Weekend Results for Bruff

 1st XV, Adult Rugby, AIL 2008-09, Results, Underage  Comments Off on Weekend Results for Bruff
Mar 302009
 

Well, as you might have heard by now it looks like a playoff place is almost definitely out of reach.

Following a tough game at Kilballyowen Ballynahinch managed to scrape throuigh with a twenty two points to twenty win on Saturday to clinch their playoff place and consign us to fifth place in the table. While still technically possible, We have Clonakilty at home on the 11th and then we go away to Greystones for the last league phase game of the year on the 18th, Old Crescent would have to Lose to either Highfield at home on the 11th and/or Away to Malone on the 18th and we would have to get max bonus points to be sure.

Saturdays game again had the Bruff Pack dominant, the back line willing to throw the ball around a good bit but a couple of mistakes allowed Ballynahinch to score two tries, and that’s what it was, Bruff mistakes keeping Ballynahinch in the game. To be brutally honest, many felt that this game should have been put to bed by half time, such was the dominance of the Bruff side with the strong wind at their tails but they failed to put the scores on the board when they had their opposition on the rack. With Bruff going ahead after three minutes courtesy of a Brian Cahill, They maintained possession and territory but Ballynahinch latched onto a looping infield pass from the wing to the full back to create a ruck from which Chris Stevenson broke to get try No. 1 duly converted by Ryan Bambry. Finbarr Hogans try on 22minutes followedon thirty five minutes by another mistake which allowed Ballynahinch’s outhalf Bambry in for their Second try which he duly converted. This all meant that Bruff went in at halftime down by Fourteen points to ten despite spending almost all of the first half in the Ballynahinch side of the field.

The second half started with Ballynahinch coming strong and three minutes in they went ahead after a Gareth Rourke try which gave them a 19 points to ten lead. Bruff again fought back however and two minutes later hauled the lead back in a bit courtesy of a three pointer from Cahill. 19-13. This was followed by a ten minute camping out betwen the Ballynahinch five meter and try lines which eventually led to Captain Cathal O’ Regan crossing the whitewash. The Cahill conversion duly gave Bruff the slenderest of leads but it wasn’t to last long. Three minutes later Bambry knocked over a penalty to give hinch back the lead and despite a massive attack for the remainder of the game by the Bruff team with only an ocacsional breakout by Hinch they managed to hold on to the two point lead right to the finish.

Final Score Bruff 20- Ballynahinch 22.

Bruff: David Horan, Cathal O’ Regan, Stephen Foster, Alfie Laffan, Maurice O’ Connell, Mike Carroll, Ger Luby, Peter Malone, Eoghan Maher, Brian Cahill, John Moore, John Malone, Andrew Cashman, Fionbarr Hogan, Paul O’ Brien Subs: Gearoid Ryan, Mossie O’ Donnell, Padraig Cleary, Garry Leonard

Bruff J2 make McInerney Final

 Adult Rugby, J2 XV, McInerny Cup, Underage  Comments Off on Bruff J2 make McInerney Final
Mar 232009
 

Bruff put away a spirited Shannon side in Coonagh on Saturday in the McInerney cup Semi-final..

At Half-time Bruff led by 6 points to three courtesy of two Richie McAuliffe penalties.

Shannon fought back early in the second half with a converted try on 52 mins but Bruff struck again less than ten minutes later with a try by Mike Fitzgerald and successfully closed out the last quarter to come away with the win.

Bruff Scores: McAuliffe pens 7 and 22 minutes. and Mike Fitzgerald try on 60 mins.

Final Score 11-10

Team: S. Shea, T. Quirke, J. Donworth, S. Danaher, P. Fogarty, D. Power, M. Hennessy, J. Power, N. McCarthy, D. Clarke, M. Fitzgerald, M. McCarthy, P. Twomey, E. O’ Shea, R.McAuliffe,

Subs: S.Sheehan (R. T. Quirke, 65), J. McCarthy (R. D.Power, 55mins) R.Kirby, (R. M.McCarthy, 22mins), J. Guiney, B. Begley, R. Deady.

U13’s win North Munster U13 League.

 U13, Underage, Youth  Comments Off on U13’s win North Munster U13 League.
Mar 232009
 

Congratulations to the Under thirteen’s who in a tight encounter in Dooradoyle last Saturday the U13 squad won their top place play-off away against Garryowen.

Half time score Nil all after the twenty five, Garryowen went 5-0 up five minutes  into the second half after a try. Bruff had levelled to 5-5l within another five minutes and finally with four minutes left on the clock Graham Whelan kicked a penalty to give Bruff an 8 – 5 lead which is how the game finished on fifty minutes.

Scorers:

Alex McAuliffe try on 35 mins.

Graham Whelan Penalty on 45 minutes.

Saturdays Team lined out as follows: J. Aherne, K. Rea, B. Keogh, A. McAuliffe, C. O’ Dwyer, P. O’ Connell, E. Costelloe, T. O’ Dwyer, A. Neylon, A. Cooke, J. Doherty, K. Hosford (C), S. Doonagh, D. Cosgrave, G. Whelan.

Subs. and remainder of squad:  M.McKenna, M. Barry, R. Coughlan, D. Glynn, A. O’ Connell, D. O’ Grady (R. A. Cooke on 35 mins), G. Cosgrove, A. Shanahan, C. Birrane, C. Berkery, C. Collopy, E. Finn, A. O’ Sullivan, J. Carew, W. Moloney, J.J.Conway, C. Staunton, D. Prendergast, P. McMahon, P. O’ Mahoney

Congratulations to all last weekend.

 6 Nations, Adult Rugby, Blog, Ireland, Underage  Comments Off on Congratulations to all last weekend.
Mar 232009
 

First off, Congratulations to the fabulous Irish team who made history on Saturday last. John Hayes of course played the game of his life, (I know it could be said that I’m biased, him being a Bruffian an’ all but I like to think that I’m being reasonably objective) the man seems to just get better and better as he goes on. His work-rate around the field is just awesome. Hit after hit, tackle after tackle, even carrying ball like a young fellah on his first cap. The problem has always been to find a replacement for himself, the second rows and O’ Gara and I fear that this Irish team will suffer in the coming years until this matter is put to bed. Not that we wish him to finish any time soon, he’s playing far too well for that.

As I said during my “apology to Brian O’ Driscoll” last week , there is another changed man, back to the Drico of a few years back. He put himself about everywhere, put his body on the line and on Saturday again he put his head where you wouldn’t send your mother in law to score that try. He was again Captain Fantastic on the day and as I have already said the change in our Captain can only be put down to the Management squad. Finally Declan Kidney and his crew have welded together an Irish team playing for the jersey instead of a Munster pack and half-backs with a Leinster Backline and the occasional Ulsterman thrown into the mix. Speaking of which Tommy Bowe has improved immensely this season as well and even if Bestie got in O’ Gara’s way for a few seconds before the drop-goal on Saturday his contribution has been great this year.
The Parish Cardiac machines were put to good use all around the country I’m sure during the last ten minutes of the game, and the elation following that Antifreeze veined drop goal from ROG was quickly followed by absolute horror in the dying seconds waiting for Jones’s kick, again quickly followed by ecstasy when he missed. I’M SORRY BUT, I have to again ask how the last penalty was even granted at all. I know I keep saying this but the powers that be just have to clarify the situation at the ruck. The last penalty was awarded for playing the ball back on the ground (judging by the referees signals) but Paddy Wallace was one hundred percent standing on his feet and had come through the gate. In my opinion, following the letter of the laws he was fully entitled to do as he did but he could easily have been the villain of the piece after Mr. Barnes’s pinging. We have to get clarification and consistent application of the ELV’s once and for all when it is eventually decided what is and isn’t allowed to happen at a ruck.
After all that it must be said that these are definitely the golden days for Munster and Irish Rugby and hopefully the journey will continue all the way to Edinburgh in May, but of course we have the small matters of ¼ and Semi-finals to deal with first.