U21 MATCH REPORTS:

Under 21's McCorry Cup

Lansdowne 12 Trinity College 13

Further to narrowly losing the All Ireland Final last week the Lansdowne U21's had to quickly lick their wounds and climb back on the horse to face Trinity in the McCorry Cup last Sunday. Ballycorus yielded to the oncoming summer and conditions were perfect for what proved to be an enthralling, committed and high quality encounter between two fine sides.

From the kick off Trinity went at their task with a physicality that Lansdowne found hard to match. The Trinity pack were winning all the contests even putting the Lansdowne scrum under pressure. Gaining ground with well placed kicks and pressure through the pack Trinity forced two well earned penalties, converted by their out half Ciaran Wade, as Lansdowne struggled to get to grips with the match.

With Jack Dilger prominent in the pack, dishing out crunching tackles that reminded us of his Uncle, Lansdowne veteran, Greg, Trinity forayed into the Lansdowne half once again, moving the ball in a well rehearsed move to split the Lansdowne backline and score near the posts. Converted, the try looked ominous as Trinity were in total control and 13-0 up.

Injuries to Neil Dillon and Dave Sheridan meant that Lansdowne had to release the hounds, with Conor O'Donnell and Nick Mullen coming on. Their abrasive play stimulated the Lansdowne pack into action and Lansdowne started to remember the team they really were. The Lansdowne pack started to gain dominance and put pressure on Trinity. Keeping the ball alive with good interplay, put pressure on Trinity who conceded a penalty for the ever reliable Will McEvoy to slot the three points. Game On! More pressure, with all the action now in the trinity half and again they conceded at the pressure points for McEvoy to convert from the tee, 13-6.

Half Time arrived and with Lansdowne in the ascendency and the light wind at their backs things were looking up. With Lansdowne now gaining complete dominance at the scrum time to add to their already established lineout domination hopes were high with Will Courtney controlling both attacking and defensive lineouts and Marty Moore and Scott Caldbeck locking down the scrums. However Trinity while been outmanoeuvred were not up for giving up. Fully committed defence and brave tackling held Lansdowne at Bay. Good defensive kicking also relieved long periods of pressure that yielded two penalties converted by McEvoy to leave the score at 13-12 to Trinity with 15 mins on the clock. Lansdowne piled on the pressure with Will McEvoy, Ferdia Doherty and Dan "Tina" McEvoy making inroads into Trinity territory. Eventually Lansdowne created a chip through for the onside Dave Leydon to be wrongly called back with the line at his mercy. With Alex Byrne on at scrum half, for the excellent !

Freddy Mehigan, working like a terrier Lansdowne went at Trinity with what has to be described as brilliant rugby. Continuous phases of play going on for 10, 12, 14 phases, wonderful offloads, great lines of running and high workrate. But in fairness to Trinity, whilst broken through on several occasions, their scramble defence and commitment held Lansdowne out. Their discipline also denied Lansdowne the 3 pointer they needed and their celebrations were hard and well earned. Best of Luck to them in the rest of the competition.

For several of the Lansdowne team, Mullo, Tunney, Tim O'Mahony, Will McEvoy, Shane Gahan, Chuck O'Callaghan, Freddy Mehigan, Matt Healy and Dave Twomey and the lads already in the 1sts squad, this is the end of an era and they continue on the conveyor belt up to Billy Bob Clancy on the 1sts. We thank them for their commitment over the Year and Years and their great contribution to the experience.

I know that the thanks of the players will go to Fassie, Charlie, Twomo, JK, Peter, Dave, Steve Keogh (No not that Stevie, The Leinster one), (I' Don't know if Tunney should be here as well!!!) and also their parents who have been nothing but supportive. We also would like to thank the usual suspects of Lansdowne supporters who followed us religiously (By religiously we mean they told the wife they were off to mass!!).

Under 21's All Ireland Final

UCC 16 Lansdowne FC 10

10/04/2010
Lansdowne U21's travelled to Clonmel to play their 2nd All Ireland Final in 3 years. Undaunted with having to travel once again into Munsters Lair the Lansdowne team were buoyed by the level of support that made the long journey south, both family and the stalwart Lansdowne members. We also fully appreciated the messages of support received from those who could not travel.

The match was hosted by the Clonmel Club in what has to be applauded as great facilities. The Club and their members proved great hosts, going out of their way to provide support in any way they could.

Lansdowne were deprived by the IRFU of our U19 International prop Marty Moore, as were UCC with their hooker.

The conditions were perfect save for a brisk wind that blew with Lansdowne for the first half. From the start UCC set out their stall working the fringes and driving Lansdowne into the 22 utilising their large pack. But if physicality was what they wanted then physicality was what they got. As UCC drove forward Lansdowne stripped the ball and, in a flash passed the ball along the 22 to The Flying Chuck O'Callaghan who outstripped all the chasers to run the 70 Meters to score in the corner. Will McEvoy hit a great conversion that just drifted wide 5-0 to Lansdowne.

The 2 different styles were evident with Lansdowne's Muhammad Ali playing UCC's Joe Frasier. UCC were solid with a tall lineout but were never able to get any mauling momentum with Fellahs Like Nick Mullen, Tim O'Mahony and Jack O'Connell stopping and driving back the UCC Machine. Eventually UCC progressed to the Lansdowne 10 meter line where they were awarded a penalty. Against a brisk wind Andrew Burke, the UCC 15, struck true and cleared the bar with some to spare. 5-3 for Lansdowne.

Soon after UCC drove again into Lansdowne's 22 and, in probably their only attempt to move the ball wide in the game were intercepted by Niall Cullen who ran the length of the pitch to score in the corner. Again the unlucky Will McEvoy went close. 10-3 for Lansdowne. Lansdowne's scrum dominance was not getting it's just reward as the game neared half time the referee inexplicably awarded UCC a penalty at a scrum. Burke once again did the honours. Half Time 10-6 to Lansdowne.

Dominic "Dippy" Ryan and Matt Healy came on for Rob "Hey Hey" Timlin and Niall Cullen in a pre planned substitution. Both players had contributed brilliantly.

With the wind UCC Out Half Holland worked the corners in good Munster fashion. Several attempts to maul Lansdowne was met with the usual physical abandon by the brave Lansdowne men. Lansdowne then worked up the pitch and good back play led to a break up the right, with the UCC line at their mercy the UCC winger intercepted the final pass to clear.

Then came the defining moment. The Lansdowne No.8 Conor O'Donnell was singled out in a minor fracas by the Touch Judge. While deserving a card it seems that only one transgressor was sanctioned where there should have been two.

With the numerical advantage UCC pressed into the Lansdowne 22 where defensive heroics were performed to hold them out. Eventually the pressure told for a penalty to be awarded which Burke duly despatched. 10-9. Again UCC came in waves. Until just on the 10 minutes of the binning were up Burke got over beside the posts, then to convert for 10-16.

Back to a full compliment Lansdowne started to regain dominance. Freddy Mehigan and Dave Twomey came on for Tim O'Mahony and Alex Byrne, who had given their all. With Ryan (Via, an I told you it would work lineout move!!), Healy, Gahan and Ferdia Doherty making clear breaks only for the scramble UCC defence to thwart their efforts. The final whistle blew and UCC celebrated.

Well done to UCC who's pack kept to their task with 2nd row O'Callaghan, No. 8 Paffrey and Holland at 10 prominent. While they did not play an expansive game they set out their stall and, to us forwards, played the beautiful game very effectively.

A great disappointment for Lansdowne who have performed with bravery, commitment and skill and have represented the club with great character and honour.

Great credit must go to not only the lads on the pitch, but also to those lads who did not make it on. This was a seasons effort with everyone in the squad contributing selflessly. The future of Lansdowne is in safe hands.

The team must now pick themselves up for the McCorry Cup where we play Trinity in Sunny Ballycorus on Sunday next. 'Once more unto the breach'

Under 21's All Ireland Semi Finals

St Marys College 8 Lansdowne FC 9

03/04/2010
Lansdowne U 21’s travelled to Templeville Road to play the newly crowned Leinster Champions St. Marys. St Marys were presented with the J.P Fanagan trophy after our last league fixture by none other than their own Joe Fanagan himself. While disappointing not to win it ourselves it was great to see the hugely popular St. Marys stalwart present his own trophy to his beloved club.

Having won the league in fine style St. Marys were expected to provide a daunting task for the Lansdowne U21’s and they did not disappoint. Playing with the wind the St. Marys backs kept the ball in hand to great effect. Having broken the Lansdowne line a couple of times Lansdowne’s scramble defence did its work however eventually gave away a penalty on the 22 which winger Crotty converted for 3-0. The slick passing and positive running of their back three Ray Crotty, Ian O’Neill and Ciaran Collins put Lansdowne under pressure, eventually splitting the Lansdowne defence for Crotty to score the only try. He missed the conversion to leave the score 8-0. While St. Marys dominated proceedings they could not shake off Lansdowne. In a rare foray into St. Marys half Lansdowne won a penalty which Will McEvoy coolly converted. 8-3 with half time looming. More St. Marys pressure received no reward and thankfully Lansdowne went into half time trailing by only 5 points.

The Weather decided to influence proceedings and Lansdowne were happy to see the rain that would hamstring the St. Marys backs, pour down. Turning around with the wind Lansdowne started to slowly turn the screw. Kicking well they accessed better field position and started to pressure the St. Marys defence. The pressure led to the St. Marys Prop earning 10 minutes in the bin and a kickable penalty which Will McEvoy duly dispatched. 8-6 down and against 14 men Lansdowne controlled the game to exert more pressure on the St. Marys line. The rain and wind were making conditions hard and both teams performed miracles in handling, offloading and defence. Eventually the pressure told and St. Marys conceded another penalty and Will McEvoy stepped up and struck true. 9-8 to Lansdowne and 10 minutes to go.

With the wind and rain getting worse St. Marys came back at Lansdowne and with numbers at parity started to exert pressure. St. Marys were working to Lansdowne’s line and the Lansdowne fringe defence worked hard as the St. Marys pack piled on the pressure. Eventually Lansdowne pulled a holding penalty to clear the lines. Running into injury time St. Marys got their hands on the ball to launch one last onslaught. Picking and driving, driving and picking from a lineout on the Lansdowne 22 they worked to earn a penalty or field position for a drop goal attempt. Working over 10/12/14 phases they accomplished neither ending up two yards behind where they started before getting penalised for accidental offside. The final whistle went and the relief was evident.

This was another hard fought game, played out by two good sides, who brought nothing but pride to both clubs. Lansdowne have to be the first to admit that we were lucky to win on the day, but you earn your own luck and we earned it the hard and honest way.

Lansdowne now go forward to play UCC in the final at 2.30 on Saturday in Clonmel Rugby Club in Tipperary. There should be an “Incredible and Unbelievable” welcome from Lansdowne’s former international, son of Clonmel, Rory Moroney, (If he was able to make it up to Dublin on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday every week for 10 years then you can do it once!!!) so make sure to keep the diary free and make the trip to support the lads in what will be the hardest match of the season.

Under 21’s All Ireland Quarter Finals

UL Bohemians 9 Lansdowne FC 12 (After extra time)

28th March 2010

Lansdowne U 21’s travelled to Annacotty to face the current U21 All Ireland Champions UL Bohemians. On a lovely if blustery day the Lansdowne team returned victorious in what was an extremely tough match.

Missing key players, including Craig Ronaldson (10) and Charlie Butterworth (8) due to long term injuries, the Lansdowne team, with the wind at their backs, started positively and using the wind to their advantage kept a strong UL side pinned in their own half. However the UL Bohs defence held fast and offered Lansdowne little reward. The Lansdowne pack worked hard against an effective and dynamic UL Bohs pack who included their impressive No.8 and captain Sean Rennisson. Not able to breach the UL Bohs defence Lansdowne had to settle with two penalties from William McEvoy to head into the wind 6-0 up.

The 2nd half was always going to be difficult. With no yards to be gained with the boot Lansdowne kept the ball in hand. Progress was hard and physical with no quarter being given or taken by either side in a close contest. With the territorial advantage and the wind UL Bohs started to chip away at Lansdowne’s advantage. Two penalties by Out Half Niall Kenneally drew the game level before he struck a drop goal to go ahead 9-6. Chasing the game the Lansdowne team threw caution to the wind and manufactured a breakaway up the field that ended in a foot rush over the line for Chuck O’Callaghan to be harshly judged to have knocked on. That looked to be that, however showing grit and determination Lansdowne returned the 22 drop out up to the UL Bohs 22 but unfortunately knocked on. From the subsequent scrum the UL Bohs Out Half, thinking the game was over, didn’t go long downfield but kicked the ball out to touch beside the scrum, but the referee determined that there was one more play. The Lansdowne pack collected from the lineout and mauled and picked towards the UL Bohs line. Eventually UL Bohs gave away a penalty that Will McEvoy coolly converted. The Final whistle went and extra time beckoned.

Two tired and sore teams took once more to the field with Lansdowne using the wind to pin UL Bohs in their half. Again the solid defence held firm and Lansdowne’s only reward was a lone Will McEvoy penalty the last action of the first half. At 12-9 up the 2nd half of the extra time was dominated by the Lansdowne pack who held onto the ball for most of the 10 minutes to run down the clock to the final whistle.

It was a brave, hard fought match with all players putting bodies on the line. A great result has come at a cost with Lansdowne enforced to make 6 substitutions for injuries. This tells the story of how hard a game it was.

The Lansdowne U21’s now play St. Marys in the Semi Final in Templeville on Saturday. St. Marys were impressive winners of the Leinster league and completed a comprehensive victory over Cork Constitution on Saturday. The Lansdowne 21’s will need all the support that Lansdowne can muster on what promises to be a very tough match.

U21’s Vs Trinity

With Lansdowne in flying form the came up against the other form team in the group Dublin University. Trinity started strong and came out with 3 points but Lansdowne were not going to be pushed over easily. Superb forwards play and some excellent lines from the back put the excellent Lorcan Smyth in space and he didn’t disappoint when racing over the line. Ronaldson added the extras. (Surprise! Surprise!). Ronaldson suffered an injury which meant centre Will McEvoy had to step up and fill his boots, he did so with ease slotting two excellent penalties. The half ended 13-3 with the feeling that both teams could walk away with the points.
Both teams once again started strongly with Trinity seeming to get themselves on the front foot. Silly mistakes and lack of discipline lead to Trinity getting two penalties which they converted leaving the score at 13-9 meaning anything could happen. A sudden surge from Lansdowne gave full back Lorcan Smyth an opportunity to have a shot for a drop goal which soared high with a little help from the wind (and the crowd!) the referee raised his arm. The final score was 16-9 meaning Lansdowne are in poll position to win the league. With UCD next it means that Lansdowne really need to bring their A game to get anything out of the fixture.
At this point I would like to take the opportunity to wish Kevin Quinlan all the best on his trip to New Zealand. Kevin was in his second year of u21’s and was a valuable member of the squad. We look forward to seeing him in the Lansdowne colours again.

U21’s Vs Clontarf

Lansdowne looked to get their second win of the New Year this weekend against a much fancied Tarf side. Tarf had many of their first players down due to no AIL games meaning Lansdowne were in for a tough game. Lansdowne started poorly with Tarf converting two penalties. The 21’s finally got their act together and began to control the game. Some fine play from scrum half Alex Byrne and centre Will McEvoy meant that Lansdowne were camped in Tarf’s 22. Ferdia Doherty got Lansdowne on the score sheet with a fine dummy to cruise under the posts. Ronaldson added the conversion and a further penalty to leave the score at 10-6 after only a quarter of the game. Lansdowne once again threaten the Tarf line and after many minutes of pressure finally went over through winger Dan McEvoy as a lead began to build. Ronaldson once again added the extras. The half time whistle came and the score was 17-6 with Lansdowne in clear domination.
The second half wasn’t quite the same story. A mix of excellent forward play from Tarf and too many mistakes from Lansdowne meant that Tarf added both a penalty and unconverted try to the score board with Ronaldson only able to get 3 points on the board in the second half. With only minutes to go Tarf were camped on the Lansdowne line but a lot of hard work and a certain amount of luck meant that Lansdowne rode the wave and came out of Castle Avenue with the win, something a lot of the other teams are going to find hard. The final score was 20-14.

U21’s Vs Blackrock

This week the u21s got themselves back on track by beating a strong Rock team with a magnificent game of rugby. The game started off with some very quick running rugby with the forwards producing some great quick ball. The backs flourished with this quick ball and in particular Dan McEvoy and Neil Cullen looked dangerous from all the possession coming there way. Out Half Ronaldson controlled the game for much of the first half, a long pass from the half way line set McEvoy on his way to the try line with several side steps and jinks, unfortunately McEvoy was taken down just before the line before a superb off load meant opposite winger Cullen would cross the line for 5 points. Ronaldson added the extras and a further penalty to leave the half time score at 10-0.
The second half produced more of the Lansdowne dominance. Surging runs from captain Nick Mullen and hooker Tim O Mahony left the Rock defence shaking. Ronaldson converted 2 further penalties as a result of Lansdowne’s pressure. A last surge by Lansdowne produce the final try with prop Scott Cladbeck going over the line. The match ended 23-0 with the RDS crowd having enjoyed the rugby on show. A great win means Lansdowne are back on the hunt for back to back titles in the Leinster League.

U21's Vs St Marys

24/01/10

Lansdowne once again failed to get back to winning ways at a cold and blustery Templeville Road. A strong Mary's team came out of the blocks straight away and put lansdowne under constant pressure. The Lansdowne pack battled for 80 minutes to get on top but Marys were out to prove a point against the reigning champions. 2 tries from fine back moves resulted in Mary's taking a 12 point lead. Ronaldson was again in fine form with his boot and converted 3 penalties before Mary's themselves convert a penalty to leave the game at 15-9. Another losing bonus point however a second loss in the super six means Lansdowne need a win next week against a strong rock side.

U21's Vs UCD

17/01/10

The U21's suffered there second defeat of the season to a strong UCD side in the RDS. With it being the first game after nearly a 2 month break both teams lacked composure and fluidity however it was UCD who came out on top with a strong maul in the Lansdowne 22 resulting in a try.
Lansdowne pushed and pushed but just couldnt find the gaps to exploit UCD. The game finished 10-3 to UCD with Ronaldson getting Lansdownes 3 points. Lansdowne can comeout of this game knowing the recieved a losing bonus point and are only 3 points off the top.

U21’s Vs Old Belvedere.

22/11/09

The U21’s slumped to their first defeat of the season on Sunday in a 13-12 lost to Old Belvedere at Anglesea Road. In a scrappy first half both teams battled for the ball in windy conditions. Both teams had opportunities to take the lead but the wind forced both teams penalties wide.

Lansdowne delivered the first score through a try from David Leyden after some good build up play and some creative kicking, through this winger Leyden scored in the corner. The conversion proved too difficult a task for kicker Ronaldson. Then came the half time whistle with the score lying at 5-0.

The second half proved to be all Belvo with some strong running and clever kicking with the wind behind them. Belvo got off the mark with a penalty kick and didn’t look like stopping their advances. Their constant pressure resulted in a converted try leaving Lansdowne trailing 10-5. Lansdowne gained some momentum but unforced errors lead to Belvo having another spell in the Lansdowne 22 which resulted in another 3 points. Lansdowne pressed after the kick off and were denied crossing the whitewash on several occasions by the Belvo defence until substitute Charlie Butterworth gave a sublime pass to prop Jack O Connell who was lurking unmarked on the wing. Ronaldson added the extras but it was too late and Lansdowne suffered there first loss this year by 13-12.

However this loss has not impacted their qualification to the Super Six which begins on the 6th of December.

U21’s Vs Greystones.

The U21’s kept up there fine record this weekend with a superb win over a fancied Greystones side in the RDS. The first half produced a lot of errors from both teams. Lansdowne came out of the blocks quicker than Greystones scoring a try after 10 minutes through excellent clearance at the ruck bringing quick ball. Dan McEvoy went over for the first five pointer. Neil Byrne was a constant threat all day and after several rumbles he found the line to leave the half time score at 17-7. The ever reliable Craig Ronaldson kicked both conversions and added a penalty to his tally for the half.

The second half brought much more line breaks and exciting rugby. Lansdowne threatened all over the pitch with second row Will Courtney finding the line twice with two brilliant runs. Centre Ferdia Doherty and winger Charles O Callaghan also crossed the line with Ronaldson converting three of the four tries.

The final score was 43-7 and with Lansdowne getting the ever precious bonus point it guarantees their progress to the Super Six where teams like UCD and Trinity await.

U21s 24-10 Blackrock

24.10.09
The U21s went a step closer to qualifying for the super six this weekend with a fine victory against Blackrock in Stradbrook. With the Landsowne against a strong wind in the first half they battled well to go 17-0 up at half time. A mixture of fine defence and extremely good offloading the 21’s scored two tries through Robert Timlin and Daniel McEvoy. Both tries were converted by the left foot of Craig Ronaldson who was once again excellent with his kicking duties, he also converted a fine long range penalty.
With the Lansdowne having the advantage of the wind at their backs in the second half it looked like a comfortable victory was going to be the result, however Blackrock came out a different team and were constantly applying pressure to the Lansdowne defence. Rock got their first try as a result of fine pressure and strong scrummaging, several pick and goes later they crossed the line to make it 17-5. Lansdowne came back with an immediate reply with some mazy running by full back McEvoy who went over for his second try of the game,(again converted by Ronaldson) which left the score at 24-5. Rock once again battered there way to the Lansdowne 22 and with some neat back play and dynamic carries they crossed the line for their second try of the game. Further pressure came but the Lansdowne defence dealt with it insuring Rock did not get a losing bonus point which will no doubt be of use when the teams surely meet again in the super six. The final score was 24-10 leaving Lansdowne on top of the group with 2 rounds of matches played.

17.10.09

U21's Vs Clontarf.

The retention of the Leinster League began this weekend for the U21's with a home game against a very strong Clontarf team. The U21s began strongly with strong running from both the backs and forwards. The half time score read 12-9 to Lansdowne courtesy of a drop goal from wing Charles O Callaghan and three penalties from out half Craig Ronaldson. The second half produced much more threatening rugby with the backline creating many line breaks and the forwards using fine skills to keep the ball moving. Tries from full back Dan McEvoy and flanker Rob Timlin (both converted by Ronaldson) gave the 21s a comfortable 26-9 lead however Clontarf replied immediately with a quick penalty in the Lansdowne 22 which resulted in a try putting the scores to 26-16 and making it an interesting final quarter. Constant pressure from the Lansdowne pack resulted in Clontarf being camped in there own 22. A 5 metre scrum resulted from this pressure and No8 Connor O Donnell raced over for the third!
try of the day which was also converted bringing Ronaldson's total for the day to an impressive 15 points. This left the final score at 33-16 leaving the U21's at the top of the table with a mouth watering clash against Blackrock in Stradbrook next weekend.

29.09.09

U21’s versus Terenure College RFC

The U21’s faced their first full match of the season against Terenure in Lakelands. Even though it was only a friendly it had the making of an exciting game. Lansdowne started the game well with some strong running in the backs and fantastic interplay among the forwards. However unforced errors and good Terenure defence enabled the opposition to soak up the early pressure and begin a spell of domination. Lansdowne held firm after several plays in the Lansdowne 22 and some determined counter rucking by the forwards turned over ball which unleashed the backs to counter attack the length of the field. Some excellent covering tackling saved an almost certain try. From this play sustained Lansdowne pressure resulted in several penalties on the try line, leading to several attempts from the forwards to barge their way over with no success until scrum half Kevin Quinlan received scrappy ball and found the gap to convert a try the sustained spell deserved. Ronan Skeehan converted the extras. The second try came soon after with a Terenure clearance kick finding touch in the Lansdowne 22 which hooker Dave Tunney took quickly, full back Lorcan Smyth then proceeded forward linking with centre Ferdia Doherty who eventually found winger Kelvin Ekanem who received the ball on the half way line and used pace and power to find the line. Terenure responded with a quick penalty making the score line 12-3 at halftime.
The second half started the same as the first with both teams fighting for field possession. Both teams found themselves under pressure largely from early season unforced errors yet both teams were defensively strong enough to hold out during the third quarter. Strong runs from Charlie Butterworth and Mick Sheehy helped pile the pressure on Terenure. Lansdowne unfortunately could not reflect this on the scoreboard and Terenure began to get back into the game. Through many forward runs Terenure found there way to the Lansdowne line and eventually went over for a try. There were no more scores so the game finished 12-8. The U21’s will try and improve from where the left off next week as they take on the current All-Ireland champions UL Bohs in Limerick on Saturday.

15. Lorcan Smyth, 14. Mick Sheehy, 13. Charles O’ Callaghan, 12. Ferdia Doherty,
11. Kelvin Ekanem, 10. Ronan Skeehan, 9. Kevin Quinlan, 8. Neil Burke, 7. Tim Glynn, 6. Robert Timlin, 5. Dave Sheridan, 4. Nick Mullen (Capt), 3.Scott Caldbeck,
2. Dave Tunney, 1. Tim O’Mahony.
Subs: David Leyden, Dan McEvoy, Charlie Butterworth, Conor O Donnell, Sean Breslin, Jack Whelan, Charlie Campbell

21/09/2009

Under 21s Retain Tomsie Beirne Cup

A large Under 21s side travelled down to Cill Dara rugby club to play in the second Tomsie Beirne Cup. Having won it last year the squad was confident of retaining the title. Our first game was against Newbridge RFC. After a tightly contested game we came out on top with the score finishing 12-5. St Marys were next; with a strong pack and fast backs we knew we had to be on top of our game to beat them. Unfortunately during this half hour period the team just didn’t click and Mary’s eventually ran out winners and also topped the group. We still qualified from the group in second place with UL Bohs waiting for us in the semi final.

After much talk and some inspirational words from the coaches we were ready for UL Bohs. This game was probably the best game we played in the competition as it was fantastic running rugby with excellent link play. We ran out victors by 24-7. We were one step away from retaining the trophy. The other semi final consisted of Marys and Trinity, this game could not find a winner in normal time so was forced into extra time with Marys scrapping through with a dramatic drop goal in the last play. This gave us another shot at Marys.

With all members of the team knowing there roles we went into the game extremely confident. The first half produced a lot of mistakes as both teams fatigue kicked in from all the days other matches. The first half was scoreless. When regrouping at half time we were able to address our problems in the first half, and we did so immediately hitting Marys through the forwards with some excellent passing. This saw the game change and we eventually got on top of Marys. The final score finished 17-5 and it meant Lansdowne are so far the only winners of the Tomsie Beirne after its 2 year history.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who were involved in the running of the tournament as it was once again extremely successful and fun was had by all teams. Thanks also must go to this year’s u21 coaching team of Declan Fassbender, Charlie Quinn and Alan Twomey for the great job they put in for the preparation on the weekend.

Tomsie Beirne U21 Squad:

Lorcan Smyth, Mike Sheehy, Neil Cullen, Ronan Sheehan, Craig Ronaldson, Kevin Quinlan, Ferdia Doherty, David Leyden, Charles Callaghan, Peter Rouse, Dan McEvoy, Will McEvoy, Charlie Butterworth, Neil Byrne, Conor O Donnell, Sean Breslin, Jack Whelan, Tim Glynn, Nick Mullen, Will Courtney, Dave Sheridan, Scott Caldbeck, Dave Tunney, Tim O Mahony, James Calsin, Charlie Campbell.

03-05-2009

20's do the double

Lansdowne 29-10 UCD

The under 20's finished the season on a high with a win over UCD, competing a fantastic League and Cup Double.

Facing a heavy breeze in the first half the 20's we were 10 3 down at half time with one penalty coming from the boot of Craig Ronaldson.

Within 5 minutes of half time we were within one point where Craig slotted 2 big kicks followed by an opportunistic try from Shane Gahan.

Further tries from a dominant pack and kicks from Ronaldson left the final scoreline at 29 10 in our favour.

Great credit to all involved - the future is bright.

Pictured right is U20's Captain Paddy Mallon after victory over UCD to clinch the JP Flanagan League

See pictures from U20s Vs UCD JP Flanagan League...........