Great escape as terrific Longford RFC defeat Dundalk in thriller

Dundalk RFC . . . 37    Longford RFC . . . 41 

Sunday last in Dundalk proved one of those very rare occasions as Longford Rugby Club staged one of the greatest Houdini acts witnessed to keep alive their remarkable fight for survival in Leinster League Division 1B. 

To set the scene, Longford entered the final day of the regular season needing to win away to Dundalk. Not only that, a minimum of 4 tries was required to secure a Bonus Point. This was a huge task in itself, and even if the mission was accomplished there were events elsewhere that would ultimately dictate the final outcome. 

Mullingar had to win away to Athy RFC to negate any chance of Longford trading places with them on the final day. Even if what many deemed “mission impossible” could be achieved by Longford in Dundalk, ultimately Mullingar would have the final say by beating Athy and automatically relegating Longford regardless of their efforts. 

However, if they lost, Longford had the chance to overtake them. The odds were slim, but there was a chance.

In perfect conditions, the game commenced with Longford laying down an immediate statement of intent. A blistering opening exchange set the tone for what was to come as Longford let their hosts know early that they were in for a difficult afternoon.

 Longford’s early efforts were rewarded on 3 minutes when they were awarded a penalty which Ryan McHugh slotted to take an early 3-0 lead.

 Dundalk however were not in the mood to make things easy for their visitors and on 6 minutes responded with a breakaway try under the Longford posts to take a 7-3 lead. 

Longford were then dealt a blow on 10 minutes when outhalf Danny McHugh had to withdraw with a shoulder injury. 

Player/Coach Henry Bryce took the field for an earlier than anticipated appearance as Longford tried to steady the ship. 

Dundalk however were immediately awarded a penalty which they landed on 11 minutes to move the scoreboard 10-3 in their favour. 

Longford needed an immediate response and this they delivered via a converted try on 13 minutes when the relentless Tom Gilheany touched down for Longford after a lineout drive. The scoreboard moved to 10-10, a fairer reflection of Longford’s early efforts.

 This was added to  when Kieran O’Gorman ploughed over for another try on 23 minutes. Longford were now 17-10 ahead with 2 of the 4 tries required on the day already secured.

 Just as those in attendance tried to catch their breath, Dundalk replied with another try of their own on 27 minutes via their sniping scrum half who caught Longford off guard.

 The conversion brought matters to 17-17 in what was fast proving to be a game for the ages.

 On 33 minutes it was Dundalk who made the next impact when their flanker crossed for another converted try to take back the lead at 24-17. 

Longford had to reply and this they did well into injury time when Colm Glynn released winger Brian Harte to score a converted try for Longford to end an astonishing opening 40 minutes. It was 24-24 at the break.

The half-time team talk was calm and determined as players and management plotted the next 40 minutes. 

3 tries of the targeted 4 were at this point secured – yet another try was needed, and the win had to be achieved if the miracle was to be made a reality.

 The second  half got underway to a relentless Longford surge which was rewarded on 46 minutes when Benny McManus barged over for the all-important Bonus Point try. The conversion was narrowly missed but crucially Longford had taken back the scoreboard to 29-24. 

Dundalk were penalised on 51 minutes with a yellow card to give Longford a 1-man advantage for the following 10 minutes. 

This was capitalised upon a minute later when the outstanding Tom Gilheany rampaged over for his 2nd try of the day (and Longford’s 5th) which went unconverted. Longford were now ahead 34-24 with half an hour to play. 

Simultaneously, events in Athy were being monitored closely and to Longford’s benefit it was a favourable picture as Mullingar were losing. It seemed that the impossible was happening and the Great Escape was developing into reality.

 However, this script was not yet over, and the final act was incredibly only starting. Dundalk landed a penalty on 57 minutes to tweak the score to 27-34 before Longford were dealt a yellow card after a surge of Dundalk pressure.

This advantage they made count as the Dundalk No.8 secured the next try on 71 minutes which they converted to bring matters level at 34-34. The game was on a knife edge which Dundalk tipped in the favour with 2 minutes remaining when they took a 37-34 lead via a penalty. Mixed reports were coming from the Mullingar fixture and it looked like it was all over as the Longford match entered the last play. 

And it was the closing scene that will live long in the memory for those lucky enough to be in attendance.

 The clock was 3 minutes over the scheduled final whistle when Longford gathered for one last assault at the Dundalk barricades.

 Longford secured possession from a penalty just inside the Dundalk 22 metre line and had a final lineout to attempt one last drive to save their season. 

The ball agonisingly missed the intended Longford jumper and it looked for a split second like their last chance was to be blown. 

However, Liam Brady had a different idea and made an astonishing catch at the back of the lineout before launching himself forward towards the Dundalk try line.

 Longford swarmed over the Dundalk defence and launched wave after wave of attacks to try and salvage the match and indeed the season.

 In the very last play of the game, it was Henry Bryce who completed mission impossible as he touched down for Longford 6th try of the day. 

Ryan McHugh calmly converted the last kick of the game to deliver a final score of 37-41 in favour of Longford and bring an end to what was one of the most exhilarating games of rugby in Longford’s history. 

The remarkable bonus point win would all have been in vain however if Mullingar secured their own victory in Athy. There were several conflicting updates coming through after the final whistle in Dundalk that created a surreal atmosphere as players, management and supporters waited in agony for the result to come through. 

Finally, confirmation reached the Longford team that Mullingar were indeed beaten by Athy and that they had done it! There were incredible scenes as the team celebrated what was a simply astonishing effort.

And so a day for the ages came to a close with Longford surviving automatic relegation in the most dramatic fashion. 

It is Mullingar who have been relegated as we exchanged places with them on the last day of the league season. 

However, the reward for Longford is not automatic survival. Instead, it is a final opportunity to secure Division 1B status via a play off next weekend against Clondalkin RFC who finished runners up in Division 2A.

 This is now a single game; winner takes all scenario and so this Longford team have one last push to make the comeback of comebacks a reality. 

One last stand is needed and this team are determined to take their opportunity. They know what needs to be done.

LONGFORD:  1 – L Brady 2 – M McHugh 3 –  S McKeown 4 – D Geelan 5 – B McManus 6 – K O’Gorman 7 – T Gilheany 8 – P Molloy 9 – R Shaw 10 – D McHugh 11 – B Harte 12 – C Glynn 13 – G McDermott 14 – R Farrell 15 – R McHugh 16 – P Farrell 17 – B Hanley 19 – A McCormack 20 – H Bryce 21 – J McGowan.