1st XV 15-11 New Ross
Another vital top of the table clash for Coolmine's 1st XV as they faced third place New Ross who trail them by one point. It was a cool dry day in Ashbrook with little breeze. Both sides started off slowly , feeling each other out. First chance of the game fell to Coolmine 10 minutes in after a drop kick attempt from Donal Crotty went astray and crossed out on to the left wing. The clearance kick was blocked down by David Stacey but he couldn’t manage to take advantage. Two minutes later and Stacey was again on the attack but lost the foot race after kicking a loose ball on the ground across the try line. As the game progressed Coolmine were beginning to secure most of the possession and territory and eventually got their reward with Harley Murray making the line break, quick ball eventually found its way into the arms of Rob Patterson for Coolmine’s first try. The home side continued to pile on the pressure and it looked like they were going to add to their 5 point lead 8 minutes later. They dominated a series of 5 metre scrums and it seemed they were going to push over but the visitors, collapsed the scrum several times in desperation. After a penalty was awarded under the posts the home side decided to opt for another scrum with a penalty try looming. However New Ross managed to secure the ball against the head. Protests from scrum half Alan Cousins for illegal use of the hands fell on deaf ears and New Ross managed to clear their lines. A chance missed for the home side. Coolmine’s next chance came from Conor Hayes up the right wing, he managed to evade three players and the sideline whitewash to gain vital ground. After soaking up all the pressure New Ross managed to play their way back into the game. Their first real attack of the game came 15 minutes before the break, a driving maul put Coolmine under all sorts of pressure and they were eventually penalised for pulling it down. The converted penalty closed the gap to 2 points and the visitors failed to go ahead going into the break after a long distance penalty attempt fell short of the mark.
New Ross began the second half with another penalty attempt, this time it sailed over the bar to put them ahead for the first time 5-6. Coolmine started to up their penalty count and Harley Murray found himself going to the sin bin for 10 minutes, the ref eventually losing patience with the Dublin 15 side. But Coolmine were next on the scoreboard despite being a man down. Quick ball from the back of a ruck to Donal Crotty gave him the opportunity to break the line again. David Stacey juggled the offload but eventually managed to hold on to the ball to touch down under the posts. The conversion left the game at 12-6 but New Ross were quick to hit back and scored a well deserved try in the left corner pulling the Coolmine lead back to a single point. It took a great defensive effort from the back three to keep New Ross out for the remainder of the game. A long range penalty from Donal Crotty gave Coolmine some breathing space but everyone was relieved to hear the final whistle. A bonus point win for Newbridge keeps them top of the table and Coolmine will need them to drop some points in the coming weeks to give them any hope of securing the title. With only 3 games remaining it looks like this Div 1B will go down to the last game. Many thanks to our sponsors Fetherstone Group & Brasserie 15. Coolmine’s 1st XV face Lansdowne next week in the first round of the Metro cup and are at home the following week back in league action against Garda. Watch this space!
A 14-10 victory for Coolmine’s seconds over New Ross puts them back on top of their table thanks to a try from Liam Power. An 11-5 defeat away to Clontarf for Coolmine’s 3rds drops them back to second place trailing Old Belvedere by 3 points.
REPORT: JOE HUNT
PHOTOS: VOICU DUMA PETER FITZPATRICK
