U19 Rugby O'Brien Cup Semi Final

On a windy wet Tuesday morning, our U19s rugby team set off for Youghal to face Waterpark (and Newtown) in the semi final of the O’Brien Cup. Luckily it was dry and sunny in Youghal for the warm up, but a strong wind remained. We were against the wind in the first half of the match. Waterpark were the first to put points on the board, scoring underneath the post and converting (7-0).

Kinsale retained a large percentage of possession and made it into Waterparks 22 multiple times, but couldn’t move over the try line. Waterpark managed to turnover the ball in their own 22 and their full back ran the whole length of the field to score the second try, but didn’t convert the attempted drop conversion (12-0).

Kinsale continued to have a lot of possession, with forwards Dylan Mullen and Fionn Aherne making big line breaks gaining lots of ground, but they still couldn’t make it over the white wash. Kinsale’s defence were strong with big hits being put in by Eric Lynch and Fionn O’Connell. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough with Waterpark scoring their third try and converted making it 19-0. Kinsale’s offensive efforts were finally rewarded when Luke Beecher Scalon managed to make it over the line, after a large number of phases with great carries and lines from forwards and backs. Exactly what Kinsale needed before coming into half time (19-7).

Our U19s showed fantastic resilience and heart by keeping their heads and spirits up. with the wind behind them in the second half David Kelly made it over the line out on the wing and Paul Graham converted (19-14).

The Kinsale side showed how cohesive the team is with the amount of phases they continued to build without losing possession. Paul Graham was the third KCS player to cross the try line and unfortunately couldn’t take all the points on offer and missed the conversion. This brought the sides level (19-19). Tensions were high but Kinsale kept their composure and once again after many phases managed to give David O’Leary the opportunity to get over the line. Paul Graham converted this final try to make it 19-26. Both teams never gave up on the match even when rain began to fall. Waterparks discipline wasn’t up to scratch which saw them give three penalties away towards the end of the match. Paul Graham managed to convert one which brought the final score to 19-29.

An amazing come back for the U19s that sends them through to the final of the O’Brien Cup.

A special mention to Riordan Stewart who managed to make it through the whole 80 minutes without knocking the ball on!