U-14 Rugby

2008 Under 13 Rugby

Under-13 Rugby

A motivated and hard-working group, the Under-13s enjoyed a successful season. The team showed great character and determination to record several notable results. A great indication of the development and progress made can be found in the results of the opening and closing games of the season. Beginning the season by welcoming Newtown to Midleton we performed well but a tendency to make mistakes and a failure to convert chances saw us share the spoils in a 10-10 draw. Five months later we again entertained Newtown in our final match of the season. The team showed how well they had developed over the season by inflicting a 33-7 defeat on a Newtown side who were overwhelmed by some excellent attacking rugby. Other notable results included a 17-10 victory at Rockwell, an entertaining 41-25 defeat of Glenstal and a bruising 15-10 away win over a physically strong Bandon side.
A great deal of the team’s success was built on a very capable and competitive set of forwards. In the front row Robbie Steele, Daniel Wardle, Kim Crosbie and Fraser Browne were all impressive performers. Fraser unfortunately suffered a nasty injury while horse-riding and missed our games after Christmas. Although we missed his all-action style the other squad members, in particular Robbie Steele, upped their own effort levels to help compensate for Fraser’s absence. John McEvoy and Adam Pennington formed a formidable second row partnership and contributed several tries. Oliver Ind and Luke Deane provided pace and power as flankers and helped Brian Moore to wreak havoc from the base of the scrum on numerous occasions. Brian’s performances and leadership qualities as Captain were a real high-point and he has the ability and attitude to do very well in the future. Others who contributed well in the pack when called upon included Sean English and Nick Williams.
The backline evolved over the season and by our final game had taken on a settled appearance. James Pope and Ned O’Shea developed into capable scrum-half’s who worked well with the powerful Oliver Kane at out-half. In the centres Ben Sly and Connor Simpson performed well on a consistent basis. Eric Stapleton, Daniel Tierney, Evan Coates, Kevin Laatz and Rob Whiting all played significant roles in providing width on both the right and left flanks. David Poynton also performed well at full-back and provided a reliable last line of defense.
Overall the Under-13s of 2007-08 were an enthusiastic, energetic and talented group. They trained with discipline and performed with admirable maturity throughout the year. Despite the significant presence of numerous excellent individuals it is their strong team spirit and togetherness that I feel is their most important asset. If they continue to develop as they have I feel confident they can go on to great things. Thanks again to all my colleagues in the Rugby Department and a particular fond farewell to John Levis who has played such a significant role in the development of rugby at all levels in the college.

Panel:
B. Moore (Capt.), F. Browne, E. Coates, K. Crosbie, L. Deane, S. English, O. Ind, O. Kane, K. Laatz, J. McEvoy, N. O’Shea, A. Pennington, J. Pope, D. Poynton, R. Steele, N. Sheehy, C. Simpson, B. Sly, E. Stapleton, D. Tierney, D. Wardle,
N. Williams, R. Whiting.
-P.C.

2007 - Under 13 Rugby

From our first training session it was apparent that one thing this group did not lack was enthusiasm. Training numbers were pleasingly high from the start and regularly exceeded twenty. This high level of participation enabled us to travel to Glenstal early in the season with two teams. Aided by a number of second years the two teams performed admirably despite losing both games by narrow margins Perhaps the most pleasing aspect of both performances was the determination and spirit demonstrated by all involved. Indeed it was this “Never Say Die” spirit which came to typify the squad as the season progressed.

After the initial setback of those first two defeats the season began to develop positively. Glenstal, Newtown, Villiers and CBC were all beaten as the team grew in confidence and stature. One of the most satisfying victories came against Bandon in March. Earlier in the season we had travelled to play Bandon and were comprehensively beaten by a very physical home team. The return fixture was therefore eagerly anticipated as an opportunity to gain some revenge. By the time Bandon arrived to play us in Midleton many of our players had made great individual progress while the team as a whole had a more settled appearance. In an outstanding performance Bandon were beaten 43-21 as the team more than made up for the disappointment of defeat in our earlier fixture.

The back-line were in fine form on that day and indeed throughout the season performed very well. Led by captain Ned Hodson at out-half they demonstrated an admirable eagerness to run with the ball. Ned deserves special mention for an outstanding season in which he showed he has the potential and character to do very well in the future. At scrum-half Rory Hurley was consistent while Alex Simonin performed well at both scrum-half and full-back. The pace of Louis Farnham, David Stead, Niall Madden and Marc Hornibrook helped create numerous tries while Stephen O’Brien, Andy Colton, Greg Chambers and Owen Monagan were both creative and combative. Ben Mitchell showed great skill at full-back although he finished the season in the pack where he has all the attributes to succeed.

In the pack numerous individuals contributed greatly over the season. Adam Colton showed great heart and made excellent progress while Stuart O’Sullivan was consistent and controlled at No. 8. Mark Twomey proved himself a very able performer and John Sweetnam was always to be relied upon to provide at least one bone-crunching tackle per game! Tom Turkington, Pierre Ponchon and Tim Bourke all made good progress in the front row while Peter Abernethy, Patrick Cattell, Nathaniel Ottman and Stephen England were reliable and solid. Killian Abernethy, Sam Lynch and Andrew Lenehan were similarly consistent and made steady progress over the year. A particular mention for Shane Murphy who demonstrated a great appetite for the game and was frequently outstanding as hooker.

Overall this was an excellent group to coach. There attitude was first-class throughout the season and they showed a great sense of fun while retaining a determination to succeed. I feel that individually and collectively they have the potential to do well as they progress through the school and I wish them luck in their rugby-playing future.

Thanks to all my colleagues in the Rugby department for their assistance in particular to John Levis whose refereeing and coaching skills are of great benefit to young, developing players.

PANEL: N. Hodson (Capt.), K. Abernethy, P. Abernethy, T. Bourke, G. Chambers, Ad. Colton, An. Colton, H. Delahunty, N.Douglas, A. Simonin, O. Monagan, N. Madden, J.Hartnett, L. Farnham, S. O’Brien, A. Power, S. O’Sullivan, N. Ottman, A. Lenehan, M Twomey, M. Hornibrook, P. Cattell, R. Hurley, J. Sweetnam, T. Turkington, S. England, P. Ponchon, D. James, S. Somers, D. Stead, S. Lynch, S. Murphy, B. Mitchell, C.Powell, A. Tibshraeny, S. Hornibrook, H. Kiy, J. Waite.
P. C.

2006 - Dedicated, Hard-Working And Talented

A dedicated, hard-working and talented group of players produced a series of excellent results in what was a particularly successful season. From our very first training session it was clear that enthusiasm and attitude were never going to be a problem. An eagerness to learn, develop and improve was immediately apparent and it was pleasing to see consistently high numbers attending training.

In our first match of the season against a physically powerful Bandon side we were unfortunate to fall to a 14-24 defeat. However, despite the disappointment of defeat, the positives far outweighed the negatives and it was clear that there was great potential within the group. Perhaps the most telling fact about that first game was that it proved to be the only time the team was beaten in the entire season. In fact the clearest indication of the progress made over the season was the rematch against Bandon at the end of the season which we won in some style, 37-7.

Book ended by the Bandon fixtures we faced a number of opponents and the team never failed to produce performances packed with commitment, endeavour and no little skill. Rockwell were beaten 17-10 in a tight game while C.B.C. were overcome 31-10, in a game played during torrential rain. Glenstal were beaten home and away, the game at Glenstal representing what I feel was our best team performance as we claimed victory in a great game.

Our fixtures were complemented by two matches against visiting touring teams from England. The encounter with St Olaves from Kent produced an excellent game which amazingly ended 0-0. Our game with South Molton School was not quite so tight and ended 29-0 in our favour.

Central to the success we enjoyed over the season were a number of individuals who performed consistently to a very high standard. In the forwards Scott Hornibrook was a committed ever-present at No. 8 while Andy Weston was an influential regular in the front row. Ronan Corcoran was a competitive hooker who contributed greatly in the loose with Jason Kenneally and Alex Spink performing well as props. In the second row Greg Harrigan, Caleb Powell and Elliott Murphy all made good contributions. As wing forwards Colman Day, Jack Waite and John Dunphy played and trained well throughout the season.

As the season progressed the backline began to take shape and a number of players became central to the team's success. Andrew "Shrew" Power proved an inventive and influential scrum-half whose explosive pace was a great asset to the side. At out-half Nick Burns was a key figure whose strength and place-kicking saw him finish as the leading points scorer. In the centres Andy Daly and Alex Tibshraeny provided a combination of pace and power that unlocked a number of defences and provided a solid defensive unit. John Hartnett, Shane Somers and Josh O'Sullivan-Hourihan all performed well on the wings demonstrating excellent handling skills. Daniel James was an outstanding performer at full-back who showed a great ability to read and influence a game in both defence and attack. During the season we also called on a number of Under 14s to bolster the side including William Murphy, Nigel Douglas and Ethan Dillon.

In summary I wish to thank the players for their commitment and application. They were a pleasure to coach and I hope they all go on to fulfill their great potential. Thanks also to my colleagues in the Rugby Department, especially John Levis whose style of refereeing is of great help to the younger players and not forgetting "The Aussie", Hugh Symon whose assistance was a great help.

Panel

S. Hornibrook, J. Hartnett, A.Daly, D.James, S.Somers, N.Burns, A.Power, E.Murphy, J.Waite, C.Day, G.Harrigan, C.Powell, J.Kenneally, R.Corcoran, A.Weston, J.Dunphy, A.Tibshraeny, N.Douglas, A.Spink, J.O'Sullivan-Hourihan, W.Murphy, O.O'Sullivan, A.O'Callaghan, P.Breen, D.Kenefick, D.Corcoran, B.O'Connor, B.Thomas, E.Dillon, S.O'Regan