We travelled to Cork to take on Sundays Well in the first game of the AIB AIL league. We were without Benny Bester and  Mark Foyle who are out injured and if we had either we might have a different result. Having said that the seventeen players used gave it all and were unlucky not to at least get a bonus point. The home side couldn’t have got a better start when their out half chipped over our backline and the ball bounced nicely for him and he made thirty meters before setting up a ruck outside our 22, a quick ball to the wing and a try after two minutes. Three minutes later John O’Brien followed his own kick and put enough pressure on the full back to fumble the ball, we won a penalty and Paddy O’Toole saw his attempt come back of the upright. The Well took control for the next fifteen minutes and had scrums and lineouts close to our line. Our lineouts were not too good at this stage but the lads done very well to keep the line intact. We improved for the next ten minutes and worked the touch line well and brought play into their 22. The home defence held firm and cleared their lines. We gave away two penalties before half time one was converted to make it 8-nil. Just as we were going into injury time we had a five meter lineout but crooked throw in gave away the advantage. As the half time whistle went John O’Brien was down injured and had to leave the field with a rib injury. He was replaced by  Martin O’Malley and David Keogh went to full back.

We started the second half much better and within minutes we were over their line and although Gerard Burke was over, the referee couldn’t see the ball had been grounded and gave us a five meter scrum. Again we attacked the line but this time we knocked on and the home side cleared. Three minutes later Paddy O’Toole blocked down an attempted clearance and was very unlucky with the bounce. Eventually after twenty minutes of pressure we drove over and Kevin Ward got the touch down. Paddy O’Toole missed the conversion from a difficult angle. All the good work was wasted when we gave away a penalty which Sundays Well converted to make it 11-5. We tried hard to get back into their 22 but gave away too many penalties and one of these in injury time was converted to deny us a bonus point and make the final score 14-5.

Although we came away with nothing this was a very spirited performance and all the players tried right up to the final whistle.

Team John O’ Brien, Mark Joyce, Michael Aspell, Bernard Keaney, Peter O’Toole, Paddy O’Toole, David Keogh, Kevin Ward, Alan Pryce, Emmet Ferron, Kevin Keogh, Cormac McDonnell, Aden Kelly, Ollie DeLapp. Ger Burke. Replacements, Martin O’Malley,  Martin Coyne, Kevin Barry, Darragh Sweeney, Paddy Flanagan, Eoin Bourke, Vinny Heffernan.        

 Sundays Well are having a great start to the season. They are in the Munster Cup semi-final and have recruited well this season. There is a lot we can take from this game and hopefully, next Saturday’s home game against Old Wesley might get us a result.

A big thank you to Bill Keating President of Sundays Well and all his Committee for the warm hospitality they gave us and thank you to all our supporters who made the long journey.
 

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