Longford RFC Club News 22/10/2018   22/10/2018

Senior Men win in high scoring affair in DLSP, Woman lose away to Naas, Busy weekend of Mini/Youth Rugby with 6 match reports and upcoming events

By Tommy Butler Longford RFC PRO tommylbutler@gmail.com 

Senior Men

Longford Senior Men travelled to De La Salle Palmerstown (DLSP) who are actually located in Kilternan, Dublin 18 after the sale of their original grounds and merger with De La Salle School in the 1970’s.  DLSP had been plying their trade in the AIL before getting relegated a few years ago and got relegated from Division 1A of the Leinster League on the last of the season last year.  So, they were unfamiliar opponents for Longford and a team who had been involved in a number of high scoring encounters so far this season.  The Early XV notched up their first league win of the season 13-18 in the 1.30 kick off, with a fantastic performance by a young team who are starting to click.   As regards high scoring encounters the Late XV played in a breathless end to end game where they came out the winners of a high scoring 29-34 encounter with both sides scoring five tries.  Longford also secured a four try bonus point for their efforts.  The league takes a break next weekend and Longford can look back on their first four league matches with immense satisfaction having recorded four wins including three away wins against Coolmine, Carlow, Monkstown and DLSP.  Longford lie second in the league at the moment just two points off leaders, Suttonians.  The next Leinster League match is at home to perennially tough opponents Tullow on Sunday November 4th.  Just a reminder that kick offs move half an hour back in November with the Early XV kicking off at 13:00 and the Late XV at 14:30 PM.  All members, friends and supporters of the club are asked to turn out in force as the lads look to continue their fantastic start to the season.

Upcoming Fixtures:

Sunday November 4th Leinster League Tullow (Home).

Sunday November 11th Leinster League Suttonian’s (Away).

Sunday November 25th Leinster League North Kildare (Home).

Sunday December 2nd Leinster League Coolmine

Kick offs 13:00/14:30 in November/January & 12:30/14:00 in December.

Longford Women (Warriors)

Longford Women had a tough day yesterday when they travelled to a well drilled Naas side.  Longford’s only try of the day was scored by Maria Kelleher.  The Longford side will chalk it down to experience as they are developing side with many of the players only starting their rugby journey this season.  Like the Senior Men the Senior Women also have next weekend off.

The Warriors train every Tuesday and Friday night at 7.30 PM. New players of all fitness levels are welcome, even if you have not played before. Contact Nuala on 082482005.

Upcoming Fixtures:

Sunday November 4th Leinster League CYM (Home)

Sunday November 11th Leinster League Tullamore (Away)

Sunday November 25th Leinster League Tallaght (Home)

Longford Mini/Youths

It was a very busy weekend for Longford Mini/Youths with match reports below.  .

U17

Longford U17s scored a fantastic 59-7 win at home to Enniscorthy in the Leinster League, well done lads.  Scorers - Killian Rawle 3, Ciaran McCormack 2 and one each for Ciaran Shannon, Max Napieralski, Kieran Reen and JJ Jackson with 7 conversions from Kieran Reen. Next up is Tullamore inn the Midland League on Saturday.

U16

Longford U16 played their first home game of the season against Tullow with a 13-man squad due to injuries. Unfortunately, they suffered a heavy loss.

Tullow were fast out of the blocks and scored three quick tries before Longford settled in to the game. Longford’s defence was weak with gaps showing in the line, which Tullow exploited. Longford made a recovery from that early onslaught with Kola setting up Mark Bracken to break in from the right and touch down at the far side.

Tullow dug in and relentlessly punished Longford with tries for not tackling low enough, giving them opportunities to gain yards after rucks. A bit of re-positioning by coaches led to a good spell of play by Longford. Good defence by Cole, Cormack and Ronan converted to attack and enabled our two Leinster U16 squad boys Kola and Kevin McDonagh to score two great tries with Kola providing an assist for Kevin’s try and Kevin kicking a conversion off Kola’s try. Our full back Daniel Daley and out half Daniel Hayden continued to look dangerous throughout the game although Longford couldn’t take advantage of their great attacking play.

The game was summed up by second centre Kola “Parts of it were messy with poor defending but there were other parts that were really good and at times we played some good attacking rugby. You’ve got to give credit to Tullow, they’re a very organised side to play against. We stood back and let them run through our line”.

U15

Longford U15’s travelled to Carlow for their second Leinster League game.  Longford controlled most of possession in the first half and lead 7-5 at the break. Longford scored early in the second half but two quick tries gave Carlow a 17-14 lead with 10 minutes to go. However, after some dogged determination and excellent ball retention, Longford scored two late tries to take a well-deserved 26-17 victory. This was an excellent team performance especially in the second half and the team can look forward with confidence to their next game which is at home to Edenderry in the Midland League on Saturday.

Team & scorers: 1 Seamus Hanley, 2 Ronan Smyth, 3 Keith Neary, 4 Conor McNamara, 5 Sean Conboy, 6 Jamie Brady, 7 Dean Rogan (1 try), 8 Eoin Murtagh (Capt.), 9 Ryan Cunningham, 10 Brendan Naughton (3 con), 11 Oisin Flynn, 12 Padraig Boyle (1 try), 13 John Boyle (2 tries), 14 Conor Smith, 15 Gavin Courage. Subs used: Lolu Adejimni, Oisin O’Hara & Francis Dunne.

U14

Our under 14's along with a cohort of under 13's had an early Sunday morning start as they headed off to Ratoath RFC for their Leinster League match. Ratoath had just the bare minimum as sickness depleted their panel. They were further depleted as their full back was injured. Longford kept the pressure on and were rewarded with tries by Luke Mc Manus, Sam Mills and newcomer Ryan D'Arcy. The move of the first half was actually in defence, when Ryan ran the width of the pitch to put in a try saving tackle to put the Ratoath player into touch a metre from the try line. The half finished 15 points to 5 points in Longford's favour. The second half was a more dogged affair, with Ratoath getting their tails up and gathering momentum. We shipped a few injuries with James Grehan and Alex Forde having to retire from the day. As the half went on, and we emptied the bench, the momentum remained with Ratoath and they ran in 3 tries in the last 5 minutes but Longford managed to hang on for Longford's second victory in this phase of the Leinster League. Sam Mills was our highest scorer with 2 tries and 2 conversions. There were also tries by Luke McManus, Leo Temple, Shane O'Hara and Ryan D'Arcy. The final score was Longford 34 to Ratoath’s 27. It was a good team performance but there are plenty of areas to concentrate on, especially the tackling, ball passing and hands in the ruck. Many thanks today, everybody played their part - Leo Temple, Martin Dooner, Ciaran Faherty, James Grehan, Oisin Gallagher, Sam O'Rourke, Odhan Gray, Shane O'Hara, Conor Mulligan, Sam Mills, Ronan Corcoran, Jude O'Rourke, Luke Mc Manus, Beau O'Connor, Ryan D'Arcy, Ciaran Heffernan, Olan Bracken, Rian Macken, Jack O'Hara and Alex Forde, with the latter having the privilege of having played for both the winning and losing team. Thanks to all who travelled to support the team and to Ratoath who provided refreshments afterwards. The U14s are back in CPL Park next weekend in the Midland League next against Tullamore.

U12

Our U12 team headed to Mullingar this week confident from last week’s good form in Wilson’s. They were brought back to earth fairly quickly going two tries down to Tullamore early on. However, Senan Murphy provided 2 tries and Jamie Donoghoe, who continued where he left off last week, edged the contest in our favour.

In the next match we again started slow. Our lack of tackling and game speed allowed Mullingar in for 3 easy tries. However, we settled into the game and produced some brilliant defensive work to hold out the Mullingar attack. We also tagged on tries from William McEntire (2 tries), Daniel Corr and Senan Murphy (1 each), to seal the game for the brave Longford lads. Last week we started strong and performed well but this week we had to work hard as a team to come from behind on two occasions and grind out the wins. Good work from forwards Matthew Kenny, Shane McGuigan, James Cosgrove, Mitch Clarke, Tom Murray and Sean Ginty in defence was notable today. The U12s next outing is at home as Cavan visit CPL Park next Saturday morning.  Parents help will be required to assist in the Hugh Connolly centre after the games.

U10 IRFU Aviva Minis festival.

On Saturday our U10 team headed to Tullamore RFC with coaches James, Aoghan & Pauline for the Aviva Minis festival organized by the IRFU. Teams from all over Ireland were invited to participate in this event.

In our first match vs Greystones we saw some fast flowing rugby with Longford coming out strong in the second half and scoring two unanswered tries making it 3-1. A great defensive line by Longford resulted in a great win and start to the tournament.

Game 2 was drawn against the toughest game in the tournament; a physical City of Armagh side. One try by the Armagh side divided the teams. Longford broke twice in the second half but were denied at the try line by good defensive pressure. Great character was shown by the Longford team.

Game 3 was against Navan. This was another tough game for the Longford team who broke through the Navan defence to score an early try. They built on this and proved too strong for a very competitive Navan team. It was a great win which left them in second position in the group.  Game 4 was against Enniscorthy. Some great attacking form by both teams proved to be an exciting start. Longford scored first and Enniscorthy soon equalised. Longford pulled away in the second half with four unanswered tries. A great team performance with a high tackle count which resulted in a number of turnovers. Well done to all. This was a great day out for our U10’s at their first big event.  We are hosting Cavan in CPL Park next Saturday.

Fixtures

Saturday October 27th 
U18 v Virginia (Away)

U17 v Tullamore (Away)

U16 v West Offaly (Home)

U15 v Edenderry (Home)

U14 v Tullamore (Home)

U7, U8, U9, U10, U11 & U12 are hosting a Blitz.  We ask all parents & coaches to make themselves available to help out.

The Full Mini (U7-U12) Season Planner can be downloaded at the following link; http://goo.gl/DAZ5GK  

Training

Longford RFC field teams at Youth level from U6 to U18. Training and coaching information can be found below.  Gerry Carthy is Minis/Youths Chair. We are always looking for more coaches, managers, referees, administrators or helpers. If you can help out for even a few hours or make sandwiches for a game or have an ideas/concerns please contact Gerry on; 086-8046857.

Youths

Longford Youths are back training at all levels. New players are welcome at all age levels throughout the season (it is never too late to join in!). There is no better time to start with the Rugby World Cup looming large on the horizon next November. Training times and Fixtures can be found on www.longfordrugby.com or at https://goo.gl/qAVBPv

New players are welcome at all age levels – just come to the club on the relevant training night or contact the coach above for details. Don’t worry about not having played before – we have the coaching staff to teach the basics to any player. Jimmy Murphy is the Youth’s Co-ordinator and can be contacted at 086 2555621.

Minis (U6-U12)

Our future Leinster and Ireland stars train every Sunday at 10.30 am. New players are very welcome, we have a comprehensive team of trained coaches. Just remember to bring a gum shield and a bottle of water along with your training gear. Two new innovations for the coming season are that we have a new state of the art 4G training area, which are suitable for contact sports along with Girls Training from U8-U12.

Padraig Murphy is the Mini’s Co-ordinator and can be contacted at 086 2526741 or prgm@me.com 

Please make sure to have membership paid in order to take part in games and make sure that your details are on the text list.

Club News

Birthday Celebrations

Congratulations to two of our most committed members; Derick Turner and Paddy Quinn who both celebrated their birthdays at the weekend.  Derick and Paddy have been involved in everything Longford RFC since the club was re-established in the 1970’s. 

Longford RFC Hall of Fame awards

Longford will be hosting their Hall of Fame awards in the Mansion House on Saturday December 15th.  More information for this brilliant event will be published next week.  If you would like to book a place or a table in the meantime, please contact Derick Turner on 086 2559624.

Longford Senior Men Fundraiser

Longford Senior Men are launching an innovative ticket base fundraiser in the near future.  More details will be revealed next week.

Social Dancing at Longford RFC

Did you know that social dancing takes place every Wednesday evening from 10 PM – 12 PM?  We have one of the newest and best clubhouses in the country, along with great music and a great crowd.  Admission is €10 including refreshments with all funds raised going directly to the club.  Contact 087 9843331 for more information.

Upcoming lineup;

24/10/18 Carmel McLoughlin

31/10/18 John Molloy

07/11/18 Seamus Farrell

Christmas Gifts from Longford RFC
It is getting towards that time of year where you might be considering what to get your friends and family for Christmas. Did you know we have 24/7 online shop through our partners Uniformity.ie where you can purchase Longford RFC Jerseys, Hoodies, Jackets and more, all by Canterbury. Why not consider Longford RFC Canterbury Gear as a gift this Christmas? The general turn around is up 14 days from order, so make sure to order early!  You can log out to our shop via the shop link on our website www.longfordrugby.com or the this direct link https://goo.gl/5MH8eE

Uniformity will be in the club on Saturday November 24th with samples and taking orders.

The Mini/Youths Boot Room

The innovative boot room allows Mini/Youths players to swap boots as they grow. There are a number of high quality boots already donated. If you are looking for boots or have boots to donate contact Gerry Carthy or Padraig Murphy.

Great Food/Events & Christmas Partise at Longford RFC

The Sin Bin at Longford RFC serves great quality and value food on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday from 12-3 and 12-7 on Saturday and Sunday. Booking for events such as birthdays, christening, confirmations, communions, weddings and funerals are available.

Kris is now taking booking for the Sin Bins ever popular Christmas parties.

The Sin Bin also shows all Irish rugby/Leinster/Munster matches live.

For bookings and information phone Kris on 0872872357.

4G All Weather Pitch Rental

Our state of the art floodlight Mel Diffley 4G pitch is available for rental.  It contains shock absorption so that players can play contact sports/fall over without hurting themselves.  It is also perfect for 5 a side soccer.  If you would like to book it phone Damian on 0862757103.

Membership

Membership is not due at all levels of the club from Minis to Senior. It is a vital source of revenue to help pay for our great facilities. Matt Hanley is collecting Senior Membership while Padraig Murphy is collecting Youths Membership.

Due to new GDPR regulations, all members including life members need to fill in consent forms.

They can be downloaded from the website.











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