Arklow lads seal final berth after freezing out gallant Gorey
ARKLOW RFC GOREY RFC 13 12
THE Leinster South East U14 Shield semi-final finished with the narrowest of wins to Arklow in absolutely Baltic conditions recently.
With a strong wind, driving rain and a wind chill of minus four, the quality and closeness of the match attracted a big crowd, of die-hard rugby fans.
The first half was played out mainly in the Gorey half with the strong rucking Arklow side battling a solid Gorey defence.
Strong runs from Dean Farrell Kelly, Oran Kelly and Chris O’Brien couldn’t breach the line, so we reached half-time with the score reading 0-0.
In the second half with the wind strengthening and turning into the Arklow faces, Dean, Oran and Josh Tunney made the hard yards up the pitch.
On his birthday, Theo Vanhoove took some nice offloads, as did Oisin Beirne, eventually leading to a penalty 15m out. In difficult kicking conditions Conn Kinsella held his nerve to split the posts to put Arklow 3-0 up.
Again Arklow kept the ball tight, and Dean now driving at will, with only some good covering tackles from the Gorey 15 holding him up, but increasingly Dean was creating a platform which Arklow exploited after drives by Oran and Jamie Tobin, with Josh splashing over for the first try. Conn Kinsella was unlucky to strike the post with the conversion.
Gorey fought back with a sequence of pick and goes to leave them camped on the Arklow line. They got the try the move deserved but despite an excellent effort the conversion drifted wide, leaving it 8-5. Arklow fought straight back into the wind with Dean Farrell and Chris O’Brien combining to eventually see Dean over for a try, to leave it 13-5.
In the next phases of play both sides received yellow cards, and in this period Gorey found a gap on the wing to score their 2nd try and make yards infield to make it possible to kick the conversion, leaving it 13-12.
Gorey now pushed with long kicks over the top with a strong tail wind but Arklow held firm, with a number of scrambled recoveries and a good clearance to touch from Conn Kinsella.
After a sequence of losses this was a watershed for Arklow with a real intensity and no little skill in their play. The backs scoring chances were limited but their passing and covering tackles by them were impeccable.
In fact, the handling and skill from both Arklow and Gorey on a wild night were to be applauded. Both sides, parents and supporters retired to the clubhouse to thaw out and enjoy hot chocolate and goodies.Arklow are now into the Shield final for the second successive year.
The club would like to offer a huge thanks to all the supporters on the night from both sides - it truly was a night for the die-hards, but the quality and intensity of the game was engrossing.
Eoin Byrne, Roy Bailham, Jamie Tobin, Darragh Ivanoff, Daire Furlong, Theo Vanhoove, Oran Kelly, Rian Downes, Dean Farrell Kelly, Padraic Bermingham, Eoin Gavigan, Oisin Beirne, Conn Kinsella, Luke Doyle, Calvin Kirya, Sean Weld, Chris O’Brien (c), Josh Tunney, Zander Davis, Robert Gormley, Ross Burke, Billy Molloy.