Nenagh Ormond back to winning way with impress bonus point win away in Cork

All-Ireland League - Division 1B - Round 5

Nenagh Ormond 31

Highfield 22

Nenagh Ormond left it late to dig out a hard-fought 31-22 victory over Highfield at Woodleigh Park which lifts them into second spot at the top end of Division 1B and just two points off leaders Old Belvedere after round 5.

Nenagh took an early lead through a Conor McMahon penalty but they played second fiddle for most of the game as Highfield brought huge physicality and intensity to their play, cheered on by an enthusiastic home crowd. 

The visitors’ defence was seriously tested in the first quarter and finally broke when scrum half Richard Cassidy sniped around the blindside to score in the corner after a driving maul had brought his team right to the Nenagh line. 

Shane O’Riordan converted brilliantly to put the home side 7-3 up and very much in the ascendency.

Although McMahon brought his team back to within a point on 23 minutes, it did not take long for Highfield to apply the pressure once again and a series of drives for the line ended with prop Daragh Fitzgerald barging over for his side’s second try. 

O’Riordan made it 14-6 and Nenagh looked in trouble as they struggled to get a foothold in the game.

Eventually, Nenagh got a break as Highfield full back Mark McLoughlin lost his footing and spilled the ball giving the visitors a scrum in a very promising position. They capitalised fully on this, going through several phases before Nicky Irwin eventually squeezed his way over for the try. McMahon added the extras and in truth, Nenagh would have been happy to be trailing by only one point going into the break at 14-13 down.

Highfield scorched in for their third try almost immediately on the restart. Jamie Shanahan attacked down the left and released Eoin Dorgan who sprinted down the touchline, crossing in the corner for a classic winger’s try.

McMahon’s third penalty brought it back to 19-16 and it stayed that way until the 72nd minute when an O’Riordan penalty stretched the home lead back out to six. As the game entered the final stretch, however, it was clear that Highfield were tiring. 

As the home defence struggled to stay going, Nenagh began to turn the screw and the pressure eventually told as hooker Dylan Murphy mauled over in the corner to bring the score to 22-21, with the conversion to come.

The kick was on the wrong side for left-footed McMahon but he made light work of it. The cheers from the Ormond supporters signalled its accuracy long before the touch judges raised their flags. The winger made it six from six with a 79th-minute penalty and Pope completed the comeback when he rounded a broken Highfield defence with the final play of the game.

The league takes another break before resuming on 9th November when Nenagh will host Queens and Highfield will have a difficult assignment away to table-topping Old Belvedere. 

After sustaining four consecutive losses, the cork side will need to find form quickly if they are to pull themselves off the bottom of the table - a position they have been wholly unfamiliar with in recent years.

Scorers: Nenagh Ormond: Tries: Nicky Irwin, Dylan Murphy, Ben Pope. Cons: Conor McMahon (2). Pens: Conor McMahon (4).

Highfield: Tries: Richard Cassidy, Daragh Fitzgerald, Eoin Dorgan. Cons: Shane O’Riordan (2). Pen: Shane O’Riordan. 

Nenagh Ormond: Josh Rowland; Patrick Scully, Angus Blackmore, Willie Coffey, Conor McMahon; Ben Pope, Nicky Irwin; Mikey Doran, Dylan Murphy, Colm Skehan, Jake O’Kelly, Kevin O’Flaherty (capt), John O’Flaherty, Evan Murphy, John Brislane.

Replacements: Jack Devanny, Jack O’Keeffe, Craig Hannon, Rob Buckley, Charlie O’Doherty, Brian O’Rourke.

Highfield: Mark McLoughlin; Eoin Dorgan, Jamie Shanahan, Elliot Smith, Luke Kingston; Shane O’Riordan, Richard Cassidy; James Rochford, Rob Murphy, Daragh Fitzgerald, David O’Halloran, Conor Kennelly, Dave O’Connell, Patrick McBarron, Miah Cronin (capt).

Replacements: Euan Kennedy, Corey Hanlon, Sean Glynn, Mark Fitzgibbon, Angus Lloyd, Barry Spearman.

Referee: Dermot Blake