Provincial Towns 1st Round Preview Longford v Cill Dara
By Tommy Butler Longford RFC PRO
There is a great buzz around Longford RFC in anticipation of the Provincial Town Cup first round, where Longford Senior Men face Cill Dara in CPL Park next Sunday January 20th at 2.30 PM. Longford have featured in one Provincial Towns Cup Final and three Plate Finals in the recent past. In 2013 Longford RFC reached the Provincial Towns Cup Final for the first time since the club was reformed in 1967; a historic year when Pat Fitzgerald, representing Longford RFC also become the President of the IRFU. He was the first Junior Club representative ever to hold this office! Indeed, last year Longford reached the Plate Final but unfortunately lost out to Naas in extra time.
After receiving the toughest first round draw possible last year, away to eventual winners Enniscorthy, Longford will be hoping that this year’s home draw in a packed CPL Park will help roar them into the second round. However, Longford’s opponents, Cill Dara, are not to be underestimated. They are riding high in Division 2A (the division below Longford) and will come into the match with a lot of confidence. Longford have played Cill Dara a lot in the league over the last ten years. The last meeting between the sides was on March 12th, 2017 in CPL Park, where Longford recorded a 41-24 victory to win the Division 2A Title and promotion. It promises to be a great game as all matches between the sides are always very full blooded affairs
The Provincial Towns Cup is one of the oldest trophies in existence in Irish rugby dating back to 1892. The Cup originally named the Leinster Junior Challenge Cup was then presented on the inception of the Provincial Towns Cup in 1926. Longford RFC contested the 88th final v Tullamore and also reached the final in 1932, losing out to Dundalk.
The competition is an open draw format and as such throws up many David v Goliath encounters. Former President of the Leinster Branch Ben Gormley summed it up well: “The Town's Cup is the Holy Grail of Junior rugby in the province and it is a competition that grips towns like no other. Its popularity continues to grow year on year.”
As regards next Sundays first round match Longford Head Coach Glenn Baskett says that the outcome is very much in the hands of his team: “Our own performance is really what we have got to focus on. Obviously, we are going to look at the opposition and try and determine what they are going to bring to the party. Cill Dara really have a lot to offer but from our perspective we have got to focus on what we do and ensure we do it well. We can ask no more than that and we are not going to get upset or worried about our opponents.”
Baskett is under no illusion as to the quality of the opposition: “We have to respect what Cill Dara bring to the table but we would be underselling ourselves if we were not up for this game. It is still going to be a big ask for us, but if we intend to make a game of this then we have to match them in the pack. We would be quietly confident that we can do that.”
We invite you to come down to the first round match, which is always a great atmosphere, grab some lunch in the Sin Bin and roar the last on to the second round. The draw will take place immediately after the match at one of the Provincial Towns Cup First Round venues.
The draw for the great prizes for the Longford Senior Men's Fundraising draw will take place after the Towns Cup match v Cill Dara on Sunday January 20th. There will be an opportunity to buy tickets before and during the match. All the money goes directly into funding the Senior Men’s sides. There are some big cash prizes to be won.
Pictured below is Derek Farrell before the 2013 Provincial Towns Cup Final v Tullamore
You can read a report at this link on Longford's first appearance in a Provincial Towns Cup Final in 1932!
