Cashel keep pace with the leaders in All-Ireland Rugby League

Navan 14 Cashel 26

Saturday last brought Cashel to Dublin Road, Navan to take on the local side in Division 2A of the All-Ireland Rugby League. 

There is a keen rivalry between the two clubs since they joined the All-Ireland League. In the nine previous meetings both teams had won four games each, with one draw. 

Navan had beaten Cashel, in Cashel, earlier in the season. Cashel were endeavouring to keep pace with the league leaders and Navan were trying to stay above the relegation zone.

There was plenty at stake for both teams. Adding another little bit of spice was the fact that Ray Moloney coached Navan before he took on his current coaching role at Cashel. 

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Conditions were damp at the start and the underfoot conditions were sticky, with no wind. Navan had the upper hand early on and kept Cashel pinned back in their own 22 for the first twelve minutes. Cashel mistakes did not help their cause and they had to use all their defensive skills to keep Navan out.

It was clear from the beginning that the referee was not going to tolerate anything that looked like a high tackle and he was consistent on this throughout the game, with the slightest infringement penalised. It impacted heavily on Cashel.

It took Cashel twelve minutes to get into the opposition half but when they did they made it count. Paudie Leamy made a break from halfway, setting up the forwards who went through a number of phases before Alan Flannery broke a tackle to score under the posts. Tim Townsend added the two points and Cashel were seven points ahead.

Four minutes later Tom Tobin made a break, earning Cashel a scrum on the Navan 22. Once again the forwards did the hard work. Joe Callery charged over for a try, which Tim Townsend converted. 

Cashel were in good shape at this stage but on 27 minutes a missed tackle in midfield let Navan in for a converted try. From then until half-time the game ebbed and flowed, with lots of passion. Every ball was keenly contested. 

Just before half time a melee broke out and when the dust settled Cashel's Tim Townsend had to leave the field with an injured elbow, which required medical attention, and which will leave him sidelined for a number of games. So much for being the peacemaker. The half time score was Navan 7 Cashel 14.   

Cashel had a nervous start to the second half, dropping two kickoffs, but five minutes in Ryan O'Sullivan steadied the ship when he intercepted a pass inside his own half. He raced forty metres passing inside to Jamie Ryan, who passed outside to Paudie Leamy, who scored in the corner. It was an excellent try built on the pace of the three backs. 

Navan came back strongly with their large pack pressurising the Cashel defence. They had two efforts but the Cashel defence was solid, with Joe Callery winning a vital ball at the breakdown on his own tryline.

Two penalties earned Cashel a lineout inside the Navan 22. The maul was set up and the pack drove over for an excellent forwards try. Ben Twomey converted with a top class kick from the sideline. This put Cashel 26 points to 7 ahead with 51 minutes on the clock. 

Navan never gave up the fight and with fifteen minutes left they used the lineout maul to great effect to score a converted try to reduce the deficit. 

Ryan O'Sullivan again caught a high ball inside his own half and headed for the Navan line. He was caught two metres short and Navan cleared. 

Cashel came at them again but Navan scrambled when faced with an overlap. Navan came back again and were almost over but Alan Flannery won the ball at the breakdown and Cashel cleared their lines. The final score was Navan 14 Cashel 26.

This was very much a team effort, with some excellent performances. Ryan O'Sullivan at full back had an excellent game. Ben Twomey’s long clearances also caught the eye. The Cashel pack did very well in the scrums against a much bigger eight and won all their lineouts.   

This was another important win for Cashel, as it keeps them in contention for a playoff position. Three of the teams above them won but Barnhall lost. On Saturday next, fifth-placed Cashel (41 points) host third placed Greystones (44 points).

The following weekend Cashel are at home against fourth placed Barnhall (42 points). Instonians lead the way with 53 points. Corinthians are in second place with 49 points but have played an extra game. So it is tight at the top with every point important in deciding the final placings. 

Cashel team (1-20): C O'Donnell, D Upton, A Shirley, D Rowe, E Kelly,  A Harold Barry, R Moran, J Callery, J Pickering, T Townsend, T Tobin, J Ryan, A Flannery, P Leamy, R O'Sullivan, S O'Connell, N Roche, M Wilson, M Stardom, B Twomey. 

On Sunday, Cashel's Junior 1 team hosted Clanwilliam in the Munster Junior Cup. In a highly entertaining game the teams finished level on 20 points each at full time. Extra time was played, during which Cashel scored a try to Clanwilliam's penalty and so Cashel won on a scoreline of 25 points to 23 to progress to the next round.