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!