Tallaght 3
Pen: Rob Hudson

Dublin University 15

Metro League Division 6
Tymon Park
02/11/2024

Tallaght took on Trinity College in the Metro 6 league in Tymon park.

With a shortage of players, several former players answered an emergency call to tog out again. So there was a bit of a “Dad’s Army” vibe to things, but Tallaght started well and took the lead through a Rob Hudson penalty. Trinity dominated after that though and had Tallaght consistently under pressure. But Tallaght’s defence held out well as the smaller Trinity pack tried to smash through the middle in vain. But Tallaght suffered a setback when Daragh Hosey was shown a yellow card for a no arms tackle. Down to 14 men, Tallaght were stretched and Trinity put in a clever cross-field kick that was gathered by their speedy hooker to score in the corner to give them a 5-3 lead at half-time.

Tallaght had chances in the second half but poor handling and option-taking let them down at the crucial moments. Alex Sadiku and Adam Nolan put in some big tackles and Raheel Hussain made a couple of excellent kicks. But ultimately Trinity took their chances better and scored two more unconverted tries to win 15-3. Tallaght lost both Rob Hudson and Brian Lacey to arm/shoulder injuries that required medical attention and everyone at the club wishes them a speedy recovery.

Tallaght head coach Adam Nolan was proud of the team’s attitude in difficult circumstances. “I was proud to be a part of the club today. The team have been struggling with injuries and other bits so it was incredible to see the club pull together and some past players return to give the team a dig out. A special thanks to Steve Kelly, Al Moore, Tony McManus, Andy Grace, Karl Segrave, Joe ivers, Simon Collie and Gav McKeon for putting the boots on again. The added experience to the squad definitely helped on the defensive side with the team really showing up and having some big moments. In attack we looked like a team that hadn’t played together much. Hopefully over the coming weeks we can get some more bodies involved and grow the attacking side of our game. The team is in an awkward spot and we welcome anyone who wants to get back involved or join the club for the first time. We have some great talent in the squad but always need extra. There were some strong performances from Nick McGuinness, Andy Rudd, Kev Quinn, and Alex Sadiku who was leading the team for the first time. Lastly, I just want to mention Rob and Brian who both picked up nasty injuries. We obviously hope they make a quick recovery but they’ll be missed. They’ve both been stalwarts of the team over the past few seasons, two lads who turn up every week, rain or shine. We’ll need other lads now to step up while they’re out but they’ll be tough boots to fill.”

Joint Man of the match: Alan Moore/Craig O’Brien

Tallaght RFC

1. Brian Lacey
2. Kevin Quinn
3. Stephen Kelly
4. Joe Ivers
5. Patrik Toth
6. Darragh Hosey
7. Alan Moore
8. Adam Nolan
9. Andy Rudd
10. Nick McGuinness
11. Alex Sadiku (Captain)
12. Craig O’Brien
13. Daryl Keogh
14. Rob Hudson
15. Raheel Hussain
16. Tony McManus
17. Andy Grace
18. Karl Segrave
19. Gavin McKeon
20. Simon Collie
21. Dave Clarke
22. Felix McCabe

Photos: Mark Luttrell