Errors prove costly
Greystones RFC beaten at home by visiting Cashel
GREYSTONES RFC CASHEL RFC 10 25
AN error-strewn performance from Greystones RFC saw them toss away any chance of upsetting Cashel at Dr. Hickey Park on Saturday afternoon.
Greystones were entitled to feel completely aggrieved to be staring at a 12-point deficit at the interval but they failed to recover from that and slumped to their ninth defeat of the season - dropping to ninth in the table in the process.
Despite not impacting the scoreline, Kevin Lewis’ side had exactly the kind of start he’d dream of. Cashel knocked on the opening kick and in the third minute, Oisin Lennon stole a line-out.
Cashel got over their shaky start in the seventh minute. After they’d failed to take advantage of a lineout deep in the home 22, captain Andy Roberts cleared his lines but in his eagerness to apply pressure, Jack Keating hounded after the ball and took his man high which saw the visitors immediately earn another penalty.
A later penalty would be converted for the match’s opening score by Cashel out-half Daragh Lyons but David Baker levelled matters four minutes later from a penalty that he’d earned himself.
The visitors looked like they were set to land the tie’s opening try in the 20th minute as they worked the ball from right to left and gambled for the corner but Conor Cashman was forced into touch inches shy of the promised land.
Greystones were dealt a severe blow when star man Keating found himself sent to the sinbin for what appeared to be an indiscretion during a ruck on his own 22.
Cashel’s sails were immediately up as they tried to press home their advantage from the resulting penalty but a loose pass was intercepted by Conor Pearse. He would off-load it to Bobby Clancy, who in turn found Oisin Lennon, but his kick was frantically cleaned up by a scrambling Cashel defender. How Greystones must wish Keating was on the field and near the ball during that break.
The first audible groan from the always vocal home crowd arrived on 28 minutes. Cashel kicked it in behind the Greystones defence and when it bounced into touch, Clancy demanded that a quick line-out was thrown to him. He knocked it on though and suddenly all the pressure was on 14-man Greystones.
Within a couple of minutes, the numbers game worked for Cashel. Greystones did their best in defence but they were eventually stretched beyond their means as Cashel switched from one flank to the other to score a try that would not be converted.
Substitute Robin O’Sullivan had a very positive impact for Greystones with plenty of hard carries. As half time approached, Baker had a chance to make it 6-8 which, in truth, would have been the least Greystones deserved.
His effort was short of the mark though and Cashel really made them pay. Scrum-half Josh Pickering kicked it into the Greystones 22 and it looked like they had things under control but seconds later, the referee awarded the visitors their second try.
Two minutes into the first half, Greystones had a chance to ease pressure on themselves with a scrum on their own 22 but Baker knocked on as he lined up a clearing kick - not the start they needed.
Clancy would knock-on again two minutes later before Richard Kingston was forced into touch by Keating as he began to sense his side’s third try.
A penalty was added by Lyons in the 53rd minute and a minute later, Keating made a clean break but was isolated and had to recycle. Before the home fans got too excited though, the next phase ended in another handling error.
Greystones were made to pay for their sloppiness by Kingston when he touched down in the 64th minute to make the last 16 minutes a whole lot less exciting.
Greystones were held-up with six minutes remaining before finally finding a try with three minutes to spare when Clancy was driven over the line by a couple of team-mates. Despite a succesful conversion, it was too little, too late as the gap was 15 points as the clock showed 78.
Cashel would end the clash with 14 men on the field after one of their players was guilty of an extremely late tackle following a kick from a Greystones man but it had no bearing on the outcome - a disappointing but self-inflicted defeat.
Nick Quirk, Jack Keating, Con Callan, Barry Lynn, Padraig Geoghegan, David Baker, Andy Roberts; Antonio Barahora, Ben Tou, Conor Pearse, Oisin Lennon, Eoin Marmion, Mick Doyle, Cormac O’Donoghue, Bobby Clancy.
Eamon Connolly, Richard Kingston, Alan McMahon, Brian Silke, Conor Cashman, Daragh Lyons, Josh Pickering; Cormac O’Donnell, Niall Fitzgerald, James Kendrick, Richard Moran, Brendan Crosse, Mike Casey, Ed Leamy, James Ryan. Dermot Blake.
Dr. Hickey Park, Grey- stones.