Longford Senior Men resume the Leinster League with Carlow Double Header

By Tommy Butler Longford PRO lrfconnects@gmail.com 

Longford Senior Men resume their Leinster League campaign when they welcome Carlow to CPL Park on Sunday next.  It will be first game of a Carlow double header, when they face Carlow and then Tullow at home on successive Sunday’s.  It promises to be a definitive period for Longford if they are to continue to harbour ambitions of finishing the season in the upper echelons of the league. 

The season to date has been very much the proverbial curates egg, good in parts.  Longford started off at home to current league leaders Wicklow and will feel unlucky not to have come away with a win, when they camped on the Wicklow line for the closing five minutes, while the destroyed their scrum.  Alas they had to settle for only a losing bonus point.  They then made the trip to Drogheda to take on Boyne, with a squad that was weakened by unavailability and injury.  However, they put in a great performance in the face of adversity and will be disappointed not to have come away from there with more than a losing bonus point.  They turned the tide against Cill Dara at home where they secured a win thanks to a last gap try from outgoing Captain Benny McManus 17-15.  Longford had more than enough chances to have put the game to bed far earlier but could not convert them.  The same could have been said for the trip to Clondalkin but they eventually surged to a bonus point win 15-34 to leave the team sitting in 5^th with 11 points after four games.

Carlow and Tullow will present stern challenges.  Longford have lots of motivation to try and build on the momentum of the last two matches, especially with Carlow more focused on the two sides at the top of the table, with the trip to CPL Park merely identified as a potential banana skin before they take on the top two later.  The good thing is that Longford have certainly been creating chances in all the matches but have had a lack of fluidity.  Certainly the team seem to be moving towards clicking and when that happens they will be a team capable of beating any of their Division 1B opponents.

So onwards and upwards from here.  Please come down to CPL Park on the next two Sundays and support Longford Senior Men.  Why not drop into the Sin Bin after for a drink and some great food?

Action from Longford's last match v Carlow in 2019

Leinster League Table

Action from Longford Senior Men's 2nd XV v Carlow 

Men’s Leinster League Fixtures/Results 2021-2022

19/09/2021 Longford 09 Wicklow 14

16/09/2021 Boyne 13 Longford 08

10/10/2021 Longford 17 Cill Dara 15

17/10/2021 Clondalkin 15 Longford 34

31/10/2021 Longford v Carlow CPL Park (1^st XV 3 2^nd XV 1.30)

07/11/2021 Longford v Tullow CPL Park (1^st XV 2.30 2^nd XV 1.00)

28/11/2021 Mullingar v Longford Shay Murtagh Park (1^st XV 2.30 2^nd XV 1.00)

05/12/2021 Wicklow v Longford Ashtown Lane (1^st XV 2.00 2^nd XV 12.30)

12/12/2021 Longford v Boyne CPL Park (1^st XV 2.00 2^nd XV 12.30)

09/01/2021 Cill Dara v Longford Silken Thomas Park (1^st XV 2.30 2^nd XV 1.00)

16/01/2021 Longford v Clondalkin CPL Park (1^st XV 2.30 2^nd XV 1.00)

23/01/2021 Carlow v Longford Oak Park (1^st XV 2.30 2^nd XV 1.00)

06/02/2022 Tullow v Longford Black Gates (1^st XV 3 2^nd XV 1.30)

13/02/2022 Longford v Mullingar CPL Park (1^st XV 3 2^nd XV 1.30)

Women’s Leinster League Fixtures 2021-2022

03/10/2021 Longford v Portlaoise (Conceded by Portlaoise)

24/10/2021 Longford 17 v New Ross 19

31/10/2021 Arklow v Longford

14/11/2021 Longford v Greystones CPL Park

28/11/2021 Naas v Longford

05/12/2021 Garda/Westmanstown v Longford

12/12/2021 Portlaoise v Longford

16/01/2021 Longford v Naas CPL Park

30/01/2021 New Ross v Longford

06/02/2022 Longford v Arklow CPL Park

20/02/2022 Greystones v Longford

13/03/2022 Longford v Garda/Westmanstown CPL Park

The Your Club Your Country Raffle is Back!

Win some fabulous prizes and support Longford Rugby Club. It has been a tough 18 months but now that we are back playing rugby at all levels of the club, we need your support more than ever. Tickets are only €10 and can be bought at this link; https://bit.ly/3jihkQl. or by ‘Googling’ Your Club Your Country. Please encourage your friends and family to buy one, who knows you might be packing your bags for New Zealand next Summer? Thank you for your support!

Longford RFC are one of the most progressive clubs in the country. We field teams at all levels Male/Female throughout the age grades from U6 upwards. Building on the great developments in the club over the last number of years, we opened a brand new state of the art fully synthetic 4G pitch at the start of the season that is fully floodlight. Lots more plans are in the pipeline, so help us continue the good work and please buy a ticket!

Simon Community Sleep Out 2021 in partnership with the Longford RFC

The start of October saw the launch of a new partnership between Longford Rugby Club and the Simon Community for three years in the Sin Bin.  It also saw the official launch of the Simon Communities innovative sheltered housing project on Earl Street, which has helped 14 people move out of homelessness

Like all voluntary organisations the Simon Community and Longford RFC have seen a huge drop in fundraising due to Covid restrictions.  However, the costs continued to accumulate and this led to the innovative fundraising partnership between the two organisations.

The first fund raising event is the ‘annual’ Sleep Out event hosted by Longford RFC, where volunteers commit to spending a night under the stars to try and gain some small understanding of the daily struggle a homeless person endures.  Sleepers are asked to raise as much sponsorship as possible, with all funds raised going to the Simon Community locally and Longford RFC.  The event will take place on Friday December 10^th with registration from 9 PM. 

If you would like to participate please contact Noel Greene 087 961 5766 or Gerry Larkin 086 819 5519 for information and sponsorship cards.

Thanks to Shannonside and Kiernan Steel for supporting the event.

Sin Bin

The Sin Bin Event Centre is back open as per Government Guidelines.  Superb food and drink are available across the weekend (Friday to Sunday) and lunch on Wednesday/Thursday.  Phone 087 346 4914 for bookings or email sinbinbookings@outlook.com.  Check out the Sin Bins Facebook page for updates and specials;  www.facebook.com/thesinbinlongford/