Rugby

Extra curricular activities play an important role in life at Midleton College.

We are fortunate to have a very high level of participation from the students in all the various activities. Rugby is no exception.

Our fixture list most seasons has a familiar look to it. There are many traditional matches against old rivals. Cup draws and games against touring sides provide variety and add interest.

In total about 90 boys play rugby. Members of the teaching staff are involved in coaching.

• Mr. Martin Preston coaches the 1st and 2nd XV sides assisted by Andrew McCarthy and Mitch McGuckin
• Mr. Ray Power coaches the U16 Cup team.
• Mr. Kevin Stanley coaches the Under 15 team.
• Mr. Paul Cashman coaches the Under 14 team.

Also involved in coaching are Mr. Brian Gill and Mr. John Levis.

Martin Preston is the overall director of rugby in the school.

Many of our fixtures are friendlies.

We are, however involved in competitions in most age groups.

Our Senior Team competes in:

• The Munster Development League.
• The Munster Senior Cup.
• The Mungret Cup
• The O’Brien Cup.

Junior Team competes in:

• The Munster Junior Cup
• The Mungret Shield.

Achievements

On various ocassions we have been successful in:

• The Mungret Cup (2008)
• The Mungret Cup (2007)
• The Mungret Cup (2006)
• The Munster Development League (as recently as 2001 and 2002)
• The O’Brien Cup (most recently in 2000)
• Both the Under 14 and Under16 teams have been successful in their leagues.

At senior level our better players have the opportunity of being selected to represent their province. As a small school they play for the Munster A School side.

For many of our players the highlight of their rugby careers in the school is an overseas tour. Every two years we undertake a tour. In the past we have travelled to England, Scotland , Wales and France. Each tour varies slightly but in general they last for six days and involve three matches. These trips provide the players with both playing and social experiences and live long in their memories.

 

Rugby 2008/2009

 Rugby News December 2009

On the 4th of November the J.C.T team played Midleton rugby club in a friendly and came out with a 27-0 win. On the same day the senior team travelled to Bandon and in a heated, physical match were defeated.
The following Saturday P.B.C came to town to play against the U15 and U14 teams.The U14 lost in a ding dong affair while the U15s recorded a pleasing victory. The following Wednesday the J.C.T s travelled to Crosshaven to play in a Mungret shield 2nd round affair and recorded a 54-5 result. On the same day the S.C.T played Pres  away and were defeated.
On the 18th C.B.C played the u14s and were narrowly defeated 22-17. On the 25th the S.C.T played C.B.C and in the dying moments Nick Burns cooly slotted a drop goal to win the match 8-5.
On the 2nd of December the seniors played the J.C.T s in a tight contest. The seniors outclassed a shellshocked J.C.T and Mark Twomey came off the bench and broke yet another bone his 25th and counting! Yet the J.C.Ts pulled out a victory from an enjoyable tussle.

Rugby Review - A look at  2008/2009

U14 Rugby

A dedicated, hardworking and talented group of players produced a series of excellent performances in what was a particularly enjoyable season. They showed great enthusiasm for the game and played with a fierce determination in every match.
In the front row, which rarely took a backward step, Robbie Steele and Kim Crosbie were the regular starters at hooker and tight-head prop respectively, while Dan Wardle and Tomas Turkington battled it out for the loose-head position. In the engine room, Adam Pennington and John McEvoy formed a formidable second-row partnership. With Captain Brian Moore locking the scrum at No. 8, the remaining back-row positions were contested for by Oliver Ind, Frazer Browne and Luke Deane, all of whom made significant contributions throughout the season.
At scrumhalf, James Pope provided the link between forwards and backs with great endeavour. Simon McCarthy played outhalf in a number of games and acquitted himself admirably. Ollie Kane was our most potent back. Playing at either outhalf or first centre, he chipped in with five tries and numerous conversions during the season. Conor Simpson’s searing pace made him a very effective outside centre.
There was huge competition for the wing positions with Ben Sly, David Poyton, Evan Coates, Dan Tierney and Robert Whiting putting in quality performances whenever called upon. Eric Stapleton and Ned O’Shea missed a number of games for various reasons but both made significant contributions when present. The most memorable of those contributions was Eric’s crunching tackle during the 26-5 victory over Bandon and Ned’s two try cameo in a 17-12 win over the same opposition later in the season.
Ben Mitchell proved to be a strong running, reliable fullback and Louis Farnham showed his versatility by being effective in a number of the backline positions.
A special word of thanks must go to John Levis who willingly gave his time to train the players and to referee matches throughout the year. His input is very much valued and appreciated by both the players and the coaches of all the teams he has assisted.
In conclusion, I would like to thank the squad for their efforts during the year and I wish them all the best in their future rugby careers as they move up through the school and beyond.
_KS.
Panel: Robbie Steele, Kim Crosbie, Dan Wardle, Tomas Turkington Adam Pennington, John McEvoy, Brian Moore, Oliver Ind, Frazer Browne, Luke Deane, James Pope, Simon McCarthy, Ollie Kane, Conor Simpson, Ben Sly, David Poyton, Evan Coates, Dan Tierney, Robert Whiting, Eric Stapleton, Ned O’Shea, Ben Mitchell, Louis Farnham

Rugby Tour

With the recession sinking its teeth in, costing was a strong factor in deciding the venue for this year’s biennial rugby tour. However, after much time was spent trawling through websites and painstakingly tedious phonecalls, Mr. Preston finally secured us a good deal on a trip to the old faithful Edinburgh.
We gathered, 29 players and 5 coaches in all at Cork Airport on the 3rd April, extremely sleepy but equally excited. Having landed at Edinburgh Airport we were whisked away by coach to The Cairn Hotel in the centre of Edinburgh. We would take up residence here for the next three nights.
After barely dropping our bags into our rooms, we were on the road again destined for our first fixture against North Berwick High School. Situated on the Firth of Forth, 25 miles from Edinburgh conditions here were not the most forgiving.Playing in a swirling easterly wind and heavy downpours the team carved out a victory against a very physical opposition. Tries came from Jesse Shanagher and Luke Dillon, while Colin O’Brien kicked 5 points to secure a 15-0 win for the touring side.
On returning to Edinburgh we visited the local cinema to see ‘Angels and Demons’. Following such a compelling story we were all exhausted and after sampling some of Edinburgh’s culinary delights (battered Mars bar and battered haggis) in Café Piceante we all hit the hay.
On the next morning we drove to Dunbar, which is situated 30 miles east of Edinburgh; Bob our trusty coachdriver pointed out the sights. In what were once again unfortunate conditions a less than full strength Midleton side was fielded against Dunbar. Due in part to the weather the game was a bit lack lustre in parts. Unfortunately we were under the rule of quite a ruthless referee and thus the game lacked an element of continuity.
After a slow start tries eluded us as a steely determined Dunbar side found holes in our defence. The second half was a more positive affair as we began to dominate but the bounce of a ball and occasional lapses in concentration meant that we were slow to capitalise on our possession. After a try from our Kiwi number 8 Adam Keane the game finished up 20-5. Disappointed we refused to be disheartened and after a good chat in the dressing room we got over this set back and looked forward to the next fixture _a trip
To Murrayfield. We were to see Edinburgh vs Cardiff but unfortunately heavy fog made the game very difficult to follow.
Sunday 5th April was a free day. Following church services we drove out to Edinburgh International Climbing Arena where we took on the Aerial Assault Course and hung terrifyingly 100ft in the air. This wasn’t for the faint-hearted and the real adrenaline junkies came to the fore as others prefered to watch. That evening we continued the competitive element of the tour as we hit the bowling alley. Results were tight and only the truly co-ordinated survived the ten frames.
After another peaceful nights sleep we headed off for our final fixture against inner city team, Portobello. This match was a culmination of a seasons training as we dominated from the off against very steady opposition in a very physical battle we came out on top despite a controversially disallowed try. Tries came from Daragh Crosbie, Captain Brian Quill, Jack Lynch and Sean O’Regan with Colin O’Brien slotting two difficult conversions. The notable crowd watching the game were not disappointed as the two respective sides fought inch for inch.
Following a successful tour we headed, battered and bruised but happy to Edinburgh International.There we bumped into none other than Serevi Waisa, Fiji’s former midfield dynamo and the Brian O’Driscoll of his day. This happy encounter was a fitting end to a very successful tour.
- Sean O’Reagan (Form VI)

 

 Under 13 Rugby 2008-09

    
An enthusiastic and capable group of players made a very impressive start to their Midleton College rugby careers and enjoyed a very successful season.  The group showed a high level of commitment, character and ability to produce a number of commendable results which were achieved with a pleasing combination of flowing rugby and sheer determination.

The opening performance of the season produced a 29-10 victory over a decent Newtown team and set the tone for the season.  Further victories followed against CBC and a touring English school, Hollywood House.  Two visits to PBC saw a fantastic 41-0 victory followed by a 22-26 defeat against a reinforced PBC side.  One of the most determined performances of the season saw a 5-5 draw in terrible conditions away against a very physical Bandon Grammar team.  Narrow defeats to Rockwell and Newtown were disappointing however the team returned to winning ways with a resounding 48-15 win over Ballincollig.  Midleton RFC were beaten 22-0 before the best performance of the season saw Bandon beaten 26-17.  The season ended with another draw, this time in a very tough match against a Crosshaven team who would have looked more at home playing against the JCT!
    
Throughout the season the forwards proved a very competitive and adept unit posing great threat when in possession of the ball and demonstrating great resilience in defence.  Gavin Spillane, Brendan Kiy, Johnathan Ottman and Paul Kingston all helped to provide a solid base in the front row.  Peter Hegarty and Luke Hevers were consistent performers in the second row with Luke in particular going from strength to strength and contributing an impressive nine tries.  Dylan Somers, Rob Cashman, Cormac O’Sullivan, Shane McPadden and Rob Scandrett provided a combination of pace and power in the back row proving potent in attack and solid in defence.
    
The backline developed into an effective unit over the course of the season and played with great spirit and no little flair.  Owen Chambers made the scrum-half position his own and provided decent ball for Simon Mcarthy at out-half.  Simon was an outstanding performer throughout the season and was both a creator and scorer of tries – a tally of nine tries and eighteen conversions shows what great potential he has.  Aarron Deane, Josh Foley and Ross Donovan were all skillful and powerful runners in the centre and were responsible for many tries scored and a significant amount saved.  Connor Sheehy, Andrew McGregor, Michael Murray, David Wood, Chris McPadden, Eddie Keane and Colin Clarke all occupied the two wings at different times and could be relied upon to show pride in the shirt and give dedicated performances with Andrew McGregor ,in particular, very reliable.  Eoin Doyle provided a strong last line of defence at full back and showed intelligence in his use of the ball and timing of supporting runs.

In summary, this is a squad with a nice balance of players providing ability and character in equal measure both in attack and defence.  There is a clear hunger and desire that will serve the squad well over the coming years.  Providing they retain the focus that was apparent throughout their first year I would be confident in predicting great things ahead both individually and collectively.  I look forward to watching their progress over the years ahead and would like to thank the squad for an enjoyable and rewarding year.  To conclude I also wish to thank my colleagues in the Rugby department, in particular Martin Preston who provided us with plenty of fixtures, Brian Gill who was of great help in training, particularly with the forwards, and ,of course, John Levis who, as ever, was invaluable both in coaching the backs and refereeing games to his usual high standard.

Panel: S. McCarthy, G. Spillane, B. Kiy, J. Ottman, P. Hegarty, L. Hevers, D. Somers, P. Kingston, R. Cashman, C. Sheehy, O. Chambers, A. Deane, R. Donovan, J. Foley, E. Doyle, C. O’Sullivan, S. Mitchell, R. Scandrett, C. Clarke, A. McGregor, S. McPadden, M. Murray, D. Wood, C. McPadden, R. Steele, F. Browne, D. Wardle, J. Pope, L. Deane, E. Stapleton, O. Kane, M. O’Callaghan, E. Keane.
                                    - P.C.