Coolmine 57 - Malahide 0 U15s

Coolmine 57 – 0 Malahide Saturday 14th November 2015

“The Biggest game of the season so far!!”. These are the words used by coach and team manager Ciaran to describe the game against Malahide in his call to arms on WhatsApp. The team duly responded with a larger than normal turnout for the Friday evening training session. Drills for the forwards and backs went well. Areas for improvement were highlighted and worked on. A steely determination was palpable among the group as they left that evening. 

Saturday came and with it came the rain. Would it ever stop? Is there any chance that the game will go ahead? How could the pitch possibly be playable? Many a pint was had on the Saturday night on the basis that these questions would be answered negatively the following morning and a lie in would replace this eagerly anticipated match.

But NO. The grounds man had performed miracles, and at 9.30, confirmation was received that we were going to war at midday. Warm up commenced at 11, and the referee for the day called the captains together during this session and explained what he wanted. No foul play, no back chat, no repeated fouling. How one of the captains must now be wishing that he had actually listened. The game kicked off and the first few minutes were spent with the teams getting to grips with each other. There were a number of silly penalties for issues around the ruck in the early minutes. An issue with the ball size brought the game to a halt for a few minutes. Seemingly all the Malahide Under 15’s balls are size 5, but Coolmine’s are only size 4. Agreement to use the smaller specimen was eventually brokered and the game continued.

After 10 minutes, Coolmine were piling some serious pressure on the Malahide forwards. One penalty followed another, and despite repeated warnings by the ref, the fouls continued. The yellow card was out and the Malahide man was off for 10 minutes. Amazingly, one of the other Malahide players thought that this would be a good time to directly question the referee’s parentage, which unsurprisingly earned him a spell in the bin as well. With 15 against 13, the first score had to come and through sustained pressure Ben Griffin eventually broke the line.

The numerical advantage was cruelly exposes a couple of minutes later when Max Gerhardt fielded the restart in his own 22. With one of those jinky runs, he proceeded to run the ball back under their 

posts with hardly a hand been laid upon him. Coolmine continued to press, but their next score came just before half time, when Malahide were back to full strength. Several patient phases of play from 10 metres out were eventually rewarded when Ben Colgan broke through the line for the final score of the first half. Coolmine 21 – 0 Malahide.

Unfortunately for Malahide, the 2nd half started where the first left off. Probably one of the most popular scorers of the day got the first try of the 2nd half, when Jack Fitz used his strength to bundle 

the ball over in the right hand corner. With a tricky wind to deal with, Louis eventually lost his 100% 

kicking record with only the first missed conversion of the day. 4 minutes later, Max crossed the whitewash in the right corner after some lovely back play that involved Liam and Conor Dunne as well.

Malahide began to show some fight and were close to crossing the Coolmine line for the first time, when the ball was lost and some quick play released Dean down the left wing. With only one player 

to beat, he was cynically tackled with a straight arm to the neck that left him poleaxed on the ground for several minutes. Thankfully there was no serious damage done, but the ref had no alternative than to issue a 3rd yellow card of the day to Malahide. From the ensuing penalty. Conor Kelly received the ball and made tremendous yards through the middle of the pitch and looked like he might make it himself at one point. Desperate tackles eventually saw him brought to ground but Ben Griffin was on hand for his 2nd and Coolmines 6th.

With 15 minutes left, and the game as good as over, Coolmines ruthless streak remained. Good work by Fionn on the 18 minute mark, saw him make some good yards before releasing Harry on the left, 

who worked hard to cross the line under a mountain of Malahide defenders. Max got the first hat-

trick of the afternoon, with another fantastic solo run, but Ben Griffin wasn’t to be denied either and with 3 minutes remaining he also crossed the line for the 3rd time.

Final score 57 – 0 to Coolmine. Size 4 or Size 5. I think it’s obvious who has the bigger balls !!

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Coolmine 36 - Navan 0 (U16s League)

Coolmine proved too strong for Navan in an emphatic win at Ashbrook. The game was played in awful conditions but the excellent pitch held up very well. After twenty minutes Navan were well in the game with the only score being an unconverted try after five minutes. 

However three tries for the home team in the final ten minutes of the half put them in a commanding position. Coolmine went on to control the second half and ran out comprehensive winners.

 

The team are now two from two in the league & next week travel to Wanderers for what is sure to be a very interesting tussle.

 

Wicklow 22 Coolmine 0 Leinster League Div 1B

Wet and Windy Wicklow Woes

This was not an easy day for the squad who have had a superb run up to now. No matter what way we look at this, the home side were hungrier from the get go and wanted this more.

While the conditions were truly awful to start with, their more weighty pack made the difference in what was never going to be a rugby spectacle.

They started with almost a full press forward game and with wet conditions aiding the forward play our scrums came under pressure early on.

Aided by a wind that sheared diagonally across the pitch, the first half was spent almost entirely in our half.

We made hard work of our clearances and their back row left little to take around the fringes.

Emboldened by their strong scrummaging they opted for the corner when awarded a penalty for Coolmine going in at the side.

The resulting drive from their take-down in the lineout wasn't met quickly enough by us and they steamrolled in for their first try: 7-0 to the good with conversion.

We weren't clicking like normal and spent much of the half defending, some times quite well, others not so. 

There were a couple of flashes of that high tempo game we've made our own in that opening period but the slippery conditions made hard work of any fast play and inevitably ended up in a set piece where we were struggling.

It wasn't all one way in the scrum with Coolmine getting a couple over on Wicklow as well but their back row and back three kept the pressure on both at the break down and out wide and we failed to get any rythm going. 

A brighter period for Coolmine coincided with the brighter weather which cleared up but the big boot of their full back kept us pinned back in our own half and a knock on in our 22 gifted them a scrum. From this they were awarded a penalty - 10 - 0 to Wicklow 

Coolmine go back up into again and pushed hard, winning a penalty which went to their corner but the ball was adjudged not straight which confounded us watching the game and they were let off. Probably the best chance of the game for us to score as we had played much better for that period.

A big scrum almost won us the ball back and we up the pressure but they managed to clear all the way back to our 22.

A scrum to them in front of the posts and a try worked from it, was a bit of a spirit crusher as we had made all the play before that. 17 - 0 to them.

The second half saw a much improved performance from Coolmine and we shut them out for long periods but we really only edged our way into a scoring chance perhaps twice in that second half.

Greg Culhane put in a storming final 15 with one wonderful solo turnover effort.

I counted about one penalty to us for that period (we opted for the corner) and maybe half a dozen at least to Wicklow. 

They crossed for a scrappy try after what looked like a cross over by them but our protests came to nothing.

22 - 0 it stayed for the rest of the game with most of the play in the middle of the pitch - Wicklow not really able to get anymore on us but Coolmine looking like we didn't have the ammo to test them.

Our one clear chance saw the ball rifled behind the runner into touch on their 5 metre line - it summed up our day.

Malahide won't be any easier.

Need to hit the reset button and get back into our win mode asap.

Final score Coolmine 0 - Wicklow 22

U17s rocket past Ashbourne

Coolmine too strong in the end

After a slow start to the season the Under 17s played  their second fixture at home to Ashbourne. It was a credit to both sides who produced end to end exciting running rugby with some excellent handling skills on display.The Coolmine coaches were delighted that newcomers Sam Bolger, Mike McGuire and Lorcan Byrne all contributed enormously and were fully supported by the returning players Finlay Sharpe and Ben Eustace. 

Coolmine scored three first half tries from a combination of straight running backs and an excellent lineout with a well organised maul to send Jamie Cowan over the line giving Coolmine a halftime lead of 21 -10. The second half saw Ashbourne successfully counterattack to bring the score back to a 28-26 score but with 10 minutes to play Coolmine kicked on with three excellent handling tries involving both forwards and backs. 

David Sheridan’s try of great running, kick chase and great bounce closed the game out. All 18 players got play time with the newcomers bringing a new freshness to the squad. To build on this we need the support of ALL club members to encourage former and new players to join our squad at our 7pm Friday training sessions. 

We play fun, running rugby and we want to take this style on our end of season tour to our coach,Fabrice’s club in the south of France!  

U16 League Coolmine 15 Barnhall 10

U 16 League

Coolmine 15 Barnhall 10

 

Coolmine came out narrowly on top in their opening league fixture against a good Barnhall side. Both sides were willing to have a go, with attacking rugby prevailing in perfect conditions. The game went down to the wire with a late try for the home team being enough to secure the win.

 

With Coolmine’s lineout misfiring, Barnhall applied early pressure & were rewarded with a converted try. Five minutes later, after some good phases Conor Kiernan squeezed over wide left after David Porter was stopped just short. Barnhall continued to dominate territory & possession and only some stern defence from the home team kept them at bay. Luke Maguire relieved the pressure on the home side with some excellent breaks from deep. It looked like Barnhall were set to score in the right corner shortly before half time. As the Barnhall player bent to touch time, Robert O’Farrell came from nowhere and his man & ball tackle saved the day.

 

Half Time: Coolmine 5 Barnhall 7.

 

Early in the second half, Barnhall converted a penalty to put them into a 10-5 lead. The next ten minutes were evenly matched, with both sides putting some good phases together. A clever Barnhall move up the right almost resulted in a score when they moved the ball back left. Full back Hugh Hogan & winger Conor McMahon put in a number of excellent cover tackles to keep their team in the game.

 

Half way through the first half, Coolmine seemed to up the pace. The forwards generated some go forward ball with Conor Kiernan, Andrew Lane & Sean Thompson carrying strongly. The backs handled well & came close to scoring on a number of occasions. Winger Conor McMahon showed excellent footwork to score in the corner after some good combination play by backs & forwards. Coolmine continued to remain on top, but as time ran out, it looked as if the spoils were about to be shared. After some good phases from left to right, it looked as if Andy Lane had run out of numbers. However Robert O’ Farrell had other ideas when he called an inside pass from Andy. He cut a delicious line, shrugged off two tackles & scored just right of the posts.

 

The home team saw out the final two minutes to earn a very hard fought win against a sporting Barnhall time. Thanks to referee Ray Mooney for refereeing this excellent game.

 

The next league game is away to Wanderers on 25th October.

 

Full Time: Coolmine 15 Barnhall 10

Coolmine 2nds vs Mullingar 8th Oct 2015

Mullingar 10 Coolmine 61

Leinster League Division 1B (2nds)

Coolmine 2nds continued their opponent-blitzing ways with another comprehensive win over Mullingar at the weekend scoring 14 points within the first few minutes to create an unassailable lead from there on.

This is the second league game Coolmine have run in a bagful of tries against their opponents having put up a huge score against Tullow last week at home in Ashbrook.

 The team played with their usual free-flowing style with plenty of support play, the intensity of which the opposition just couldn't cope with it.

This was a the second clinical display by the Coolmine 2nds outfit in a week and is a testament to the strength of the panel  currently.

Coolmine 2005’s are off the mark!

Following a month of training under the new rules and a new more expansive game for u11s, the Coolmine 2005 squad kicked off their season by welcoming Clontarf to River Road.

It was a perfect day for rugby with the air sweet with Autumn warmth and we were treated to a fine display of what the boys have learned so far this season.

Three teams were fielded from each side and in all three matches, we witnessed good positional play with the boys holding their line and using the breadth of the playing pitch to find the openings to score their tries.

For most of the boys, this is their fifth year as a squad.  We witnessed how the boys are now beginning to migrate to more of the positons of the team and knowing the job they have to do within that positon.  We saw solid understanding of the line out, with the boys moving the ball quickly from straight throwing from the hooker through to quick delivery from lock to scrumhalf and across the line to open the play up.

There was some well caught high balls and good position kicking to drive the offence.  It was also fortuitous to see the quad in three scrums all at the same time across the three pitches and the boys scoring from all three.

The tackles were tough throughout the matches and the boys are still learning to get over the ball more quickly, once they make the tackle.  Clearly they have a great season ahead with lots more to learn but perhaps the best example of what they learned so far this season is their ability to involve all of the team across the offensive play, with the boys now not being sucked into the ruck or trying to score solo tries and becoming isolated from their team.  We saw this in abundance during their matches, showing that they are beginning to gel as a unit.

It was a very successful morning for the boys with three comprehensive wins, but of course no match is possible without opponents to play and the 2005 squad thank the Clontarf boys for being valiant opposition.  Hopefully we get to meet again this season.  

Report by Therese Leonard

 

 

Coolmine 24 vs Tullow 18 Leinster League Division 1B

This was in the balance til the very end and was a titanic tussle in the second half where some solid defending by Coolmine repeatedly denied Tullow the chance to inch ahead.

From the start both teams were fairly balanced with Coolmine the better at gaining ground through good back work while Tullow held the upper hand in the scrum in particular. 

Tullow certainly didn't dither from the outset and had Coolmine under pressure from the start with their scrum half, centre (Sean O'Brien's brother no less) and full back giving a torrid time to the Coolmine defence throughout the game.

The opening period was spent in the Coolmine 22 until a great clearance from Russell Shortt brought play all the way into their 22 and put Coolmine on the front foot for the first time in the game.
The attack from Coolmine fizzled out as they were bundled into touch for a lineout.
A super steal in the lineout however allowed Coolmine to recover and a break from the busy Eoin Hanlon. brought a penalty after an infringement by Tullow in the resulting breakdown.

Conor Hayes duly converted for Coolmine  to settle the nerves but it was not long until Tullow levelled with a snap drop goal having opted for the corner after they had won a penalty of their own in the Coolmine 22.

A lineout from the re-start at half way brought the ever-threatening Johnny Lee into a powerful break from midfield. With Mark Whitehead on his shoulder to keep the momentum going and some quick thinking passing from the supporting centres put Neil Welch through for Coolmine's first try and tilted the game in their favour. Hayes nailed the conversion.
10 -3 to Coolmine.

But Tullow were far from done and although they didn't look as sharp or as purposeful in attack as Coolmine, they always looked dangerous in set pieces and forward play with Coolmine struggling in the scrum in particular against them.

After fluffing a few attacks their pressure on the Coolmine line eventually paid off and they mauled over for their first try which was converted. 10 - 10 the score.

Coolmine upped it a gear after the re-start and a penalty against Tullow put them in the Tullow 22.
But despite repeated breaks and on-the-line pressure, Tullow hung on to clear the danger.

In one phase a quick lineout by Coolmine right on the their line came to nothing after Whitehead was clearly tackled without the ball before he received but play was waved on.

However the hard work and persistent threat of Coolmine, who have a mobile pack and great supporting centres put Johnny Lee over after a quick interchange of almost touchline passes between him and Russ Shortt. Captain Hayes duly converted from near the touchline to push Coolmine ahead at a crucial time just before half time. 17 - 10 to Coolmine.
But they were far from done and with Tullow still stung from the Coolmine second try - Oliver Prunty broke and ran like he was catching the last 37 out of town  finishing with a wonderful inside pass to Russ Shortt who crossed over for Coolmine's third try of the first half. Another Hayes conversion and it was 24 - 10 which was hard to believe for the Coolmine faithfu as the game was much closer in reality.

Little did the Coolmine following realise that would be the last scoring they would do for the rest of the game.
And while they threatened the Tullow line on a number of occassions in the second half, Tullow decided to plough all their play through their powerful scrum, giving them options to attack and put Coolmine under enormous strain.


Greg Culhane led the charge on a number of occassions for Coolmine trying to stymie their attacks from rucks and scrums and winning turnover when Coolmine badly needed it.
A penalty in our own 22 eventually helped Coolmine clear but the play was forced back down pitch by a determined Tullow who won a turnover and which saw them break quickly and cross - 24 -15 as the conversion was missed.
A crucial decision in the match was Tullow opting for the corner after a penalty for an offside infringement by Coolmine.
From the lineout Tullow battered the Coolmine line for what seemed like the entire second half with wave after wave of low ball carriers from the back of the ruck being stopped dead by an unbelievable defensive effort by Coolmine.

A superb defensive effort by Coolmine on their line denied Tullow the opportunity to get back on level terms

This really was a close-the-door call by the whole team who eventually won the turnover and cleared their line.
It was the turning pointing in the game.
While Coolmine tested the Tullow 22 a number of times afterwards they kept their defensive effort up particularly as the slight yet slippery Tullow full back looked like he was going to Michael-Flatley it throught the Coolmine cover.
With the clock saying 79 mins and the ref saying he made it 3 more than that, the whistle couldn't have come sooner for Coolmine who secured their second league win in a row.
Next up is Mullingar away.

Coolmine Super Sunday is here!

Don't forget today our 1sts and 2nds host Tullow from 1pm in their first home league games of the season. The clubhouse will be rocking also with screening of the Ireland vs Italy match from 16.45.

Barbecue, ice cream and treats for the kids, face painting and much more! 

So come down and sample some live rugby and take in the World Cup action afterwards.

Coolmine 21 Guinness 19

Coolmine 3rds took the game to Guinness RFC from the start and the early pressure yielded two early tries with one converted. 
Coolmine looked to capitalise on this commanding lead and held all the possession. 

Guinness struck back with a try against the run of play and put them back in the game. 

Stephen Hanley scored three penalties in a scrappy affair. 

When the teams returned for the 2nd half Guinness got into the game more. They were awarded a penalty try after a number of penalties had been given away.  

Coolmine played well but found the line at the top of the pitch out of their grasp,

Guinness  scored a late try in the lower corner to bring the game close, but as the conversion was landed the whistle went meaning Coolmine 3rd XV had 4 points to start their Metro Division 6 Journey. 

Ken Condon's team are one of the standard-setters in this league and will be confident of repeating the breakthrough year they had last year.

Coolmine 17 vs Cill Dara 5 Leinster Division 1B (IIs)

Coolmine 2nd XV vs Cill Dara

While Coolmine carried the day here it wasn't always plain sailing and the team under the tutelage of Andrew Wood and Jason Winfield have plenty to learn from this encounter with a tough opponent.
The score didn't really reflect the battle the teams had particularly at the breakdown where Coolmine's overall aggressiveness in this area won an important advantage for the team.
This allowed them the platform to dominate from thereon and tack on the scores through some controlled phase play and good moves.
Ben Newscombe and Tom O'Connor crossed for Coolmine's two first half tries.
It was Ben's first try in senior rugby for the club. The first of many we hope.
The second try saw Rob Walsh get over the line for Coolmine and it was duly converted by Dave Moore.
The team welcome Tullow at home in Ashbrook on Sunday 4th October for their first home league of the season and will be hoping to repeat the effort and gain maximum points.

Coolmine vs Cill Dara Leinster League Division 1B

Coolmine 18 Cill Dara 15

This was a see saw affair with Coolmine the better team overall yet not quite finding it easy to convert the superior playmaking into scores on the board.

Cill Dara were keen from the start to cause an upset and came at league newcomers Coolmine with everything, taking the lead after some early pressure and good phase work while Coolmine adjusted to the tempo.

But Coolmine soon began to use their stronger ball carriers and superiority in the lineout and scrum to good effect and after an intense exchange of play from both teams and good work from around the breakdown Mark Whitehead crossed for Coolmine's first try of the new season league campaign. Conor Hayes converted to level the teams.

A quick long ball from the re-start which Coolmine could have cleared quicker put them under pressure and the resulting play allowed Cill Dara to cross for their second try. A missed conversion made it 7-12 to the Curragh club.


Coming out in the second half it was clear that Coolmine needed capitalise on their overall control of the game and get some points on the board. Some great line breaks by Ruairi Farrell and good phase-work by the pack allowed the team to keep Cill Dara hemmed in their own 22 for the first ten minutes of the second half.
The pressure was duly rewarded with Russ Shortt crossing for a great team try to make it 12 - 12 as we missed the conversion.

Coolmine went in search of the killer score to put distance between them and this tough outfit and should have had at least two clear cut chances that went askew on us on their line. A knock on from us at a crucial moment gifted them a reprieve.

Then a break out kick and chase brought play back into our own 22 and after they were awarded a scrum Coolmine fought hard to get the turnover and won a penalty with some staunch defending.

Another break by Farrell brought play back into their 22 only for a knock on to let them off again and give them a scrum.

But Coolmine won the ball against the head as Cill Dara showed signs of wear and tear. Conor Hayes stepped up and duly slotted over the penalty to make it 15-12 and the first time Coolmine had taken the lead, half way through the second half.

From the restart Cill Dara came looking for a score and were awarded a penalty in front of our posts for a high tackle.
After they levelled through the penalty - Coolmine quickly went looking for a score and upped the tempo with some fine individual efforts and well worked passages of play. Their lineout work in particular was never troubled and it gave them a great platform to take the game to Cill Dara.
With the injury toll beginning to mount for both sides, Coolmine finally got the break they needed when Cill Dara were blown up for going in at the side of a ruck in their own 22.

PICTURED ABOVE - the defining moment - Cill Dara blown up for infringement at the ruck which Coolmine duly converted to take the lead. It was to be the match-winning score.

Conor Hayes converted the kick from a not-too-easy angle (see pic above).

But the drama wasn't finished as straight from the re-start Coolmine gave away a penalty which Cill Dara opted to take but it came up short. The kick however came off the side of the upright, was half fumbled and pounced on by the oncoming Cill Dara team.  Somehow the Coolmine defence dug deep and turned over the possession and cleared the danger.

For the remaining ten minutes Coolmine turned the screw but the scores just wouldn't fall their way with three missed penalty kicks - one coming off the upright and numerous close encounters with the try line but no chalk on the ball.

The sense of relief at the final whistle was palpable for this team as they have been through the wars for the past 18 months. A first league win and a good start to come back from behind and close the game out.

Plenty to be positive about for Coolmine.

U14 METRO SEMI FINAL

COOLMINE 27 ST MARYS 7

The sun was shining down on Ashbrook on Sunday morning as the Under 14s teams from Coolmine and St Marys started their semi final earlier than usual at 11am. Having met already this year this would prove to be a challenging match.

With a quick check of studs, the French lady referee set the game in motion and help release the tension of both teams in front of a large turn-out in the Ashbrook grounds of Coolmine RFC.

What may easily have been the fastest try of the season, Dean Ennis made a break, from loose ball to run length of the pitch and grounded the ball, within the first 10 seconds of the game. Louis McDonagh converted for Coolmine. St Mary’s have significant talent but a determined defense from Coolmine chased, tackled, brought the players to ground over and over during the first quarter of play. There were some errors on both sides with balls turn over but again Coolmine recovered quickly. During the 8th minute of the game, a Chris Agnoli tackle on the Marys half back resulted in a strong scrum by the Coolmine forwards and some good passing.  Thien called for the ball and it found its way to him and he was away, and brought the ball home to score the second try but failed to convert with a tight angle.

At the break of the second half the St Mary’s players caught an unaware Coolmine and scored a well-deserved try.  The Coolmine captain, Chris Agnoli, rallied the Coolmine players and steadied them after the conversion.  With the introduction of fresh legs, Harry Meehan, Jack Fitzpatrick and Ben Colgan, the pressure was intense for both teams.  A pivotal try scored by Dean through multiple phases of play helped move the game closer to Coolmine.  Their efforts were rewarded when Conor Dunne intercepted a high pass the ball to bolt down the pitch to ground the ball between the posts, lining up Louis nicely with a straight forward conversion. Score stood at 24-7 with only a matter of minutes to play, when the final whistle blew.  A well turned St Marys did their club proud but on the day the Coolmine 14's had the upper hand.

Onward to the final.  Show your support for the lads and get behind them for the final. Come on Coolmine!

METRO U14 QTR FINALS

 COOLMINE 38 RATOATH 7

To win away from home is challenging, to win a quarter final away from home requires you to dig deep and deliver. The sun was shining on Sunday in Jamestown. Continuing the theme of Saturday's 6 Nations rugby, this game was pulsating, demonstrating Youths rugby at it's best - plenty of ball carrying, rucks, mauls and that was the spirit for the entire match.

Coolmine got off to a fast start with Ben Colgan reaching the try line. We were 5 points up!  Followed in quick succession, Liam Coyne went over the line, with Louis McDonagh kicking the conversion. A slight error from Ratoath, allowing Harry Meehan to intercept, resulting in him crossing the tryline, right in the corner which set Justin Leonard up to kick the conversion, between the sticks. Coolmine were relentless, and this pace continued. The Coolmine forwards barracaded their line and Ratoath simply couldn't penetrate through. They managed to make a break in the last couple of minutes of the first half, however, an error resulted in Ben Mancini ripping the ball and covered some ground until he could see Max Gerhardt on the wing. Successfully passing the ball, Max sprinted to the line with at least 5 Ratoath players in pursuit - it wasn't meant to be! Max skipped over the while line, Justin converted. Half time score 0-26 to Coolmine.

Second half started with a series of changes in Coolmine, notably some of our new players starting. Our forwards coach Andrew Kelly has been busy recruiting in the local schools - and we have had 4 new players join the team in the last few months. They have settled in quickly and brought fresh ideas and approaches to the team. Having clawed back a try in the early minutes of the second half, it was vital that Coolmine didn't get complacent - the final whistle had not yet blown. The next two tries were scored by two of our new players, Kristians Feldmanis and Bao Trans. The gap has widened to 7-38 In the last few minutes of the game, through a couple of errors from Coolmine, we find nearly all 30 players along the Coolmine try-line, with Ratoath trying to put a dent in the score. Ratoath's determination is applaudable, Coolmine's defense is determined. And just when you thought that Ratoath were to ground the ball, Max Gerhardt dived in, tackled the unsuspecting players legs with support from Ben Mancini on the other side - you couldn't see the ball or line for the mass of players sprawled across the line.

The referee blew the whistle and the try was held up! Victory to Coolmine, 7-38 and we march onto the Semi-Finals. Congrats to both teams for a great game of rugby.

COOLMINE U12 AT DLSP BLITZ

COOLMINE U12 AT DLSP BLITZ

Sunday March 22nd when they came away from the DLSP Blitz with their heads held high.. The players arrived in DLSP just before 10:00am and played their last match just before 2:00pm,  on a beautiful Spring day. Coolmine Mini Rugby has a long and successful history in this competition. Thirty two players from the under twelve age group made the trip to DLSP There were sixteen teams in total at the U12 age level taking part on the day, from clubs such as the hosts (DLSP) Barnhall, Blackrock, Old Wesley, Wicklow Enniscorthy.  Terenure and of course London Irish. . Games were twenty minutes long and were refereed by representatives from clubs other than those involved in the individual games. Coolmine fielded two teams and both started brightly defending their line with vigor and scored some wonderful tries on the day. All games were played in great sprit and were keenly contested by the players . Coolmine knew from the outset they had the measure of the very well coached sides from a variety of Leinster finest Clubs. Each of the two Coolmine teams played four games each over the day with pitch and weather conditions ideal for fast flowing Rugby.

DLSP President David Lillis spoke to us afterwards and was keen to bring to our attention that the Coolmine game versus London Irish was the best game they had seen all day. London Irish had played St Mary's U13s the previous day and had won. In our opinion they were lucky to escape with a draw from the Coolmine game. For the coaching group that was result of the weekend despite impressive results for the Irish National team in the Six nations on the previous day . Both teams made the coaching group and their parents really proud at the effort they made to play pure rugby and it really was great to watch them move the ball so well and support their team mates at every break, ruck and tackle.  What came across to the coaching group from both teams, that even faced with a more fancied opponent, the guys stuck to playing rugby they way it should be played. Their passing game at this level is great to watch when in full flight. While we a have alot of work to do yet (starting slowly and tackling chief among them), we have come a long way since our first blitz in Blackrock at the start of the season. The two Coolmine teams had minimal subs which were rotated during the games, every player made a big contribution to the Coolmine cause. It would be unfair to name individuals but suffice to say everyone gave their all, scoring an impressive number of tries and conceding the minimum. The Coolmine U12 players can feel rightly proud of their achievements on a very successful days rugby in DLSP.

A special word of thanks goes to the DLSP Club who hosted the event and provided refreshments for parents and kids on the day . A particular word of thanks to DLSP. Mini Coaches who organised an enjoyable day’s Rugby and ran the matches of in quick succession was a great day in the young Rugby lives of Coolmine U12’s  Next up for the the U12 Team is a Tour to Limerick where the players will travel to Thomond on Saturday eving for the Munster V Connacht game. On Sunday they will play in a Blitz at Gary Owen RFC.


Written by PJ McGovern March 24th 2015

METRO 7 LEAGUE FINAL

COOLMINE 13 OLD WESLEY 40

Our famous tradition of fielding and dominating the respective 3rd XV competitions and leagues continued this season with our team achieving an impressive run of league form culminating in a winner takes all in the final playoff against a seasoned and experienced Old Wesley XV in Donnybrook.

Old Wesley who were the previous seasons runners up, approached this game with one league final lost last season with intent and vigor but Coolmine had other ideas and were not going to be second best on this occasion competing aggressively and passionately for this very special trophy which is very dear to us all at Coolmine RFC, namely the Dr. Bill Linihan Memorial Cup dedicated to our co-founder.

Both teams for this League final met on the home ground of Old Wesley on the new 4g pitch for a game that promised a great deal of specific types of rugby styles; hard and determined forward orientated play from Coolmine or the Wesley style of free flowing combative and utterly competitive rugby underlining their seasons impressive performance in this seasons league winning against all teams including ourselves.

The game itself started well for Coolmine with some dominance in all aspects forward and backs involved skill level contributed to an excellent try on 3 minutes with a valuable 5 points scored. Unfortunately we didn’t convert due to a difficult angle on the 22. The restart commenced and Wesley were dominant and commanding secure ball possession and despite great Coolmine defence in opposing a strong Old Wesley forward orientated play resulted in a great try by them and converted too which left the score after 18 minutes Old Wesley led at 14 – 05. Old Wesley conceded a penalty close to the conclusion of the first half which was kicked successfully by Coolmine narrowing the gap to 14-8 at the conclusion of the first half.

As the second half commenced we had a great flourish to take the game to our opposition and show what we meant. We fought hard and resiliently, but allowed Old Wesley to commence a great move which culminated in a further Old Wesley try on the 6th minute of the second half to stretch the score difference to a now 21-8. An upward battle loomed for Coolmine RFC to overtake the point’s difference and establish dominance. However this was Old Wesley’s purple patch and they went 3 try’s unanswered by Coolmine the home team showed dominance and decent ability to demonstrate their impact. The score in the second half was now a very daunting 40-8 with tremendous Old Wesley dominance capitalised with their impressive score line. However , the Coolmine spirit didn’t surrender and we kept fighting creating our own pressure with our fighting spirit leading us to securing a second try in the dying minutes and left the final score at 40 – 13.

Old Wesley claimed the Dr. Bill Linihan Cup which was presented by Billy Linihan. Coolmine RFC fought hard with a young team and what we can be assured of as that our 3rd team will return next season with a harder, smarter and experienced team. We look forward to the next season following their progress. Our congratulations to the team’s leadership and coaches on a job well done.