Defeat in plate re-fixture but double-header next

THE WEXFORD Wanderers first XV travelled to Longford last Sunday to play a much re-scheduled Provincial Towns Plate second round match.

The fixture had initially been fixed for March 19 but was postponed due to Longford having to play a crucial final round league match against Carlow, with both sides vying for the Division 2A crown.

In the end Wanderers’ hosts on Sunday gained automatic promotion, while Carlow lost in the league play-off round last weekend to remain in Division 2A.

The game on Sunday was a big ask for the Wexford men, coming just seven days after the disappointment of losing a very tight play-off match against Newbridge in Tullow. The attrition of the season was also a significant factor, with a number of players unavailable and Wanderers struggling for cover on the bench, especially in the back line.

Both sides started well with Wanderers holding their own across the park. Longford, however, scored early and raced into a 20-3 lead at the interval, with Wexford’s only score coming from the boot of Waters.

In the second period Wanderers started to suffer with a number of influential players coming off injured, including Foley at out-half which resulted in Gannon having to move from full-back to cover, with the evergreen Richards entering the fray.

Wanderers scored midway through the half, with Seán Redmond coming up with the ball after crossing the whitewash. Waters added the conversion to narrow the score to 20-10 before Longford grabbed a final converted try on the final whistle to win 27-10.

For Wanderers’ J1 side the season is over with just the mater of the Casey Cup at the end of the month up for grabs, however Senior rugby is not quite finished as Wanderers J2 and J3 sides will host a cup double-header on April 9 at Park Lane when they face Tullow.

The J3 side will play in the Anderson Cup at 2 p.m. while the J2 side will play in the Provincial Seconds Town Cup quarter-final at 4 p.m.

This is the first time Wanderers have competed at this level in over a generation and your support will of course be appreciated. Club supporters are advised to monitor the club social media outlets for updates on this and other fixtures.

A little bit of history will be occuring as this season has seen a resurgence in rugby at Park Lane, with Wanderers consistently fielding sides at J1 and J2 levels since September in a very packed league campaign where the sides finished agonisingly in runner-up spot in both leagues.

Indeed, such has been the level of involvement that the J2 side has at times had surplus players. This led to a decision to establish a J3 side in January with the focus of competing in the Anderson or Dunne Cup.

A friendly match against Arklow in February allowed the formation of the nucleus of a J3 team which has started to swell in recent weeks as cup season approaches. The luck of the draw sees Wanderers play Tullow in both competions on the same afternoon.

The winners of the thirds’ tie at 2 p.m. will face Enniscorthy in the quarter-final.

The seconds will take the field at 4 p.m. in a late kick-off for this last eight tie.

As always home support is the 16th player and the players in both sides hope that as many local fans as possible will come out on Sunday for a rugby-filled afternoon and a bit of history.

Wexford: Seán Redmond, Kevin Redmond, Dave Martin, Chris Walsh, John Turner, Darragh Kehoe, Carthaigh Geoghegan, Tom Brennan, Kevin Roche, Conor Foley, Callum Murphy, Richie Waters, Robbie Kenny, Nick Jones, Paul Gannon. Subs. - Luke Roche, Graham Grant, Jason Guirrine, Noel Richards, Aaron O’Neill.