WICKLOW RUGBY CLUB THUMB DUNDALK TO RISE TO FOURTH
WICKLOW RFC 57 DUNDALK RFC 17
THE Leinster League resumed at Ashtown Lane when Wicklow took on third placed Dundalk RFC in a crucial game last weekend.
Dundalk retained slim hopes of a league title while Wicklow were very anxious to pull away from a very congested lower half of the table.
Wicklow started with real urgengy and scored after five minutes; Wes Wojnar doing well to get over. Brian Keegan added the first of his seven conversions and Wicklow led 7–0.
Five minutes later in form winger Dean Leonard got in for a well taken score. The conversion was missed but Wicklow were in front by 12–0.
Dundalk came back into things and had a spell of pressure, but solid Wicklow defence lifted the siege and the home side cleared downfield.
Brian Keegan added a penalty on the half hour to make it 15–0 to Wicklow.
Billy Ngawini was next to score after a quickly taken tapped penalty caught the Louthmen napping. The conversion made it 22–0 and the result seemed to be a foregone conclusion.
Dundalk weren’t finished yet and came back to score a good try on the stroke of half-time to make it 22–7.
Early in the second half it looked like game on when Dundalk got their second of the day. The conversion was missed, but the score was now 22–12 with half an hour remaining.
Wicklow were clearly in no mood to take any chances and put the boot down for the remainder of the game.
Dean Leonard and Ben Porter combined brilliantly down the left wing with Porter breaking through to score a fine try. The conversion from Keegan made it 29–12.
Replacement hooker Jay Byrne took a brilliant angle to smash through the Dundalk defensive line and score the team’s fifth try. The conversion made it 36–12.
The Dundalk heads dropped a little and Wicklow kept the pressure on.
Dean Leonard scored his second of the day when he outstripped the Dundalk cover to ground the ball beneath the posts. Keegan made no mistake in making it 43–12.
Ben Porter got his brace with a brilliant piece of skill, fly hacking the ball from the half-way line before it sat up perfectly for the try. Keegans conversion brought up the half century. 50–12 with five minutes remaining.
Dundalk to their credit fought back with a good try of their own to make it 50–17.
Fittingly it was Dean Leonard who rounded off the scoring with his third and Wicklow’s eighth try of an impressive performance.
Wicklow will have been very happy with the bonus point win and a good team performance.
The pack were lively and combative all afternoon and the backs looked dangerous every time they got the ball.
The large crowd certainly enjoyed the tries and an entertaining and open game.
The win moves Wicklow up to fourth place in the league with just two games remaining.
John Jenkinson’s men will be keen to try and hang on to a place in Leinster’s top four, a result which would put them in next season’s All-Ireland Cup for the first time in the club’s history.
The next two games will be very different challenges. In two weeks time, Wicklow will travel to league leaders Ashbourne to take on the Meath men in another crunch battle before facing off against a slick Boyne team in a game that will more than likely decide who takes that coveted fourth place.
Wicklow: Eanna Killeen, Jack McKenna, Neil Dickenson, George Naoupu, Liam Gaffney, Eoin O’Sullivan, Jonathan Hopkins, Wes Wojnar, Billy Ngawini, Brian Keegan, Dean Leonard, Ben Porter, Shane Farrar, Simon Breen, Stephen Duffy. Subs: Jason Byrne, Stephen Swan, Seamus O’Brien, Alex Por- ter, Andy Doyle.
The Wicklow seconds continued their good run of form with an impressive 34–8 win over their counterparts from Dundalk. Tries from Neill Kearney, Jay Byrne, Tim Spencer, Stephen Swan and Dave Quinn as well as two Neill Kearney conversions.
The seconds continue their season with a trip to Wexford next Sunday to take on the Wexford Wanderers in the second round of the Seconds Cup. This will be a tough fixture for Wicklow and all support would be much appreciated. Second XV: Stephen Swan, Jason Byrne, Seamus O’Brien, Simon Norton, Niall Higgins, Ivan Cortes Andrew Doyle, Lorcan Smullen, Darren Byrne, Shane Byrne, Russell Andrew, Ross O’Toole, Neill Kearney, Tim Spencer, Alan Byrne, Dave Quinn, David Parada, Sean Duffy, Dan Higgins, Sean Duffy