University College Dublin R.F.C. 29

Tallaght R.F.C. 12

Tries: Niall Casey, Adam Nolan
Con: Willie Lambe

Winters Cup 1st Round
Belfield
30/01/16

UPDATE: UCD found to have fielded an unregistered player. Tie awarded to Tallaght

Tallaght travelled to Belfield to play UCD on the all-weather pitch on a bitterly cold, windy afternoon. They had the worst possible start when, straight from the kick-off, Brian Tyrrell was sent to the bin for a high tackle. Down to fourteen men and playing into the wind, Tallaght were soon under pressure and UCD had the first chance to score but pushed a penalty in front of the posts wide. Tallaght defended well and survived the ten minutes of the yellow card without conceding a point.

Tallaght were struggling to get out of their half but when they did, they engineered the games’s first try. Scrum-half Niall Casey, making his first start for Tallaght, make a great break down the blindside but was tackled into touch in the corner. Tallaght contested the resulting UCD lineout and Tyrrell got a hand to it. Skipper Paul Cunningham gathered the ball and made a powerful run to within a metre of the line and then Casey pounced to get over the line. The conversion was missed but Tallaght led 5-0.

UCD hit back with a penalty and then they scored their first try of the match shortly before half-time to make it 8-3 to the students at the break. Tallaght started the second half strongly with good running from Ciaran Rudd and Emil Wyrebiak and they received a boost when UCD had a man yellow carded for a high tackle. Playing against 14 men with the wind behind them, this was the time for Tallaght to take advantage. However the opposite happened as UCD scored two converted tries while down a man.

First their number 11 made a remarkable run starting in his own 22. He broke several tackles to run the length of the pitch and score the try, which was brilliantly converted into the wind. Then UCD were over again following a fine break from their scrum-half. Emil Wyrebiak tried his best to prevent a touchdown but the referee awarded a penalty try against him for a high tackle, which looked a very harsh call. Suddenly it was 22-5 and Tallaght were chasing the game.

Tallaght played some of their best rugby in the last quarter and looked to be in for a try after good work from Rudd and Adam Nolan but Matt Knight’s offload was intercepted on the line and the chance went begging. Tallaght kept going and eventually Adam Nolan forced his way over for a try that was converted by Willie Lambe. Tallaght were within 10 points with five minutes to go, but any thoughts of a comeback were snuffed out by a UCD try that was once again the result of poor Tallaght tackling. They converted to make the final score 29-12 to UCD.

 

Man of the match: Niall Casey

 

Tallaght RFC

15. Simon Collie
14. Colm O’Reilly
13. Ciaran Rudd
12. Dave Clarke
11. Gavin McKeon
10. Willie Lambe
9. Niall Casey

8. Emil Wyrebiak
7. Vilius Kuklis
6. Kevin Quinn
5. Paul Cunningham
4. Brian Tyrrell
3. Tony McManus
2. Stephen Kelly
1. Sean Judd

Replacements

16. Adam Nolan
17. Alan Bernes
18. Aodhan Tinney
19. Karl Seagrave
20. Mark Conway
21. Matt Knight
22. Aaron Morgan
Report: Jim O’Connor

Guinness 1600