Midleton College

2009/2010 Rugby

Midleton College Bring Back Mungret Cup

2008/2009 Rugby

Senior Rugby

Alas, talk of achieving a four in a row in the Mungret Cup proved somewhat fanciful. Certainly if early season form was anything to go by, it was very much a pipe dream with only one win recorded in the period up to Christmas. Having said that it is a credit to the collective squad and leadership of the team that they managed to turn things around, reach the Mungret Cup Final and then only go down 15 – 8 in a close encounter.

In truth, the whole season was taken up in the search for a credible half back combination at nine and ten. The fact that coming in to the season there was no obvious choice in either position created major problems and in many respects solving this problem was to prove “a bridge too far” and ultimately our Achilles heel in the final. No fewer than five scrum- halves and four out- halves were used over the season.

What we did end up with was a highly competitive pack lead by an outstanding back row of Brian Quill, Jack Lynch and Darragh Crosbie. They would grace any team and their talents were deservedly recognised at Munster School’s Level. Brian played for the U- 19 Squad, whilst Jack and Darragh played a second season in the successful Munster “A” Team that beat Connaught and Leinster “A”.

The front row was made up of an ever improving Tiernan Brennan at loose head, a fiery and combative David O’Sullivan at hooker and an extremely solid Denis O’Riordan at tight head. Denis’ ability was recognised by Munster “A” at the Inter- Pro Series. Overall though, one would like to see him more involved in the full seventy minutes of the game as occasionally he would go “awol”.In between the front and back row we eventually settled on a second row combination of Owen Barnes and Charlie O’Sullivan. They provided solid and steady line out ball and were often prominent in the loose.

Adam O’Callaghan and Ian White finished the season as the half backs but as I said we never achieved the stability and consistency that these crucial positions require if a team is going to do well. Jesse Shanagher and Luke Dillon were more often than not the centre partnership. Jesse will be remembered for his hard straight running and no nonsense tackling. Luke was back to rugby after a break and improved after every game he played scoring a memorable try on tour against North Berwick. Colin O’Brien settled eventually at full back. A dedicated trainer, his hours of practice place kicking proved a very impressive and valuable asset. Knowing that you have someone who can step up and slot a penalty or goal in a tight situation was a great consolation to the team. Again several players played on the wing. What a pity that Dan Roche broke his arm at a crucial stage in the season as he was coming into a rich vein of form. To travel as honorary bag man on the rugby tour was scant reward. Sean O’Regan, Andy Daly, Seth Shanagher, Kieran James and Nick Burns all made appearances on the wing at one stage or another.

Our Senior Cup campaign consisted of one game, an 8 – 22 defeat to a strong Bandon Grammar side. Although disappointing this was a marked improvement on the 3 – 44 defeat to the same opposition in early September. In every one’s mind though, was the Mungret Cup encounter with local new comers Pobal Scoil na Trionoide , Youghal. We were the cup holders and as the captain’s mother told me on several occasions, this was a game we couldn’t lose. Neutrals were not to be disappointed. It was an epic struggle and we just scraped home 8 – 3, Nick Burns scoring the all important try. I don’t think anyone present will forget the last seven minutes of the game, camped defending our own goal line, desperately waiting for the referee’s final whistle. We’d escaped having been given a thorough examination.

The semi final encounter with Waterpark in Midleton produced the same result. A fine try by Jesse Shanagher in an extremely tight game brought us to a final for the fourth year in a row. Sadly in the days before the final, Denis O’Riordan was concussed and would play no further part in the season. Andy Weston stood up to the mark well but he lacked the experience and indeed the firepower of the “Donch”. The final was played on a good surface in Clonmel RFC but with a gale of wind blowing down the pitch. We played into it in the first half and got a vital first score when Charlie O’Sullivan burrowed over from a ruck close to the Newtown line. Turning around in the second half we didn’t have the accurate kicking game to use the elements to the best of our advantage and with Denis injured and Jack Lynch obviously carrying his shoulder for much of the game it was always going to be a big ask against a fine, well balanced Newtown side. They opened up our defence on a couple of occasions and despite a late penalty from us turned out deserved winners at 15 – 8. We had put up a very creditable performance to come so close but in truth the best side won. The disappointment was tempered by the fact that we were shortly to embark on a successful trip to our old haunt of Edinburgh.

The seconds played 3 three games, going down heavily in two games and recording a 19 – 15 victory against Bandon in the other. Many of the players gained valuable experience and are regular first team players in the current season.

We are grateful as usual to the MAR for supplying us with official refs wherever possible and indeed Rory Graham in the kitchen for looking after early lunches and also our ground staff lead by Gerry Maguire for keeping the pitches in good order.

Panel:
Brian Quill (captain), Tiernan Brennan, David O’Sullivan, Denis O’Riordan, Owen Barnes, Olan O’Sullivan, Darragh Crosbie, Harris Monagan, Kieran James, Colin O’Brien, Dan Roche, Jack Lynch, Jesse Shanagher, Andy Daly, Sean O’Regan, Emmet Rose, Greg Harrigan, Seth Shanagher, David Matthews, Charlie O’Sullivan, Nick Burns, Andrew Power, Adam O’Callaghan, Ian White, Alex Tibshraeny, Josh O’Sullivan -Hourihan, David Kenefick, Luke Dillon, Andy Weston, Jason Devlin, Adam Keane, Scott Hornibrook.

2008 - Senior Rugby News

In over twenty years coaching of the senior group this must rank as the most satisfying, successful and enjoyable panels I have worked with. As I have said on many occasions in the past, when the core of your team is made up of experienced 6th years you will always have a chance of doing well. Having won the Mungret Cup the previous year with a relatively young side, many of whom were available again, this year the pressure was always going to be on us to try and go for the “three in a row”, a feat only ever achieved by Glenstal at this level. The group did not disappoint. What singled out this group, apart from the obvious talent, was the leadership qualities of such stalwarts as Niall Wilcox, David O’Callaghan, George McLay, Clive Ross, Luke McKeown and Bill Twomey. Time and again they were asked to stand up to the plate and they were not found wanting.

Not that early form was a guide to what would unfold later in the season. We started with a 31 – 3 defeat to CBC but managed to follow up with a good 19 – 5 victory over PBC. Whilst the Munster Schools campaigns were on, we fielded a second XV against New Ross and recorded a hard fought 17 – 0 victory. A similar group were defeated 12 – 25 by Bandon. Nearly back to full strength we were defeated at home 5 – 20 by a strong Glenstal side. A further 3 – 0 victory over Newtown and a second XV victory over visiting English school, Hayleyboro, 57 – 5 completed our pre-cup friendly run.

The rematch in the Senior Cup with Newtown was never going to be easy and so it proved. Despite tries from Brian Quill, David O’Callaghan and Luke McKeown we still needed a huge penalty kick from Jack Lynch to give us a 20 – 17 victory over our close rivals. This victory brought us down to Bandon for a more comfortable 27 – 7 victory with tries from Conor Cooney, Luke McKeown, Clive Ross and one more from David O’Callaghan.

We went into the Christmas break knowing we had a game against Glenstal on the 23rd of January to determine who would play Crescent in the Senior Cup quarter final. Circumstances dictated that we were unable to secure a warm up game and I have no doubt this contributed to our defeat on the day ( 5 – 6 ). Throughout the game the team displayed no little skill and determination, they scored the only try and spent the last 10 minutes of the game camped on the Glenstal line. Only a solid defence that refused to yield a second try saved the day for the visiting team who then incidentally went on to defeat Crescent by the same score of 6 – 5 to proceed to the cup semi final. Oh, what might have been!

There was no time to lick our wounds as the following week we started our defence of the Mungret Cup with a comfortable 38 – 12 victory over St Nessan’s in Limerick. Back to Midleton for what on paper was a routine semi-final with Bandon. A 5 – 3 victory was achieved at the end of a gruelling battle. Luke McKeown stole in for an opportunist try but it was a day when possession of the ball was almost a liability on a heavy pitch. Fortunately most of the game and especially the last 10 minutes was played between the two 10 metre lines. It wasn’t pretty, but it was a win for the pack who retained possession for phase after phase just to run the clock down.

Again despite momentum, mock exams dictated that the final would not be played for another month. We were to play Newtown in Clonmel and the two previous encounters suggested there would again be nothing between the sides. In the first half we kept our attack quite narrow, laying siege to the Newtown line on several occasions but determined defence kept us out. Eventually Clive Ross broke the deadlock diving over to give us a deserving lead. Newtown scored a penalty, so 5 – 3 at half time barely seemed enough as we had to turn into a stiff breeze in the second half. Sure enough early in the second half we conceded a penalty which left us with a lot to do at 6 – 5 down. Continuing to play narrow was not working thus we unleashed a training ground back line move. Out half Nick Simonin looped off first centre Jack Lynch and the ball went out to Bill Twomey who put Luke McKeown away in the corner to give us a deserved 10 – 6 lead. Newtown as expected threw everything at us in the last 5 minutes but to no avail and the incredible feat of “three in a row” had been achieved.

At representative level we had the remarkable journey of David O’Callaghan (article elsewhere). My only disappointment throughout a marvellous season was George McLay no making the full Munster school side. Having been one of the group who went to Clongowes for Munster training, he was well in the frame and showed on many occasions that he was equal to the standard. Playing again for the Munster “A” schools was some small reward for an amazing amount of hard work. Alongside George on the”A” school side were Niall Wilcox, Brian Quill and Jack Lynch. They were all part of a successful group that defeated Leinster”A” but then had the disappointment of Connacht not being in a position to field a team to play them.

It would be remiss of me not to acknowledge and thank John Levis for his years of service and dedication to Midleton College rugby and beyond. Both at coaching and administration level his input was immense. The good news is that the boots have not been permanently hung up as he is back in the middle with whistle in hand at under 13/14 training sessions. His continued presence is very welcome. Thanks also to my colleagues in the rugby department and also to the MAR for supplying referees for the important games and to Gerry and Tim for maintaining the rugby pitches.

Panel:
Niall Wilcox (capt) G McLay, D O’Callaghan, C Ross, B Twomey, J Hackett, R Ledwidge, S Harrigan, R Swanscott, L McKeown, C Cooney, A Roberts, N Simonin, J Shanagher, J Lynch, J O’Callaghan, C O’Brien, A O’Callaghan, B Quill, D Crosbie, D O’Riordan, H Monagan, D Mathews, C O’Sullivan, K James, T Brennan, S O’Regan, A Murphy, S Shanagher, E Rose.

MCP

2008 - UNBELIEVABLE TREBLE! MIDLETON’S MUNGRET WIN!

The 12th of March saw the senior team plus 90 supporters make the long trip to Clonmel. The occasion was the Mungret Cup final, Midleton College v Newtown. Harsh conditions allowed Newtown to kick two early penalties with the wind at their backs. What looked like an ominous half turned out differently with great defence from the Midleton lads. Just before half time Clive Ross popped up to score a try which boosted the confidence of all the players and supporters.

A hard fought second half, which Midleton clearly dominated, failed to produce the winning score until the last few minutes. Luke McKeown ran forty yards to secure the three in a row for Midleton College.His try is pictured below.

Congratulations to Mr Preston and the whole squad on a well deserved victory at the end of a fantastic season.

2007 - Back to Back Success!

“ Charlesworth dives over to retain cup for Midleton!” So ran the heading in the Irish Examiner. Having won the cup in the previous year it was always going to be difficult to retain it, more since we were meeting arch rivals Newtown for the third time in the year. We had already lost to them in the league and then again in the league final. Indeed our early season form had been mixed.

Two defeats to CBC and PBC were followed by a good away win in Bandon ( 27-17) also in a friendly game. We immediately moved into the league campaign the winners of same moving on in the senior cup to play Glenstal. In recent years there has been a major problem of differing standards. We would usually have close games with Bandon and Newtown but often have facile victories over nearly all other league opponents. A resounding 48-0 victory ( 7 tries including a hat trick for Fionn O’Sullivan ) over St Caimin’s left us in a positive frame of mind for the trip to Waterford to play Newtown. In a closely fought game played in a downpour we deservedly lost 3-8 as we only once looked like scoring a try with Luke McKeown cleverly kicking ahead and chasing up himself. We then went on remarkably to beat Bandon at home 48-14 (another 7 tries) and then Clonmel 48-0 in Clonmel ( 5 tries ). A week later we played St Nessan’s in Limerick beating them 55-0(another 8 tries). These results effectively left us in a league final play off against Newtown who had remained unbeaten throughout the campaign. The game was played in mid January in Clonmel. Again in an extraordinarily tight game Newtown emerged victorious by a score of 8-3. Once again there was nothing between the teams but it was not to be our day.

Our Mungret Cup defence got underway with an abortive trip to Mallow. An official Munster Branch referee did not appear so we went home only to return the following Wednesday. In a titanic battle we emerged 10-7 victors. There was a major blot on the day with a serious injury to Conor Brougham. Sadly Conor was to spend the rest of the season on crutches. Having improved throughout last season, one hopes he will play once again despite his golfing commitments. Having survived a very severe test, we followed up the next week with a resounding 82-0 victory over St Nessan’s in Midleton (12 tries).

In the semi-final we had a potentially awkward encounter with St Clement’s on their very small pitch behind the school in Limerick. A couple of early tries settled the nerves and we ran out 25-12 victors. In fairness the score did not do justice to a very tenacious St Clement’s side and for long periods we found ourselves defending deep in our own “ 22 “. Thus we had reached the final of the Mungret Cup and who were waiting for us only Newtown!

There are many memories of an unforgettable day in Youghal. We fielded a team minus our first choice second rows of Conor Brougham and Mark Deane, Niall Wilcox our first choice hooker was also a frustrated spectator. Despite this, the pack were magnificent with David O’Callaghan and Brian Quill supplying good quality line out ball thanks to Johnny Hackett’s accurate “darts”. Daragh Crosbie, George McLay and Jack Lynch were a tireless back row. Pride of place must go to the midfield defence of Craig Moore and Owen Daly. Having conceded a soft try in the first half very little else went past them. The half back combination of David and William Oppermann had their best outing of the season in Midleton colours. Having gone in at half time 5-0 down, Polo Crosbie showed great nerve to land a difficult penalty from the left in the early part of the second half to bring the score to 5-3 in Newtown’s favour. As we had come to expect Jack Charlesworth was solid at full back showing great awareness to appear on the left to dive over for our only try of the game in the forty-third minute

8-5 Midleton with 25 mins left to play. Newtown as we would expect came back to attack strongly but we showed a steely discipline not allowing them any kickable penalty opportunities. Fortunately in the final quarter we raised the siege and played the game out in the Newtown half with both David and William kicking intelligently into the spaces to take the pressure off. Victory was sweet having lost the final to Newtown not so many years before. Celebrations were unrestrained but we quickly had to regroup as the squad were heading off to Edinburgh three days later for their biennial tour. A clean sweep in Scotland (report elsewhere!) was a fitting way for a dedicated squad to round off a very successful season. In all they scored 78 tries of which 14 were touched down by Fionn O’Sullivan.

The second fifteen played 5 matches between September and January. These games are important as it provides opportunities for those who are over age for senior rugby to continue to play in the college colours and obviously those who are not yet making the first fifteen but are knocking at the door. Many of these players would fall away if they found they were only holding bags at training week in week out. They lost 3 games against New Ross and Glenstal (both home and away). Home wins were recorded against Midleton CBS and Carrigaline Community School. Players who showed their potential in the back line were Bill Twomey at full back and Jesse Shanagher on the wing. Whilst in the forwards Tiernan Brennan, Richard Ledwidge and Harris Monagan all had their moments.

At Munster A representative level Owen Daly, David O’Callaghan, Mark Deane, Niall Wilcox, George McLay, Stephen Waters and Sean Harrigan all played in a preliminary trial match. Of this group David, Mark, George and Niall were eventually chosen for the final squad of 22 players. David and Mark were the very effective second row partnership whilst George played in the front row at tight head. They all played a significant part in victories over Connaught and Leinster. I was particularly delighted for Niall who was selected as sub hooker for the campaign but disappointed that he was limited to a five minute cameo role in the game against Leinster. Shortly afterwards he was to get a serious ankle injury in a game against Glenstal and that was to be the end of his rugby for the rest of the year. It is really only now, one full year later, that his ankle is getting back to full strength.

As usual I would like to extend my thanks to my fellow coaches Mitch and Macker and indeed the rest of the rugby department for their constant support throughout the season. It is greatly appreciated. I also thank the Munster Branch for supplying referees to our games and to Gerry and Tim for looking after the pitches, especially, on match days.

Panel; P Crosbie (captain), M Deane, O Daly, C Moore, D Oppermann, C Brougham, J Charlesworth, A Ross, S Waters, W Oppermann, A O’Regan, D Farrell, B Twomey, J O’Callaghan, L McKeown, D O’Callaghan, C Ross, S Harrigan, G McLay, N Wilcox, J Lynch, J Hackett, B Quill, F O’Sullivan, J Shanagher, C von Treu, J Owers, D Crosbie.

MP

Success At Last!

Having arrived at the final for the third time in four years we eventually brought the Mungret Cup home. And yes, despite what is said about winning, it is nice and indeed important occasionally to achieve success.

There was certainly no indication at the beginning of the season that a cup win was on the cards. We played the usual friendlies with Christians and Pres and a narrow friendly victory (7 - 5 ) over Bandon in atrocious conditions before we moved on to the league campaign. Routine victories were achieved against St Clement's (47 - 5 ), Clonmel (58-0) and St Nessan's ( 47 - 13 ). These left us in a league semi- final against Bandon. After a difficult start we eventually settled down and recorded a 17 - 8 victory outscoring the opposition three tries to one. Due to cup commitments the league final was not to be played until after the cup campaign finished in February proving somewhat of an anti climax.

One of the keys to the successful season was a strong spine throughout the team. Two players in the pack, Joe Deane and Hal Hodson, typified this strength. Joe was a human dynamo at openside and continually drove the pack on. Hal got better and better every game at No 8. Both were Munster "A" triallists and were unlucky not to progress onto the team. They were certainly as good as anyone who played on the team.

The driving force, outhalf and captain of the team was Peter Brougham. Rarely have I come across anyone who was more dedicated to his own game and indeed the preparation of the team. He has great ability and did his utmost to maximise it. Many of the games played were controlled by his kicking ability or indeed a strong running game. His place kicking was second to none and his tackling ferocious. He was unlucky to only be considered good enough for a place on the bench for Munster "A". His chief lieutenant was of course Cathal Mc Sweeney at outside centre. His ability was rewarded with a second season on the Munster "A" side and again was a positive influence on the team. His ability to break defences made him one of the most prolific try scorers in recent times, having nailed down the No 13 jersey for three seasons at senior level and playing close to 50 senior games for the school. These players were surrounded by a blend of youth and experience. I have no doubt that one of the reasons why this team was so successful was the fact that the "three form groups" on the team gelled very quickly and effectively.

The cup campaign as is now usual, got underway in December. A 49-0 victory over St Ailbhe's in Tipperary was followed up on the 19th December by a 31-0 victory over Clonmel High School. I cannot recall ever playing so late in December. One major advantage was that we were "two weeks fitter" when we resumed the campaign in January. A friendly 26- 5 victory over a Glenstal XV stood us in good stead for what was effectively a Mungret Cup semi-final. Winning down in Bandon has never been easy but a disciplined performance saw us through by a margin of 15 to 9.

A winning cup campaign needs the important ingredient of luck. Our luck came in the form of a home final in a neutral venue - Midleton RFC! Castretroy College had beaten Newtown in the other semi -final and came full of confidence that they could win their first major trophy. We had tradition on our side and the fact that we were playing in our third final in four years. Like Munster we had no intention of losing another one. Peter's trusty boot (3 penalties ) and a heroic defence especially just before half time kept them scoreless up to five minutes from the end when our defence was eventually breached for a try in the corner leaving the score at 9 - 5. The final 5 minutes plus of play seemed like an eternity but our defence remained firm. The cup was ours! Our reward, a senior cup quarter-final against Christians the following week.

Fortunately we were able to field the same settled side that had contested the Mungret Final the previous week. We got off to an assured and settled start, disappointingly though, ten minutes of pressure failed to yield any points. Peter put a drop-goal attempt just wide as he did a difficult penalty some minutes later. It was probably the most disappointing aspect of the day that we did not put a score on the board despite spending the last 5 minutes camped on the Christians line. Going down to a final score line of 29 - 0 did not do the team justice for a fine performance.

The league final which had been postponed since before Christmas was due to be played at the end of February. The incentive of winning a league and cup double should have been enough to motivate the players especially as we were again on home soil in Midleton. It was not to be. Newtown on the day were hungrier and emerged victorious 5- 3 in a close encounter.

It was a minor disappointment at the end of a great season. If anyone said in September that we would be cup winners and league finalists I would have doubted them but the team developed and matured into a very useful outfit that deserved their cup success. I must take the opportunity at this stage of thanking Andrew McCarthy for his Trojan work with the pack during the year. His knowledge and experience of the game is invaluable and he certainly left his mark on this team as he has done on many groups in recent years. Thanks is also due as usual to John Levis for working on the fixture list and of course Gerry and Tim for preparing and marking the pitches and looking after flags on match days.

Panel

P Brougham (Captain), C McSweeney, C Moore, O Daly, C Allen, P Crosbie, D Farrell, J Deane, H Hodson, G McLay, M Deane, D O'Callaghan, I O'Brien, N Wilcox, S O'Brien, A Van de Kerckhove, A Ross, J Charlesworth, C Brougham, L McKeown, D Oppermann, W Oppermann, S Waters, T Cleere.