Iveragh RFC : Update #6

Roots & All is a project where we pick a few teams that don’t normally make the spotlight week in week out and feature them regularly throughout an entire campaign.

This looks like our final post of the season. We had hoped to play our neighbours, Kenmare in an annual shield match before the year ends but it is not to be due to numbers, injuries etc.

At senior level, we made massive strides forward this year and people often talk about the highs and lows of sport but this was one big high from start to finish. We finished off with our annual awards, Paul Naylor receiving clubman of the year for he duties as touch judge, pitch marker, looking after goal pads etc.

Players player of the year, Seamus Curran - tighthead prop, undefeated all year in the scrum, highly dangerous in training, even worse in games. Similar style to Peter Clohessy only bigger. The trophy was donated by the family of Bob Graves, native Kerryman who played for Ireland, Great Britain and the British Lions and presented by his son Gordon.

Top points scorer went to Brian O'Leary whose penalties won so many tight games for us this year .he has emigrated for Australia and will be a huge loss next season .we will be holding our AGM next week and will be developing our playing area this summer to improve on this years achievements.

Our underage section has also been a huge success with big numbers training all year and several new coaches having done their Munster tickets .next season will see these underage teams starting to compete and match the other clubs now that they are beginning to master the basics. All in all, a great future, looking forward to next year already!

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Here at HoR we’d like to thank Iveragh RFC for taking part in Roots & All this season and we wish you the best of luck in the future!

Iveragh RFC : Update #5

Roots & All is a project where we pick a few teams that don’t normally make the spotlight week in week out and feature them regularly throughout an entire campaign.

Iveragh seniors travelled to Clonakilty last Sunday in the second round of the j2 Munster cup.  Having gotten away all year with no more than 3 subs at any given match, numbers finally caught up with us as we were down to the bare 15.

With 2 players starting carrying injuries Clon struck for an early try with only 2 minutes on the clock with the ball going through the hands of their speedy backs.  Iveragh scored a try off a quick peno that caught the Clon defence unaware 2 mins later.  Clon scored again through a chip chase and full back Brian O'Leary replied with a peno to make it 12-10 after 20 min of a high tempo game. 

Iveragh’s patched up team was beginning to settle and had total control of the scrum and forward play, but the lightning fast Clon backs were a constant threat and they struck for 2 more tries to leave it 22-10 at half time .iveragh controlled possession in the second half with the maul and pick and go yielding a try ,from flanker Austin Lyne making it 22-17.

With the game now poised to go either way, it was the Clon scrum half who secured the victory with a break off a ruck to leave the final score 29-17 to Clon for a well deserved win. Great facilities, pitches and hospitality down in Clonakilty and best of luck to them in the next round against Kanturk . With the shortage of players and a reshuffled backline, this was one of Iveragh’s best ever performances against all the odds and every player can be proud of his display.

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Iveragh RFC : Update #4

Roots & All is a project where we pick a few teams that don’t normally make the spotlight week in week out and feature them regularly throughout an entire campaign.

Iveragh senior team made the long journey to Cashel to play the semifinal of the Mick Barry Cup last Sunday week. 

Conditions were perfect for rugby with the pitch in great condition.  Iveragh had the better of Cashel at scrum and lineout, but the superb back play by Cashel kept Iveragh in their own half save one breakout.  Only last minute tackling by the back three kept out wave after wave of Cashel attacks.  Their first try came after 20 min from a set move at lineout time and the second from a lineout maul.  Incredibly despite the pressure, the score was only 12-0 at half time .iveragh after a series of forward drives earned a penalty on 50 min which was converted to leave the score 12-3. 

That was as good as it got as Cashel continued on the attack and the tries started to notch up. Iveragh did pull back a try but the final score was a well deserved 41-10 victory to an outstanding young, well-drilled Cashel team. A lot of our lads were well below their best on the day as can happen to any team.

The following Sunday, we welcomed Dolphin to Iveragh in the first round of the Munster cup and recorded a famous victory against a strong dolphin side.  It was one of those memorable days when everyone played to their peak and just refused to accept defeat.

It was a game played in very poor conditions, very cold and blowing a strong gusty wind. Iveragh played into the wind in the first half and kicking and line-outs were close to impossible. Dolphin who had travelled with a full squad of 20 kept Iveragh pinned in their own half for the first 25 mins but only managed 1 chance ,a missed penalty. There were lots of handling errors by both sides which resulted in scrums a plenty. Iveragh had a good strong pack and were constantly causing Dolphin trouble at scrum time. Iveragh had a strong 20 mins before the interval started by a Brian Goggin interception and a run to the tryline. The heavy ground gave the Dolphin defenders time to catch him, but this gave great confidence to Iveragh. The pack started to dominate with strong driving play,only again to be disappointed with handling errors.   HT Iveragh 0 Dophin 0

The second half started with the wind behind Iveragh and we took advantage kicking into the corners .Again the forwards were contesting every ball but the pressure started to tell on Dolphin who gave away a number of penalties. The ever reliable Brian OLeary had 2 misses from range not helped by the gusting wind before he managed to put one over from just outside the 22 in the 60th min. 3-0

This drove Dolphin on and after 10 Mins of very strong play the Dolphin pack made slow and steady progress down the pitch. Ball was kept in hand by the forwards and after a tough slog Dolphins No8 Larry Buckley scored a well deserved try in the corner.

The conversion was a kick and hope into the wind and was missed.

Iveragh drove up the field with 10 mins remaining. Possession changed hands a number of times, before great defending by Dolphin stopped an Iveragh rolling maul which was a certain try. The resultant play saw Iveragh regain possession and in a last flurry of rucks Dolphin succumbed to Iveragh pressure and gave away a penalty just outside the 22.and 20 in from the sideline. No kick was easy in such brutal conditions but Brian OLeary stood up and slotted the ball over to make it 6-5 with 2 minutes remaining.

Dolphin had time to kick off and had a line-out with the last play of the game, but were unable to get their forwards going again in the time remaining.  FT Iveragh 6 Dolphin 5

This was a great win for Iveragh in brutal conditions, after a disappointing result in Cashel. A big thanks to Dolphin for travelling down to play and to all the Iveragh supporters for braving the weather.

Shaun Hulme. Hon.Sec Iveragh

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Iveragh RFC : Update #3

Roots & All is a project where we pick a few teams that don’t normally make the spotlight week in week out and feature them regularly throughout an entire campaign.

Underage Eagles played Listowel last Saturday morning in the West Munster u15 plate.  Unfortunately, Listowel proved far too strong in the forward play with the final score 32-14.  The u13 game was cancelled.

The seniors travelled to Listowel also last Sunday for a challenge match.  With only the bare 15 and half the team playing out of position, nothing went right and we ended up losing 15-0.  This was the first game in months that we were well beaten, hardly able to get out of our own half .having played so badly, everyone is gunning to make amends for the next game which, luckily enough is the Mick Barry Cup semifinal against Cashel on Sunday.

Nothing like having an angry team rather than a nervous one for a semi final!.  Cashel have been walking through Munster this year, scoring loads of tries, so a lightning start is vital along with ferocious defence. 

The following week is another huge game as we welcome Dolphin to Iveragh in the first round of the Munster Cup.  Reports to follow …

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Iveragh RFC : Update #2

Roots & All is a project where we pick a few teams that don’t normally make the spotlight week in week out and feature them regularly throughout an entire campaign.

Iveraghs first outing was on Saturday against Tralee in the u15 plate. Tralee have two teams and as expected won comfortably 42-10.  However, all the damage was done in the first half as Iveragh hadn't had a game for a while and were very rusty.  On their last meeting, Tralee dominated the whole game, but this time, Iveragh got going as the game went on and played very well in the second half, scoring two tries and could have had two more so good improvements made here by the squad .

Next up were the senior team in the Mick Barry cup against Killarney .the game was played under lights on Saturday night in Castleisland’s ground .This was a vital game as a win would put iveragh into the semi finals.  Iveragh made a blistering start with the forwards carrying straight and hard into contact and using a rush defence ,gave Killarney no chance to settle.  An early penalty was scored by fullback, Brian O’Leary and both centres combined for a try shortly after scored by Cathal Andy.  Iveragh had total dominance in the scrums but were in trouble at the lineout.

Another penalty was slotted by Leary and just on the stroke of half time ,he drove over a monster from nearly the halfway line to leave the score 16-0.  Killarney upped the tempo in the second half and confined iveragh to their own 22 for the first 25 minutes.  The pressure told with a try from big second row, Chris Brosnan from a tap penalty.  Iveragh finally managed to gain some territory and after a series of “pick and go”s were unlucky not to score again when the ball knocked on at the tryline.  Iveragh then ran down the clock and the game finished 16-7.

A cup semi-final now awaits against Munster heavyweights Dolphin or Cashel, fixtures have to wait for another round of games this weekend.  A challenge game against Listowel is on the cards for this Sunday to keep things ticking over.

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Iveragh RFC : Update #1

Roots & All is a project where we pick a few teams that don’t normally make the spotlight week in week out and feature them regularly throughout an entire campaign.

All's quiet in Iveragh over the last couple of weeks.  U13s and U15s were to play in their respective west Munster plate competitions, but nearly all pitches in Kerry are unplayable at the moment.  Minis have had high numbers at training, but again their blitz had to be cancelled.  The seniors have a must win game against Killarney in the Mick Barry cup next Sunday, a J2 Munster cup for the teams who finished 2nd and 3rd in their respective divisions before Christmas.  The winners are guaranteed a semi final place, but again weather could be a problem.  On a positive note, showers have been installed in our temporary dressing-rooms, a welcome change from trying to wash off mud using the cold tap.  Such facilities are normal at established clubs, but we will catch up in a few years. This weekends fixtures are U15 v Tralee and seniors v Killarney.

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Iveragh RFC : Introduction

Roots & All is a project where we pick a few teams that don’t normally make the spotlight week in week out and feature them regularly throughout an entire campaign.

We’re pleased to welcome Iveragh RFC to the project, they will be updating us on their progress from tonight until the end of the season.

Iveragh Eagles RFC was founded in 2009.

The first game was played in April 2010, a challenge game, against neighbours Killorglin. The club entered the J2 league in September 2010. This proved to be a steep learning curve as nobody on the team had any experience of playing rugby and the first few games were heavy losses, however as the season progressed, a steady improvement was seen but the season finished with no victories . A draw and a losing bonus point were were all we had to show for about fifteen matches.

A last minute try by Killarney knocked us out in the first round of the Galwey-Foley cup . 2011 season started with two hammerings in challenge games with Killarney and Killorglin .The training effort was increased dramatically and the results showed as Iveragh secured an historic first victory in the league ,a one point away win to Listowel .More wins followed along with respectable displays in defeat . After Christmas ,the club entered the Munster competitions ,the first game was away to Bandon ,again another learning curve and a forty point hammering .The forward orientated game which had served us so well now had to change as scoring not defending was the way ahead in Munster. Victory in the early rounds of the plate competition bought us to a home semi final against Munster kings, Dolphin .

A 36-7 defeat in which we dominated possession and territory showed that developing back play was now our priority.  The season finished with defeat to Killarney in the Galwey-Foley Cup again and victory in the Finnegan shield in a ferocious battle with neighbours ,Kenmare .2012 season began with a good run in the league leaving us finished in second place and also getting into the Galwey-Foley Cup final .The final played on 29th December ,gave us our first silverware against old sparring partners, Kenmare.  Massive celebrations followed as this cup had been a target of ours since we were formed.

The first round of Munster was on 13th January against Bandon . A respectable three point defeat showed the improvements since last year’s beating.

Iveragh also have formed an underage section…the first year, we entered the u13s in the West Munster league and they enjoyed a great run winning four matches .We also had u15 and u17 teams taking part in blitzes which gave them valuable experience and also allowed the Munster scouts to assess talent .Two u17s were called to Munster trials ,Chris O’Sullivan and Padraig MacGillycuddy ,and Chris made it into the west Munster development squad ,an incredible achievement.This season we had u13 ,u15 and u17 teams entered in the Munster league .Again a lot of players have never played before and are learning but next year should see rewards.

Our biggest success this year has been u12 ,u10 and u8 .We have had huge numbers at training and also success in the local blitzes including our own. These players will be the future of our club for the next ten years as starting young is the secret of success in any sport.

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