Rugby: Kilfeacle gain victory over Skibbereen

With games coming thick and fast and after winning last week KIlferacle were away this week to Skibbereen in Cork.

The home side started the game well and after after 15 minutes of Skibbereen having the better of both possession and territory there were signs that Kilfeacle were coming to terms with their opponents and the conditions.

The squad that consisted of Adam O’Connell, Brendan Barron, Paddy Finnan, Darragh Kennedy, Bryan McLaughlin, Kevin Kinnane, Brian Barlow, Diarmuid O’Donnell, Shane Farrell, Cormac Ryan Minor, Gavin Heuston, Luke Heuston, Darren Lowry, Fiachra O’Grady, Rares Stoica, Kelan O’Connor, Brian Barron, Killian Noonan, Cathal Donovan, John Bourke and Kevin Doyle were proving immense for their attacking and defensive prowess.

Some very quick thinking and awareness by Luke Heuston on 16 minutes saw him take advantage of a flat back 3 in the Skibbereen defensive line and following a foot race he sprinted for the corner. A desperate diving tackle by the fullback was to no avail as Luke’s lung bursting run saw him touchdown in the corner for the opening score of the game. After 17 minutes Kilfeacle and District led by 5-0.

This score unsettled the home side and an excellent break through run by Brian Barlow saw him stopped just metres short of the Skibbereen line. Skibbereen resorted to illegal means to stop Kilfeacle’s advance. The penalty that was awarded to Kilfeacle was taken quickly taking advantage of their opponent’s defensive disarray.

Luke Heuston took the ball into contact, getting injured in the process, two passes later Darren Lowry scored under the posts for Kilfeacle’s second try. Luke Heuston gingerly picked himself up to score the conversion.

Kilfeacle led by 12-0 but had lost their influential out half. In the last 15 minutes of the first half Skibbereen were winning ground using the elements to great advantage. In the 28th minute, after numerous phases of play, Skibbereen breached the Kilfeacle defensive line to score under the posts. This try was easily converted bringing the score to 12-7.

In the 39th minute a penalty from outside the Kilfeacle 22 was scored by Skibbereen. The half time whistle sounded shortly afterwards with the scoreboard showing 12-10 in favour of Kilfeacle and District.

From the restart, Skibbereen immediately took the game to Kilfeacle and gained territorial advantage. It was in the 61st minute before Kilfeacle had any prolonged attacking opportunities and to their credit Kilfeacle were able to do what Skibbereen were incapable of which was score.

A deliberate knock-on 5 metres out from the Skibbereen line saw them penalised and provided Kilfeacle with the chance to tap quickly for Bryan McLaughlin to score in the corner. Gavin Heuston had taken over the kicking duties from his brother and narrowly missed the target. This brought the score to 17-10 in favour Kilfeacle.

The game and the atmosphere had reached fever pitch and when, in the 71st minute, Skibbereen were restored to 15 men the pendulum sung again. In the 77th minute Skibbereen scored an excellent try in the corner and had the chance to level the game with the conversion kick. The kick was short and wide of its target and Kilfeacle cleared their lines. The game was now on a knife edge with the score 17-15 to Kilfeacle.

In the 84th minute Kilfeacle had a man sent to the bin for a deliberate knock on and the tension rose to a new level. The penalty was awarded on the touchline just outside the Kilfeacle 22 in a similar position to the missed conversion attempt. Skibbereen elected to tap and go.

4 minutes and 10 phases of play later Skibbereen had gained no ground but had retained the ball. On the next phase of play Kevin Kinnane initiated a tackle and held up his opposing number in the tackle. All of the Kilfeacle pack piled in and Skibbereen could not get the ball back.

Crucially Kilfeacle had won possession of the ball. Kilfeacle controlled the ball for 4 phases until the referee signalled that the time was up and the ball was gleefully dispatched to touch. Kilfeacle had won by 17-15 and gained an invaluable away win.

The team as ever are humbled by the amount of support they receive and hope that everyone will come and support them again next Saturday the 19th of November for the hugely anticipated All-Ireland Junior Cup Quarter-Final. Our opponents arriving to Morrissey Park on that date will be Enniskillen RFC and kick off is at 2:00pm.

Juvenile Training continues
Both mini and youth Rugby training continue at Morrissey Park, (the Hill), in Kilfeacle every Friday at 18.30hrs. With a primary focus on fun, safety, learning the skills and improving the all-important agility, balance and co-ordination of each child we welcome back our regular players and we extend a warm welcome to any new players who would like to come and play for the Blues.

The under ages of Kilfeacle have experienced quite a degree of success over the past number of years and it is envisaged this year will be no different. Children from the ages of 6 and upwards are most welcome and importantly parents of the children are encouraged to come to the sessions, meet the coaches of each of the grades, meet the other parents and generally integrate within the groups. So, see you all in Kilfeacle every Friday at 6.30.