Sunday was promised a wet day with heavy rain forecast , it proved to be all of that. An 8am pitch inspection from Loughrea deemed the pitch playable, but they would make another inspecion at 12 noon and make a call on the match going ahead or calling it off.
At 12.21pm , we got word that pitch was playable and the match to go ahead, as coach was to leave Tesco carpark at 1.15pm and time was tight, martin and i decided to hit the road for Loughrea in the motor as we may have missed the coach.
Still, it is nice to do these journeys together, conversation and some mentoring passes the time. Also , Commentary of the Mayo/Armagh match from Castlebar was good, as Mayo were going well in that game.
New road past Castlebar and on to Claremorris, N17 to Tuam ,easy to make mileage on good roads. Past Tuam , we fist bumped and a roar of delight as Mayo had survived Armagh to win by a point, Another cheerful reality, the day had started to brighten ,although overcast and cloud cover, it was drying up and windscreen wipers could take a break..
We got to Loughrea RFC in good time, just before the boys would take to the field for the warm up. Looking at the pitch, it was mucky down the central spine from constant playing pressure, both sides were favourable although conditions were heavy.
Almost all of Westport boys travelled and we had good numbers. Westport coaches finalised and pick the teams, decided to make two teams of Westport, a starting, first half 15 team prioritising guys who wouldn't have started games or had a lot of game time in previous match's and a second half 15 team, This way everybody would get game time and an opportunity to play the best under 13 , team in Connacht in the White heat of battle...Then some boys just don't get game time and playing matches does improve players and challenges them to step up ! Our tactic really paid off as there were some good Learnings and pleasing aspects to the performance of both teams. Questions asked and Questions answered ..
The, starting 15 team would play the first half...Loughrea kicked off and were awarded a scrum in under 2 minutes, breaking off the scrum, They ran in their first try - all too easy ! The conversion attempt was unsuccessful. Loughrea were up by 5...
Loughrea continued to pressure Westport in those early minutes and by the 7th minute, they got their second try and made the conversion count. Loughrea 12.
It may be stagefright or fear, but some of Westport's tackling was poor or lack of..It happens ! Apart from the fact that they were facing a serious unit of boys who can play rugby on another level.
One aspect of Loughrea's game was their ability to tackle. Tigerish and tenacious and efficient, you got no time on the ball as they were on your case in an instant , Fast ! Very well controlled and all playing together and for each other. Real teamwork.
Loughrea pressure continued,, but despite the two early tries, westport settled and started to grow into the match, making gains and holding their ground and gaining ground also..Hugh molloy played both halves and put in some shift in both halves. The Leader lead by example and tackled ferociously, carried ball, went to ground, got back up, tore into rucks and made a nuisance of himself to Loughrea..Hugh would help to inspire his teammates to dig in and fight in the game and that was now evident , half way in the first half..
Killian Kelly threw himself at everything and proved yet again that he has a Roy Keane instinct about him. No Fear !
Aspects of their play was pleasing going against the best under 13, team in Connacht. All of the boys were trying !
On 14 minutes, Loughrea's number 10 broke free and ran in another try.
The conversion attempt counted.
Loughrea 19
Westport 0.
From there the Westport boys held their own with some even play.
Killian Kelly had to retire as he got a bang .Bravery has its price. Barry Mc Donnacha came on to add strength and purpose to the team.
The first half had quiet a few scrums, knock on's due to handling in poor conditions didn't help both teams. Three scrums to Loughrea which they would retain, six scrums to Westport, which they would also retain. Well done to the B Team's front row of Eoghan Collins, Naoise Griffith, and James Mc Nulty and the scrum pack...more than held their own with the top team and gave them enough of it...
Westport have being scrumming strong in all of their matches.
Only two lineouts in the first half , one each. Both teams retained their lineouts.
Play continued evenly , untill the Referee blew for half time.
Despite the two early tries which were too easy really as the Westport boys hadnt settled into the game, but they did make amends and despite the scoreline, Their effort was praiseworthy and the experience of fast , tough, rugby will stay with them.
Game time brings boys on in confidence and challenges their mettle.
James o sullivan played well at number 9.
Ruairi Breathnach at 10.
William Tunney Ware .
Patrick Scott.
Jack o Haire.
Dj Bourke..
Too be fair, all the boys did their best and getting the run out has proved to the coaches that they have mettle to them and their performance was pleasing !
Second half !
The second half 15 team would kick off the second half..Loughrea drove forward from the kick off and applied pressure on Westport and within 2 minutes, their number 10 got his third try. A strong run by the boy, whose strength and athletic ability got him over the line. The conversion attempt was unsuccessful. Loughrea 24. Westport 0.
It would be their last score of the match.
Westport gathered momentum and got a foothold in the game making ground and gaining territory. Losing ball and winning it back.By the 7th minute, strong Westport pressure had Hugh Molloy cross the try line for a well deserved try with good help from the pack who kept the push on to assist Hugh over the whitewash. Difficult conversion attempt for Ben Foy..it didnt come off...
The try would give the Westport boys confidence and inspiration to keep it up, which they did.
They were now holding Loughrea in their half of the pitch . In a tight even game, fast paced and ferocious tackling from both teams..rucks were contested, won and lost.
Loughrea were tackling hard to keep Westport at bay..Another aspect of Loughrea's play..They didnt kick mutch in the match, preferring to go through the hands and carry ball and on occasion, break at speed with strong support and runners available. Good teamwork
Westport were really strong in the scrum again and the front row , Noah Mc Nulty , Billy Mc Grath , and Martin Frazer gave no ground assisted strongly by the scrum pack...
They would push over Loughrea in two scrums while retaining their own.
By the 16th minute, Westport with pressure and a strong drive had Barry mc Donnacha cross the line in a bit of a pile up..Referee blew his whistle and gave the decision in favour of Loughrea..maybe not grounded , held up ! Disappointing, considering the brave effort to get there.. Hugh molloy despite giving all of himself, was still giving..tackles. rucks and powerful carries .As good as Loughrea are, it took 3 or 4 of their boys to tackle him and Hugh still took yards on them.
Lucas O Malley ,Toby Mc Neella , David Maloney , Geoffrey Bourke. Connor Olson , Connor o Regan. Ethan Coughlan and Antony mc neela gave it all for the cause Did i leave anybody out as they tried hard...
Continued pressure from Westport had them close to the tryline , Jack malone got a gap and darted for the line, did he cross as he was on it..Only for the referee to blow whistle to favour Loughrea to clear their lines. Two possibile tries denied...
Westport continued to pressure, but Loughrea broke out to bring play up close to half way and relieved the pressure.Even play would continue until the Referee blew for full time..
Loughrea 24.
Westport 5..
Loughrea were awarded , 3 scrums.
Won one and were pushed back by Westport for the other two.. Westport were awarded two, which they retained.
Loughrea had 3 Lineouts and retained all three.
Westport had 2 Lineouts and retained both.
Had they gotten the two tries, it would have given respectability to the final scoreline and merit the effort of the Westport boys.
Nonetheless, despite losing to a really good top rugby team, in fact the team to beat. .Westport got a good feel of what is required to best them or at least , Stand up to them and take them on..
We may just have another Joust before the season concludes and put it in your diary as, Westport will improve and accept the challenge ..
Hugh Molloy was Man of the match for Westport.
I had a chat with Loughrea's coach ( the chap that was giving instruction from the dugout)
I wanted to know the name of their number 10.. Oisin Brady..Oisin was their main man. Three tries..great carries and involved in a lot of their play.. Loughrea play well as a team and, Respect...Top Team...
He enquired ..who was you number 8.
Hugh Molloy. Some player..we couldn't deal with him, he admitted
I' ll remember the name...
He finished..
Good performance from Westport..by both teams.
Learnings and positives to be taken from it..All the boys got game time and experience against a Top Team..
Boys got changed and refreshments and beverages, banter and hospitality in the clubhouse..
Loughrea Rugby grounds are out the country away from the town. A small rural club doing great things and we wish them well in the Cup Competition.
Most of the boys are hurlers playing with local clubs. East Galway...Hurling Country. !
Wet day all over the country , but for the match it stayed dry as did my paper and scribble...
Refreshments and banter over. Martin and I got in the motor and hit the road for west of Louisburgh.. Talk of the match and our afternoon in East Galway carried us home. By Tuam the rain was employing the wipers..wet wet wet , all the way home..
We have got Castlebar, our Neighbours, next Sunday in first round of Cup Competition.
Please support and cheer on the Under 13 boys..
In fine voice !
Up The Bulls !!!
At 12.21pm , we got word that pitch was playable and the match to go ahead, as coach was to leave Tesco carpark at 1.15pm and time was tight, martin and i decided to hit the road for Loughrea in the motor as we may have missed the coach.
Still, it is nice to do these journeys together, conversation and some mentoring passes the time. Also , Commentary of the Mayo/Armagh match from Castlebar was good, as Mayo were going well in that game.
New road past Castlebar and on to Claremorris, N17 to Tuam ,easy to make mileage on good roads. Past Tuam , we fist bumped and a roar of delight as Mayo had survived Armagh to win by a point, Another cheerful reality, the day had started to brighten ,although overcast and cloud cover, it was drying up and windscreen wipers could take a break..
We got to Loughrea RFC in good time, just before the boys would take to the field for the warm up. Looking at the pitch, it was mucky down the central spine from constant playing pressure, both sides were favourable although conditions were heavy.
Almost all of Westport boys travelled and we had good numbers. Westport coaches finalised and pick the teams, decided to make two teams of Westport, a starting, first half 15 team prioritising guys who wouldn't have started games or had a lot of game time in previous match's and a second half 15 team, This way everybody would get game time and an opportunity to play the best under 13 , team in Connacht in the White heat of battle...Then some boys just don't get game time and playing matches does improve players and challenges them to step up ! Our tactic really paid off as there were some good Learnings and pleasing aspects to the performance of both teams. Questions asked and Questions answered ..
The, starting 15 team would play the first half...Loughrea kicked off and were awarded a scrum in under 2 minutes, breaking off the scrum, They ran in their first try - all too easy ! The conversion attempt was unsuccessful. Loughrea were up by 5...
Loughrea continued to pressure Westport in those early minutes and by the 7th minute, they got their second try and made the conversion count. Loughrea 12.
It may be stagefright or fear, but some of Westport's tackling was poor or lack of..It happens ! Apart from the fact that they were facing a serious unit of boys who can play rugby on another level.
One aspect of Loughrea's game was their ability to tackle. Tigerish and tenacious and efficient, you got no time on the ball as they were on your case in an instant , Fast ! Very well controlled and all playing together and for each other. Real teamwork.
Loughrea pressure continued,, but despite the two early tries, westport settled and started to grow into the match, making gains and holding their ground and gaining ground also..Hugh molloy played both halves and put in some shift in both halves. The Leader lead by example and tackled ferociously, carried ball, went to ground, got back up, tore into rucks and made a nuisance of himself to Loughrea..Hugh would help to inspire his teammates to dig in and fight in the game and that was now evident , half way in the first half..
Killian Kelly threw himself at everything and proved yet again that he has a Roy Keane instinct about him. No Fear !
Aspects of their play was pleasing going against the best under 13, team in Connacht. All of the boys were trying !
On 14 minutes, Loughrea's number 10 broke free and ran in another try.
The conversion attempt counted.
Loughrea 19
Westport 0.
From there the Westport boys held their own with some even play.
Killian Kelly had to retire as he got a bang .Bravery has its price. Barry Mc Donnacha came on to add strength and purpose to the team.
The first half had quiet a few scrums, knock on's due to handling in poor conditions didn't help both teams. Three scrums to Loughrea which they would retain, six scrums to Westport, which they would also retain. Well done to the B Team's front row of Eoghan Collins, Naoise Griffith, and James Mc Nulty and the scrum pack...more than held their own with the top team and gave them enough of it...
Westport have being scrumming strong in all of their matches.
Only two lineouts in the first half , one each. Both teams retained their lineouts.
Play continued evenly , untill the Referee blew for half time.
Despite the two early tries which were too easy really as the Westport boys hadnt settled into the game, but they did make amends and despite the scoreline, Their effort was praiseworthy and the experience of fast , tough, rugby will stay with them.
Game time brings boys on in confidence and challenges their mettle.
James o sullivan played well at number 9.
Ruairi Breathnach at 10.
William Tunney Ware .
Patrick Scott.
Jack o Haire.
Dj Bourke..
Too be fair, all the boys did their best and getting the run out has proved to the coaches that they have mettle to them and their performance was pleasing !
Second half !
The second half 15 team would kick off the second half..Loughrea drove forward from the kick off and applied pressure on Westport and within 2 minutes, their number 10 got his third try. A strong run by the boy, whose strength and athletic ability got him over the line. The conversion attempt was unsuccessful. Loughrea 24. Westport 0.
It would be their last score of the match.
Westport gathered momentum and got a foothold in the game making ground and gaining territory. Losing ball and winning it back.By the 7th minute, strong Westport pressure had Hugh Molloy cross the try line for a well deserved try with good help from the pack who kept the push on to assist Hugh over the whitewash. Difficult conversion attempt for Ben Foy..it didnt come off...
The try would give the Westport boys confidence and inspiration to keep it up, which they did.
They were now holding Loughrea in their half of the pitch . In a tight even game, fast paced and ferocious tackling from both teams..rucks were contested, won and lost.
Loughrea were tackling hard to keep Westport at bay..Another aspect of Loughrea's play..They didnt kick mutch in the match, preferring to go through the hands and carry ball and on occasion, break at speed with strong support and runners available. Good teamwork
Westport were really strong in the scrum again and the front row , Noah Mc Nulty , Billy Mc Grath , and Martin Frazer gave no ground assisted strongly by the scrum pack...
They would push over Loughrea in two scrums while retaining their own.
By the 16th minute, Westport with pressure and a strong drive had Barry mc Donnacha cross the line in a bit of a pile up..Referee blew his whistle and gave the decision in favour of Loughrea..maybe not grounded , held up ! Disappointing, considering the brave effort to get there.. Hugh molloy despite giving all of himself, was still giving..tackles. rucks and powerful carries .As good as Loughrea are, it took 3 or 4 of their boys to tackle him and Hugh still took yards on them.
Lucas O Malley ,Toby Mc Neella , David Maloney , Geoffrey Bourke. Connor Olson , Connor o Regan. Ethan Coughlan and Antony mc neela gave it all for the cause Did i leave anybody out as they tried hard...
Continued pressure from Westport had them close to the tryline , Jack malone got a gap and darted for the line, did he cross as he was on it..Only for the referee to blow whistle to favour Loughrea to clear their lines. Two possibile tries denied...
Westport continued to pressure, but Loughrea broke out to bring play up close to half way and relieved the pressure.Even play would continue until the Referee blew for full time..
Loughrea 24.
Westport 5..
Loughrea were awarded , 3 scrums.
Won one and were pushed back by Westport for the other two.. Westport were awarded two, which they retained.
Loughrea had 3 Lineouts and retained all three.
Westport had 2 Lineouts and retained both.
Had they gotten the two tries, it would have given respectability to the final scoreline and merit the effort of the Westport boys.
Nonetheless, despite losing to a really good top rugby team, in fact the team to beat. .Westport got a good feel of what is required to best them or at least , Stand up to them and take them on..
We may just have another Joust before the season concludes and put it in your diary as, Westport will improve and accept the challenge ..
Hugh Molloy was Man of the match for Westport.
I had a chat with Loughrea's coach ( the chap that was giving instruction from the dugout)
I wanted to know the name of their number 10.. Oisin Brady..Oisin was their main man. Three tries..great carries and involved in a lot of their play.. Loughrea play well as a team and, Respect...Top Team...
He enquired ..who was you number 8.
Hugh Molloy. Some player..we couldn't deal with him, he admitted
I' ll remember the name...
He finished..
Good performance from Westport..by both teams.
Learnings and positives to be taken from it..All the boys got game time and experience against a Top Team..
Boys got changed and refreshments and beverages, banter and hospitality in the clubhouse..
Loughrea Rugby grounds are out the country away from the town. A small rural club doing great things and we wish them well in the Cup Competition.
Most of the boys are hurlers playing with local clubs. East Galway...Hurling Country. !
Wet day all over the country , but for the match it stayed dry as did my paper and scribble...
Refreshments and banter over. Martin and I got in the motor and hit the road for west of Louisburgh.. Talk of the match and our afternoon in East Galway carried us home. By Tuam the rain was employing the wipers..wet wet wet , all the way home..
We have got Castlebar, our Neighbours, next Sunday in first round of Cup Competition.
Please support and cheer on the Under 13 boys..
In fine voice !
Up The Bulls !!!
