J4 - 2009/10

10/10/2009

3:00pm

League

Coolmine

16 - 14

St. Marys J4 XV

Away

Coolmine 16-14 St. Mary's

The J4's began their league campaign with a narrow defeat away to Coolmine on Saturday afternoon.

The re-organisation of the J4 league into sections based on last season's results, sees us in Section A with the strongest teams - Coolmine, Terenure, Old Belvedere, Clontarf, Blackrock and Tallaght - in a straight league format with the team finishing top winning the league (no knockout matches), the bottom team relegated to Section B and the team finishing second last playing off against the runner-up in Section B. All of which means there are no easy games!

The first half was a stop-start affair with the referee penalising both sides liberally at the breakdown. Out-Half Teddy Moran had his kicking boots on, slotting 3 penalties from just inside the Coolmine half (including one great effort from way out that clipped the crossbar and went over) to Coolmine's penalty and drop goal for a 9-6 lead at half-time.

Coolmine upped their game in the second half, now consistently securing their own lineout ball, and despite having a player sin-binned, slotted another drop goal to level the score at 9-9. When back to 15 players, they managed to evade a number of Mary's tackles in midfield to score close to the posts. They got the conversion for a 16-9 lead.

As Coolmine had opted to go uncontested in the scrums from the start, no back-row moves were allowed by either side, but scrum-half and captain, Ross Wynne was making some nice breaks from the back of the scrum.

Coolmine continued to pressure, having another drop goal attempt well blocked down by Teddy and being held up over the line by some sterling defence on two occasions.

With the J4 league offering bonus points only for losing by 7 points or less, Mary's were in uncharted territory, having only lost one game last season (and that the league quarter-final knock-out to a last second try), but continued to push for the levelling try while trying to stop Coolmine from pushing more than 7 clear. Both full-back Colm Quinn and winger Chi-Yuen Hui went close to scoring in the corner after good breaks including one from wing forward Shane Timmons, but Coolmine managed to keep us out.

With only a minute remaining, Mary's finally managed to score. Teddy tried to force his way over but was tackled and just as it seemed the off-load wouldn't come off, his younger brother, hooker Eamon, came on a late burst and showed good hands to crash over. The conversion was to the left of the posts, on Teddy's bad side and the kick initially looked like it would creep inside the post but faded at the end to come back off the woodwork.

16-14 to Coolmine and a minute left to play but unfortunately Mary's couldn't do enough to create one more scoring chance.

A disappointing result and we know we have better performances in us and what better way to 'get back on the horse' than a home match against Terenure this Saturday.

17/10/2009

3:00pm

League

St. Marys J4 XV

34 - 15

Terenure

Home

St. Mary’s College J4 Terenure College J4

34 15

The J4's played local rivals Terenure in Templeville on Saturday in their first home league match of the season. It was a perfect day for a game, with the sun out, a dry pitch and not a breath of wind.

Mary's got an early penalty inside the Terenure half and it was kicked by Teddy for a 3-0 lead. This was soon cancelled out by a Terenure effort from around the halfway line.

The referee was utilising his whistle a lot with both sides on the receiving end but Mary's soon managed to put a few good phases together starting from our own 22 and after stretching them wide on the right with winger Nick Cunningham only just being tackled by the last defender, Mary's recycled and spread the ball quickly across the pitch for our other winger Chi-Yuen who managed to jink and dart his way over for the try. Mary's couldn't convert but led 8-3.

Terenure had an experienced team out and soon struck back, taking advantage of some lax tackling to score a converted try to give them a 10-8 lead at half time.

Whatever was said at half time seemed to work. From the kick-off, Terenure were under immediate, sustained pressure from Mary's in their 22 resulting in scrum-half and captain, Ross Wynne darted through to score. Teddy converted for a 15-10 lead.

The match was proving to be an even contest, with both teams being liberally penalised by the referee, and Terenure quickly struck back with a short-range, unconverted try to level the scores at 15-15.

Possession and territory soon swung Mary's way and the older Terenure team were starting to tire. Their second row saw yellow after cynically failing to roll away and killing the ball just a few metres from the Terenure line.

In his absence, Mary's superior fitness and the numerical advantage saw us score 3 tries, through Ross's second, second row Joe Doddy and No. 8 Padraig Nestor. Teddy converted 2 of the 3 to seal a hard-fought 34-15 win over the old enemy. The return leg in Lakelands in January promises to be interesting!

Gavin Rafferty

31/10/2009

2:00pm

League

St. Marys J4 XV

43 - 0

Clondalkin

Home

The J4's had a good win over Clondalkin in Templeville on Saturday.

Mary's took the lead with a well worked try when centre Darragh O'Neill, taking the ball up the middle after a lineout, linked with supporting hooker Eamon Moran. Eamon got a good off-load away to prop Marc McKay who crashed over for the try by the posts. Teddy converted for a 7-0 lead.

We extended the lead soon after with scrum-half and captain Ross Wynne making a mazy break. Flanker Phil Conway continued the move and fed full-back Colm Quinn who put co-coach Tim Henderson over for the score. Teddy again obliged with the simple conversion for a 14-0 lead.

Nearing half-time, Clondalkin were penalised for having a foot up before the ball was fed into a scrum and No. 8 Padraig Nestor took advantage for a quick, tapped free kick and managed to get the touch down. Teddy again converted and Mary's went into the break 21-0 up.

Our good form continued in the second half when Eamon Moran pounced on a turnover in our own half and spread the ball quickly to Darragh O'Neill who broke up the pitch. Left-wing Chi-Yuen Hui, fresh from bouncing someone off for the first time ever in the first half, continued the move and fed the supporting Quinner for the try. 26-0.

Mary's added three further tries including two from replacement Kevin Quinn before the heavens opened and the thunder and lightning arrived, to seal a comfortable 43-0 win. Mary's lie 3rd in the table of Section A after 3 games.

Gavin Rafferty

07/11/2009

2.30pm

League

Clontarf

13 - 16

St. Marys J4 XV

Away

The J4's played Clontarf at Castle Avenue on Saturday afternoon in our second away game of the league season. Since the league has changed to a merit-based Section A, the team have been aware how crucial away wins will be. After losing our league opener away to Coolmine (albeit while picking up a bonus point), the lads were keen to get a result.

The conditions were good with the match taking place on the main pitch. It was cold with a breeze but the rain held off. That breeze played a part in the opening score, as Clontarf took an early lead. Clontarf won their own lineout just inside the Mary's half and the ball was tapped down to the scrum-half. He took advantage of some missed tackles to break down our left wing. He chipped ahead and the ball seemed to drift out of play and the Mary's players switched off. The breeze carried it back into play though and 'Tarf got the touchdown in the corner for a 5-0 lead after only a few minutes.

The lads got right back into it and Teddy took a quick tap penalty in the Clontarf half, the ball was recycled quickly and prop Marc McKay took it on and offloaded to hooker/coach Eamon Moran to get the touchdown. Ted slotted the kick for a 7-5 lead.

'Tarf regained the lead by kicking a penalty (8-7) and then extended it even further after a lineout outside the Mary's 22 was won and mauled deep into our territory with their player breaking off the back to score down the blindside. 13-7 to Clontarf.

Clontarf were conceding penalties at nearly every breakdown but Mary's were making a lot of mistakes and had more knock-ons than usually seen in far worse conditions. Just before half-time, after being tackled into touch in his own half, a Clontarf player refused to release the ball for a quick throw. leading to a tussle on the ground. The ref adjudged that the Mary's No. 8 had kicked out while on the ground and produced a yellow card and awarded Clontarf a relieving penalty - great reward for their cynical tactics!

The ref advised at half-time that Clontarf's constant concession of penalties at the breakdown would be addressed if it continued.

Mary's came out of the traps quickly in the second half with a great burst for the line by second-row Joe Doddy, who was stopped just short but the ball was cynically killed by a Clontarf forward in a completely offside position and the ref duly produced the yellow card. The penalty was tapped and spread but the chance was lost.

Clontarf continued to concede penalties though and Teddy slotted one to bring the score back to 13-10 and another one soon after to level the scores.

Clontarf conceded a penalty at the breakdown yet again, but must have thought they were safe as it was just inside their half on the wrong side for our left-footed kicker. Teddy was having a great day with the placed ball though and confidently kicked us into the lead.

Clontarf came back and had a penalty towards the end but couldn't convert and Mary's eked out a precious away win.

After 4 matches, Mary's lie in second, 3 points behind leaders Old Belvedere, who have a 100% record. Next up is Tallaght in Templeville Road on Saturday at 2.30.

Gavin Rafferty

05/12/2009

2.00pm

League

St. Marys J4 XV

36 - 7

Blackrock College

Home

The J4's resumed their league campaign with a match against Blackrock in Templeville on Saturday after a 4 week break due to postponements and the Autumn Internationals.

Rock would have come looking to avenge their defeat in last season's Winters Cup Final but it was a Mary's team who have been itching for a game who started the stronger with our pack on top from the start.

A clean take at a lineout in Rock territory led to an excellently executed maul right up to the Rock line but we were just stopped short. The ball was quickly recycled and spread wide for centre Wally Moran to crash over. His younger brother, Teddy, slotted the conversion for a 7-0 lead.

Mary's continued to dominate up front, with Rock conceding numerous penalties at the breakdown and hooker Eamon Moran had a try ruled out for a forward pass when it looked flat at worst. The Mary's maul was also proving very effective.

Prop Mark 'George' McKay has made an impact this season with his strength and physical style and he pounced on the Rock scrum half's indecision at the back of a ruck to pick his pocket and set off for the line. He didn't have the pace to make it all the way but flanker Phil Conway was on his shoulder to ensure the ball was recycled and Teddy crashed over from the next phase to score his first try of the season. He added the points to make it 14-0.

Rock managed to secure some possession and kick into the Mary's half but it was returned with interest and left wing Chi-Yuen Hui took advantage of a favourable bounce to gather and quickly chip over the Rock fullback, who promptly body-checked him. The ref awarded the penalty where the ball landed and Mary's took it quickly and after going through a couple of phases, George crossed the line for a well-deserved try, which was again converted by Teddy for a 21-0 lead.

At this stage it was going to take a mistake from Mary's for Rock to gain a foothold in this game and as we took our foot of the pedal slightly and started throwing the ball around in midfield, the Rock scrum-half picked off a loose pass and ran all the way to our line despite speedy winger Nick Cunningham's best efforts. Half-time score - 21-7.

Rock's indiscipline continued from the start of the second half, conceding a penalty on the halfway and then conceding a further 10m for backchat, which brought the penalty to within Teddy's range. 24-7 to Mary's.

The referee, who had been more than patient with the Rock forwards, had soon had enough and brandished the yellow card to their second row. He was, however, quick to even up the numbers, issuing a soft yellow to Mary's No. 8 Padraig Nestor (his second yellow card in 2 games) for a push.

Mary's continued to dominate and from a 5m scrum, skipper and scrum-half Ross Wynne used his pace to dart over untouched. Ted narrowly missed the conversion. 29-7.

Rock finally threw in the towel when from deep in Mary's territory Ted launched a massive kick from a quickly taken penalty and hard-working flanker Phil Conway chased, enveloped the covering Rock defender, turned the ball over and galloped to the line. Ted slotted the points to seal a 36-7 win.

We could have added a couple more scores but the lads will have been glad to shake off the rustiness from our long spell without a game.

Mary's lie third in the top tier of the J4 league, 3 points behind Old Belvedere and Coolmine, but with a game in hand.

Next up is Tallaght in Templeville on Saturday at 2.00.

Gavin Rafferty

15. Colm Quinn 14. Nick Cunningham 13. Darragh O'Neill 12. Paul Moran 11. Chi-Yuen Hui 10. Brian Moran 9. Ross Wynne (c); 1. Mark McKay 2. Eamon Moran 3. Ross Kelly 4. Joe Doddy 5. Andy McCarthy 6. Phil Conway 7. Tim Henderson 8. Padraig 'Sin Bin' Nestor

12/12/2009

2.00pm

League

St. Marys J4 XV

49 - 0

Tallaght

Home

J4 V Tallaght

49 00

The J4's moved to the top of the league with a win over bottom team Tallaght at Templeville Road on Saturday. Mary's started well with good territory and possession, and out-half Teddy Moran kicked a penalty from 15m inside the Tallaght half to give us a 3-0 lead. That lead was extended when left winger Chi-Yuen Hui seized on a dropped Tallaght ball in midfield, picked up and ran in from halfway to score. Teddy converted to make it 10-0. Mary's had a 5m scrum after the Tallaght out-half knocked on on their line when trying to clear a ball. No. 8 Padraig Nestor broke from the back of the scrum and popped to Teddy on the burst to score to the left of the posts. The conversion was missed and Mary's led 15-0.

Tallaght had spells in the Mary's 22 but good defence and timely turnovers meant that the blue line was rarely threatened. After the referee had signalled a penalty advantage to Mary's at a ruck, Teddy decided to run from outside our 22. He passed wide and the ball found its way to Chi-Yuen in space who mad a great run almost to the line before being tackled. He managed to offload to the supporting Teddy who stepped the last defender to score in the corner. He missed the tricky conversion - 20-0 to Mary's.

Tallaght's frustration was leading them to lose their discipline and after a late shoulder charge on our captain Ross Wynne, we kicked the penalty to touch about 7 metres from the Tallaght line. The excellent mauling from last week continued this week with Andy McCarthy getting the score. 25-0 at half-time. The half-time team talk from hooker/coach Eamon Moran was uncontrollably frank to ensure there was no let-up in the performance in the second half.

Tallaght's frustration boiled over again just one minute into the second half with their winger kicking Mary's full-back Colm Quinn who was on the ground after a tackle into touch. The referee duly brandished the yellow card. Centre Darragh O'Neill soon scored in the corner with an arcing run to make it 30-0 (the lads weren't helping Ted's all-important kicking stats with all these scores in the corner).

Another line-out maul led to Eamon breaking from the back and scoring (in the corner). Ted knocked over this conversion, probably to spite his younger brother! 37-0. Replacement Paul Whyte, returning from injury, then broke a couple of tackles to score under the posts for 44-0. Eamon then scored in exactly the same corner (road end of main pitch, far corner) so he has asked that it be renamed Peanut's corner!

Final score was St. Mary's 49-0 Tallaght.

Mary's now play second-placed Old Belvedere under lights in Anglesea Road on Thursday night at 8.00, in what is our most important fixture so far. Any and all support would be appreciated. Belvo were the only team to beat us last season (in the league quarter final) and even then, only by a last second try under the posts, so revenge will be the order of the day!

Gavin Rafferty

15. Colm Quinn 14. Nick Cunningham 13.Bartley Walsh 12. Paul Moran 11. Chi-Yuen Hui 10. Brian Moran 9. Ross Wynne; 1. Mark McKay 2. Eamon Moran 3. Alan Godfrey 4. Kenny McArdle 5. Andy McCarthy 6. Phil Conway 7. Tim Henderson 8. Padraig Nestor

Replacements: Paul Whyte, Darragh O'Neill, Ross Kelly, Seb Conway

17/12/2009

8.00pm

League

Old Belvedere

9 - 8

St. Marys J4 XV

Away

The J4's suffered a narrow defeat in their top of the table clash with Old Belvedere in Anglesea Road on Thursday night.

Belvo started well with their big forwards hitting rucks low and hard and giving them go forward ball in the Mary's 22. Mary's defence held firm though and Belvo couldn't take advantage.

While they had a slight size advantage up front, it was very noticeable that their forwards were blowing hard and struggling to get around the pitch after just a few minutes.

After weathering the early Belvo pressure, Mary's started to assert themselves and exert some pressure of their own. After some phases close to the line, Teddy took the ball on close-in and headed for the corner. He was tackled into touch but not before dotting the ball down (clearly visible to all on the sideline) but the ref was unsighted and awarded Belvo the lineout.

The ref awarded us a penalty inside the Belvo half after a transgression at the breakdown and Ted slotted the points for a 3-0 lead.

Mary's continued to play well and have the better of the territory and possession but the Belvo last ditch tackling held firm.

Just before half-time however, Belvo secured clean ball at a lineout 10m inside the Mary's half and proceeded to maul the ball down the pitch. The ref awarded them a penalty just outside the 22 and their out-half kicked the points to make it 3-3 at half-time.

Things were going well for Mary's and this continued into the second half. We were keeping the pace of the game high and they were finding it difficult and resorted to lengthy stoppages for injuries which the ref allowed, despite the J4 league having rolling replacements to keep the game flowing.

We conceded a penalty near halfway and some words of argument handed Belvo an extra 10 metres. Their out-half kicked the points for a 6-3 lead.

Ted then missed with a lengthy penalty attempt and this was matched by a similar Belvo miss.

Indiscipline was to be our downfall. The Belvo full back fielded a deep 22 by us and launched a Garryowen but a late tackle by us saw us concede a penalty where the ball landed and then concede a further 10m for backchat. On a particularly short pitch, that's all Belvo needed to take a 9-3 lead.

Mary's upped the pressure for the rest of the game and Belvo conceded at least 4 penalties in the 'red' zone at their try line but received not even a warning from the ref. Little mistakes from us played their part but we did successfully get over the line close in, through hooker Eamon Moran, but the referee had taken up an awful position on the very narrow blindside of the ruck and the touchdown had been obscured by black and white bodies by the time he got around to where he should have been.

Finally, with 2 minutes to go, the try we so deserved arrived, with Phil Conway breaking down the blind side which led to replacement Paul Whyte scampering over for the try.

The conversion was about halfway between the posts and the touchline but on the bad side for a left-footed kicker. Ted stepped up and sent a kick that was bang on target heading for the posts. It looked like it wouldn't have the legs but kept going and going. Unfortunately, it hit the crossbar flush on and bounced backwards.

After the restart, Belvo managed to keep us in our half for the remaining 2 minutes and clung on for the win, 9-8.

Mary's will feel that they left the win behind with 2 moments of indiscipline costing us dear and little breaks (2 disallowed tries) going against us. We come away with a bonus point though and the resolve to return to action in January and reclaim top spot in the league.

A special mention to full-back Colm Quinn in his last game before leaving us to fill his boots in Sweden on Erasmus.

Gavin Rafferty

15. Colm Quinn 14. Nick Cunningham 13. Bartley Walsh 12. Paul Moran 11. Chi-Yuen Hui 10. Brian Moran 9. Ross Wynne; 1. Alan Godfrey 2. Eamon Moran 3. Ross Kelly 4. Kenny McArdle 5. Gavin Thornberry 6. Shane Timmons 7. Tim Henderson 8. Phil Conway

23/01/2010

2.30pm

League

Clondalkin

3 - 29

St. Marys J4 XV

Away

The St. Mary's J4's travelled to Gordon Park to play Clondalkin last Saturday. Mary's started brightly with a break from centre Darragh O'Neill and a subsequent burst from second row Joe Doddy leading to a penalty, which out-half Teddy Moran kicked for an early 3-0 lead.

Clondalkin played with intent up front, coming off the back of a bad defeat last week, and soon earned a penalty chance that their kicker couldn't convert.

Mary's extended their lead after centre Wally Moran carried strongly into the Clondalkin 22 and offloaded to centre partner Darragh for a try under the posts. Teddy added the extra points for a 10-0 lead.

Mary's were penalised at a scrum soon after and the referee marched us back another 10 metres for protesting. When the protests continued, the referee brandished the yellow card to hooker and coach, Eamon Moran. Clondalkin kicked the subsequent penalty to make it 10-3.

Clondalkin missed a penalty attempt soon after and Mary's were soon back to 15 and camped on the Clondalkin line. A Clondalkin forward killed the ball and the referee sent him to the bin for the professional foul. Mary's looked to take advantage with a quick cross-kick from the penalty but the chance was squandered.

Half-Time Score: Clondalkin 3-10 St. Mary's.

Clondalkin were still in the game and missed another penalty at the beginning of the second half. Mary's made them pay for their profligacy as Teddy darted over by the posts from inside their 22. He added the points to extend the lead to 17-3.

Clondalkin's discipline at the breakdown worsened as Mary's increased the pressure and camped in their half. Another Clondalkin forward saw yellow for killing the ball in the 22 with Mary's in a good position and he was quickly followed to the bin by the left wing who was deliberately offside to smother another scoring chance for Mary's.

Against 13 men, Mary's replacement wing Kevin Quinn touched down for an unconverted try to extend the lead to 22-3.

Teddy scored his second converted try after a quick tap penalty, to round off the scoring and seal a 29-3 win for Mary's.

The lads will be disappointed to have failed to score more tries, with Paul Whyte, Bartley Walsh and Teddy all missing what looked like certain tries through either knock-ons or being held up over the line, but unforced errors riddled the game.

Clontarf visit Templeville Road next Saturday in a top 4 clash that is a must-win game for both sides.

Gavin Rafferty

15. Bartley Walsh 14. Paul Whyte 13. Darragh O'Neill 12. Paul Moran 11. Chi-Yuen Hui 10. Brian Moran 9. Ross Wynne (C) 8. Padraig Nestor 7. Phil Conway 6. Marc McKay 5. Kenny McArdle 4. Joe Doddy 3. Alan Godfrey 2. Eamon Moran 1. Ross Kelly

30/01/2010

2.30pm

League

St. Marys J4 XV

10 - 19

Clontarf

Home

J4 v Tarf - lost 19 -10

The J4's hosted Clontarf in Templeville on Saturday afternoon. We expected a close, tough game and that's what we got.

Mary's started well spending the majority of the first 40 minutes in the Clontarf half, also having the lion's share of the possession. Clontarf's tackling, however, was very good and despite a few ropey moments from their back 3 dealing with kicks, they limited Mary's to a missed penalty attempt.

Prop Marc McKay also spent 10 minutes in the bin for an over-enthusiastic clean out at a ruck, after Mary's had been awarded a penalty. Clontarf's pressure defence on halfway led to them taking an undeserved lead into half time, with their centre picking off a pass in midfield to run under the posts unchallenged. Mary's 0-7 Clontarf.

Mary's kept up the pressure at the beginning of the second half, pounding away at the 'Tarf line but their defence held strong. Mary's then kicked 3 points from a subsequent penalty to open the scoring.

Ironically, Clontarf were beginning their best spell of the game when Mary's won the ball in their own half, broke quickly down the left through Tim Henderson, Paul Whyte and Darragh O'Neill, who got nearly all the way to the line before offloading to his supporting second row to score under the posts. Teddy added the points to give Mary's a 10-7 lead.

Clontarf were having far more territory and possession than in the first half and their defensive lineout was disrupting what is usually a steady supply line of possession for Mary's.

After numerous phases in the Mary's half, Clontarf got over for a try to regain the lead, 14-10. Mary's were throwing everything at 'Tarf but couldn't secure the same amounts of territory and possession as in the first half.

Clontarf got over for another try to push Mary's outside losing bonus point territory and the frustration boiled over with flanker Phil Conway going to the bin and play restarting with a penalty on halfway to Clontarf.

Clontarf held on for the win (19-10). A very disappointing result for Mary's, especially given other results in the league, but this side has made coming back from setbacks such as these an art form in the last 2 seasons and the lads are determined to win their remaining 4 games (including home games against the top 2 in the league) to give themselves every chance of pouncing on any slip-ups.

Gavin Rafferty

15. Bartley Walsh 14. Nick Cunningham 13. Darragh O'Neill 12. Paul Moran 11. Paul Whyte 10. Brian Moran 9. Ross Wynne (c) 8. Padraig Nestor 7. Phil Conway 6. Tim Henderson 5. Kenny McArdle 4. Andy McCarthy 3. Marc McKay 2. Eamon Moran 1. Ross Kelly

13/02/2010

2.00pm

League

Tallaght

7 - 8

St. Marys J4 XV

Away

The J4's played near-neighbours Tallaght in Kiltipper last Saturday. Conditions were good but like the Ireland v France game later that day, it was a match and a performance best forgotten.

A bright start, with an improvised drop-goal from Teddy, was marked by periods of sustained pressure in the Tallaght 22 with unforced errors preventing Mary's from extending the lead.

A good break from left wing Chi-Yuen and a quick recycle, led to Teddy picking and crashing over for a try and an 8-0 halftime lead.

The second half performance deteriorated with both sides receiving a yellow card each. Approaching full time, Tallaght pounced on a dropped ball in midfield to run in under the posts and make the score 8-7 but, as in the rest of the match, were unable to create any scoring opportunities to threaten the Mary's win.

Better performances will be needed as the top 2 of Belvo and Coolmine both visit Templeville Road in the next 2 weeks.

Gavin Rafferty

15. Paul Whyte 14. David Carpenter 13. Bartley Walsh 12. Richie Pyne 11. Chi-Yuen Hui 10. Teddy Moran 9. Ross Wynne (c) 8. Andy McCarthy 7. Tim Henderson 6. Seb Conway 5. Kenny McArdle 4. Joe Doddy 3. Ross Kelly 2. Eamon Moran 1. Alan Godfrey

20/02/2010

3.00pm

League

St. Marys J4 XV

7 - 24

Old Belvedere

Home

St. Mary’s College J4 V Old Belvedere J4

Mary's hosted league leaders Old Belvedere in Templeville on Saturday and began brightly with some good rumbles from our forwards and a couple of lively breaks from captain and scrum-half Ross Wynne.

We soon began to fall foul of the referee at the breakdown however and Belvo missed 2 early, long-range shots at goal before kicking a subsequent penalty to touch. From the ensuing lineout, they mauled the ball to the line and over for the score and a 7-0 lead.

We continued to fall foul of the referee's interpretation at the breakdown and Belvo tacked on 2 more penalties for a 13-0 half-time scoreline.

Mary's enjoyed more possession in the second half and put width on the ball but Belvo's defence was aggressive and stood firm as we struggled to get over the gain line. After a turnover in midfield, Belvo chipped over the Mary's defence and the bounce beat the covering Ross Wynne to fall right into the hands of a Belvo chaser who made it to the line to extend the lead to 18-0.

Mary's began to exert more pressure and achieve more territory and Belvo conceded a series of penalties in their 22. When the ref saw the same culprit for consecutive offences, the yellow card was shown. Mary's tapped and went and prop Marc McKay crashed over under the posts after some good up-close work by the forwards. Teddy added the extra points to make it 18-7.

Unfortunately Belvo took advantage of a harsh penalty awarded against Mary's for throwing the ball away when it was a Belvo lineout to slot another penalty and they converted a final chance to seal a 24-7 win.

Mary's have 2 remaining games against Coolmine and Blackrock in the league and will be looking to maintain the intensity of the second half performance here as a foundation for retaining their J4 Cup title.

Gavin Rafferty

15. Paul Whyte 14. Richie Pyne 13. Darragh O'Neill 12. David Carpenter 11. Chi-Yuen Hui 10. Teddy Moran 9. Ross Wynne (c) 8. Padraig Nestor 7. Phil Conway 6. Tim Henderson 5. Andy McCarthy 4. Kenny McArdle 3. Ross Wynne 2. Eamon Moran 1. Marc McKay

06/03/2010

12.30pm

League

Blackrock College

14 - 26

St. Marys J4 XV

Away

St. Mary’s College J4 V Blackrock J4

The J4's visited Stradbrook on Saturday in a curtain-raiser to the Firsts game on the main pitch.

The sun was out and the day was dry and Mary's responded with a good performance against the side they thrillingly defeated in the Winters Cup final at Donnybrook last season.

Mary's began well and took the lead with a well worked try. After some good phases of play in the Rock 22, Rock conceded a penalty. Mary's ran it and after some good work by second row Joe Doddy, the ball was shifted to left wing Chi-Yuen Hui (who did so much to break Rock hearts in the dying seconds of the cup final) to wriggle his way over for the try. Ted duly converted for a 7-0 lead.

Mary's struck again when, after successive penalties conceded by the Blackrock pack, our forwards mauled a lineout into their 22. The ball was spread wide and full-back Darragh O'Neill ran a lovely line against the grain and then sidestepped the last defender to score a great try under the posts. Ted again converted to make it 14-0 at half-time.

Mary's were well worth the lead at the break despite 2 missed penalties from Rock.

Things continued to improve in the second half with Mary's again pressuring Rock in their own half. After some good phases in the 22, the ball came out to out-half Teddy Moran who popped to enthusiastic loosehead Marc 'George' McKay on the burst. George showed that all those years of ballet lessons hadn't gone to waste with a neat pirouette to evade the Rock tackler on the line and score the try near the posts. Ted converted to make it 21-0.

The third try jolted Rock into action and they gained territory and possession in the Mary's half. When the ref spotted a deliberate knock-on from Teddy as Rock spread the ball wide, he reached for the card and Mary's were down to 14 for the next 10 minutes. Rock took advantage with a series of scrums and managed to crash over by the posts to make it 21-7.

Rock sensed an opportunity and continued to put Mary's under pressure and after a scrum near the Mary's line, they worked their winger in on the crash by the posts. At 21-14, Rock would have felt that they were right back in the game. Mary's however boxed clever and used the boot to pin Rock back into their own half.

After a clever kick in behind by centre David Carpenter, Rock had the throw close to their own line. The Mary's lifters hoisted Joe Doddy into the air and he picked off the Rock throw with ease. Mary's continuity was good and after a few phases close to the Rock line, including a massive rumble by prop Ross Kelly, the space opened up for scrum-half and captain Ross Wynne to dart over from the base of the ruck.

Ted narrowly missed the conversion but Mary's had sealed the win, 26-14.

A special mention for our No. 7, Phil Conway who damaged ligaments in his ankle and had to be helped off. He's been having a great season and we hope he'll be back to play some part in our defence of the Cup.

Mary's face Rock at Stradbrook again in the first round of the Cup on the 27th March.

Gavin Rafferty

15. Darragh O'Neill 14. Paul Whyte 13. David Carpenter 12. Paul Moran 11. Chi-Yuen Hui 10. Brian Moran 9. Ross Wynne (c) 8. Padraig Nestor 7. Phil Conway 6. Tim Henderson 5. Andy McCarthy 4. Joe Doddy 3. Ross Kelly 2. Alan Godfrey 1. Marc McKay

27/03/2010

1:30pm

Winter's Cup

Blackrock College

9 - 21

St. Marys J4 XV

Away

The J4's took on Blackrock on the back pitch in Stradbrook on Saturday in the first round of the Winters Cup and a repeat of last year's final.

Rock played with the wind at their backs in the first half and that gave them territory in the Mary's half. Rock took a 3-0 lead after a penalty at a scrum on the Mary's 22 but missed with a subsequent shot.

Mary's managed to work the ball into the Rock half and engineered a difficult penalty chance for Teddy and the angle and wind proved too tricky to overcome.

Rock extended their lead to 6-0 on 30 minutes, kicking a penalty from the Mary's 10m line after the blues had strayed offside.

Mary's had been coping well against the wind and were comfortable despite the 6-0 scoreline but good vision from Teddy saw him intercept a loose Rock pass on halfway and take off for the Rock line. The cover was gaining so he headed for the corner and embraced the ball NFL-style to ride the tackle and get the touchdown. He was unable to convert his own score but the lead was narrowed to 6-5 at half time.

Mary's utilised the wind at their backs better than their opponents had in the first with Teddy launching a range of big kicks deep into Rock territory.

The Rock full-back was a powerful runner but was struggling under the high ball, opting to let a number of kicks to bounce rather than catch them first time.

This put Rock under pressure in their own 22 and Ted was soon converting a penalty in front of the posts. 6-8 to Mary's.

This was still a good Rock team, as we knew from our recent victory here in the league, and they converted a penalty from just inside the Mary's half, as the wind dropped momentarily, to regain the lead 9-8.

The lead was short-lived though as Rock allowed the Mary's kick-off to bounce and No. 8 Padraig Nestor claimed it and took off. After a couple of phases of play brought Mary's deep into Rock territory, scrum-half and captain Ross Wynne popped the ball to loose-head Marc McKay to score in the corner. Teddy converted brilliantly from the touchline to make it 9-15 to the away side.

Rock's discipline at the breakdown was beginning to let them down and Teddy added another 3 points after one of their front row was yellow carded for a soccer tackle with his leg. 9-18 to Mary's.

Mary's added another 3 points from a penalty to make it 21-9 before withstanding a spell of Rock pressure in the Mary's 22, including some great tackling on our own line.

A good performance and victory for the lads. We play DLSP away in the next round of our cup defence on the 10th April, but first up is our final league fixture under lights in Templeville on Thursday night.

Gavin Rafferty

15. Darragh O'Neill 14. Paul Whyte 13. David Carpenter 12. Paul Moran 11. Chi-Yuen Hui 10. Brian Moran 9. Ross Wynne (c) 8. Padraig Nestor 7. Tim Henderson 6. Andy McCarthy 5. Kenny McArdle 4. Joe Doddy 3. Alan Godfrey 2. Eamon Moran 1. Marc McKay

10/04/2010

1:00pm

Winter's Cup

De La Salle Palmerstown

8 - 18

St. Marys J4 XV

Away

The J4's continued their defence of the Col. Winters Cup against DLSP in Kirwan Park on Saturday, in a game played in glorious sunshine.

Mary's started well and should have had a try early on but for a knock-on by wing Paul Whyte while trying to touch down. In fairness to him, he later made a try-saving tackle in our own in-goal area, wrapping up a DLSP player and preventing the touchdown.

Mary's soon had a numerical advantage after the referee brandished the yellow card for a dangerous tackle, but Teddy was unable to convert the penalty into points.

Mary's were winning some good lineout ball on the DLSP throw and after a lineout was mauled up to the line out wide, Marc McKay crashed over for the opening score and gave Mary's a 5-0 lead.

DLSP soon cut the lead to 5-3 however, converting a penalty in front of the posts.

After conceding a penalty in midfield, some dissent from DLSP gave Teddy a chance to extend the lead with the boot, and he duly did so. 8-3 to Mary's

DLSP discipline was an issue throughout the match and they were down to 14 again when one of their players was binned for elbowing terrier-like centre Paul Moran as he was attempting to tackle the DLSP player.

From a subsequent penalty, taken quickly by scrum-half Ross Wynne, DLSP conceded a further 10 metres for not retreating and Teddy extended the lead to 11-3 at half time.

The heat was taking its toll on the energy levels of both sides and the second half began slowly but on the hour Mary's pack mauled a lineout into the DLSP half, won the penalty and kicked down the line. The subsequent lineout maul was stopped short but when the ball was flashed out, full-back Darragh O'Neill took a great line to score under the posts. Ted added the extras to make it 18-3.

DLSP managed to crash over for a consolation try before the end to make it 18-8. Despite being down to 14 men for the last 10 minutes after No. 8 Padraig Nestor saw yellow after the referee had warned Mary's for infringing at the breakdown, Mary's played out the remaining time to secure a quarter final with local rivals Terenure next Saturday.

Gavin Rafferty

15. D. O'Neill 14. P. Whyte 13. D. Carpenter 12. P. Moran 11. C. Hui 10. B. Moran 9. R. Wynne 8. P. Nestor 7. B. Campbell 6. M. McKay 5. A. O'Hanlon 4. K. McArdle 3. J. Nolan 2. E. Moran 1. A. Godfrey

17/04/2010

12:00pm

Winter's Cup

Terenure

32 - 26

St. Marys J4 XV

Away

The J4's lost their Winters Cup Quarter Final to a strong Terenure team on Saturday in Lakelands.

Using the breeze in he first half, Terenure scored 3 tries (one very questionable after Mary's had touched down over their own line), a penalty and a drop goal to Mary's sole score, a great break by centre David Carpenter from inside his own half, to make it 25-5 at half-time.

Mary's were determined to step up to the mark in the second half and did so emphatically, with the Terenure team having far less to say for themselves when forced to defend. Captain Ross Wynne scored 2 tries from quick taps and another quickly taken penalty led to replacement winger Kieran Morrisey scoring. Terenure's beefy pack managed to crash over for their sole score of the game however and that clinched the win for them, 32-26, despite being outscored 21-7 in the second half.

The second half performance from Mary's was fantastic against a Terenure team much changed from the league and who wouldn't look out of place at J2 level. In the wake of this match the lads were determined to come back next year and to try and perform to the levels we have shown we are capable of and to grab that elusive league title.

Gavin Rafferty

15. Darragh O'Neill 14. Paul Whyte (Nick Cunningham) 13. David Carpenter (Bartley Walsh) 12. Paul Moran 11. Chi-Yuen Hui (Kieran Morrisey) 10. Teddy Moran 9. Ross Wynne (c) 8. Padraig Nestor (Yellow Card) 7. Tim Henderson 6. Marc McKay 5. Anthony O'Hanlon 4. Joe Doddy 3. Ross Kelly 2. Eamon Moran 1. Alan Godfrey