intercepted a wayward pass, which was, once again, converted. Clonmel 27-10 with 15 minutes to go.

Bruff came at Clonmel with everything in their arsenal. The last 15 minutes were spent inside the home sides half, and Clonmel defended for their place in the semi-finals. Bruff managed to get one try, but they couldn’t close the twelve-point gap. Clonmel went home deserved winners at 27-15.

Conditions made kicking and passing difficult, but both sides still showed an outstanding standard of rugby throughout the game.

LEAGUE DECIDER RE-FIXED FOR ST. PATRICK’S DAY

The Clonmel v Bandon, Munster Junior League decider, was was cancelled on Sunday last  due to an unplayable pitch at Ardgeeha has been , rescheduled for Sunday, March 17.