CYM 21
Pen: Cathal Duffy 7
Tallaght 20
Tries: Simon Collie, Andy Rudd
Con: Daryl Keogh 2
Pen: Daryl Keogh 2
Metro League Division 6
Terenure Sports Park
16/11/2024
Tallaght took on CYM in the Metro 6 league in Terenure.
CYM took the lead with an early penalty from scrum-half Cathal Duffy after he missed an earlier kick at goal. But Tallaght got back into the game and CYM were shown a yellow card for not retreating from a quick tap. Daryl Keogh kicked the penalty to level the game at 3-3.
Duffy scored two more penalties for CYM to take a 9-3 lead. Shortly before halftime, Nick McGuinness put Luke Brady Deegan away with a sharp pass. Deegan chipped ahead and Simon Collie followed up to score a try. Darryl Keogh kicked an excellent conversion to give Tallaght a 10-9 lead. However the restart wasn’t gathered and CYM won a penalty which Duffy kicked to give CYM a 12-10 lead at halftime.
In the second half, Duffy kicked another penalty to increase the CYM lead to five points. Then Tallaght were awarded a scrum penalty in their own half but Tallaght loosehead Sean Judd took offence at the CYM tighthead Erick Monteiro Quirino continuing to push after the whistle was blown. A skirmish ensued and both players were shown yellow cards. Crucially the referee reversed the penalty and Duffy kicked it for CYM to go 18-10 up.
Tallaght kept the pressure up and with 15 minutes left, CYM were shown their third yellow card of the match for too may breakdown penalties. Darryl Keogh kicked the penalty to reduce the deficit to 18-13. Then Tallaght got back down the pitch again and after some strong carries by skipper Jordan Corrigan, Andy Rudd broke away from a ruck to score a fine try. Darryl Keogh converted to give Tallaght a 20-18 lead with five minutes left.
But just like after their first try, Tallaght failed to regather the ball at the restart. CYM got possession back and they won a penalty which Duffy kicked to put them a point ahead. Tallaght still had time to get back down the pitch and get a winning score. But some poor decisions with the ball meant they couldn’t give themselves the chance and CYM won 21-20.
Tallaght head coach Adam Nolan was gutted to lose but was encouraged by the display. “We didn’t let them score a try and scored two of our own. So that’s a major positive for our defence. But the reason they won was because of our discipline. We gave then eight kickable penalties and they kicked seven of them.”
“But the most disappointing thing is we almost won the game despite having virtually no one at training this week. If that team who took the field today had trained on Thursday, we would have won that match! So as a squad, we need to ask ourselves if we want to be a team that wants to train together to give ourselves a chance to win. Or do we want to be a team that only turns up on a Saturday and throws the ball around for a laugh?”
“In terms of individual performances, Tumolo Nkoko made his first appearance for the club today and put in a solid shift. Paul Callaghan made his first start in the second row and was constantly making himself available for carries. Jordan Corrigan and Darryl Keogh also put in big shifts and Josh Sweeney came on and made a physical impact. But Craig O’Brien and Luke Brady Deegan both had fine games in different ways and are joint men of the match.”
Joint Man of the match: Craig O’Brien/Luke Brady Deegan
Tallaght RFC
1. Sean Judd
2. Kevin Quinn
3. Stephen Kelly
4. Paul Callaghan
5. Patrik Toth
6. Mick Corrigan
7. Tumolo Nkoko
8. Jordan Corrigan (Captain)
9. Andy Rudd
10. Nick McGuinness
11. Alex Sadiku
12. Craig O’Brien
13. Daryl Keogh
14. Gavin McKeon
15. Luke Brady Deegan
16. Josh Sweeney
17. Simon Gaskell
18. Brandon Wilson
19. Simon Collie
Photos: Mark Luttrell