Tullamore climb into the top four after gutsy away win in All-Ireland League

Tullamore travelled to Clonmel on Saturday knowing that a win would get them back into the play off positions and a promotion battle. Clonmel recruited very well over the summer after winning their relegation match against City of Derry to retain their senior status. The conditions were very tough, and a howling wind blew down the pitch for the duration of the match.

All-Ireland Rugby League Division 2C

Tullamore 21
Clonmel 18

Clonmel opted to play with the wind in the first half and pinned Tullamore back with every opportunity. They were rewarded for their tactics in the 5th minute when Tullamore were caught in their own 22 and adjudged to be holding on at the breakdown.

The Clonmel 15 slotted the penalty and another shortly afterward. Clonmel broke from a midfield scrum and worked their way to the Tullamore 5 metre line. Barry Bracken held onto the ball at the ruck and received a yellow card. This probably stopped an almost certain try for the home side. Clonmel slotted the three to stretch the lead to 6 points.

Tullamore had spells of possession in the first half but Clonmel defended their line expertly and pinned Tulliers back with every opportunity. Clonmel scored a try late in the first half after a period of sustained pressure on the visitors line. The score at halftime was 13-0.

Tullamore were aided with the wind in the second half and this had a massive bearing on the tie. Sam Burns was introduced and Tullamore proceeded to kick deep to force Clonmel into playing out from their own half. Tullamore turned over the ball and started to attack from all angles. Burns spotted a gap in the defensive line and sent the ball to captain Brian Geraghty. Geraghty carved through the line and was dragged to the ground. Geraghty popped the ball to Eoin Farrell and coolly stepped the defending fullback to score under the posts.

Clonmel restarted and kicked deep to Conor Dunne. Dunne sent a booming kick from his own 22 to the opposite 22. This gave Tullamore another lineout in the scoring zone. Sam Burns and Karl Dunne began to take a hold of the game in this period and continued to manipulate the Clonmel defence.

Alex Bercovici, Mark Kennedy, Leon Fox and Barry Bracken made some notable carries in this period to put the home side on the back foot. The forwards then popped the ball to Burns, who in turn whipped the ball to Karl Dunne. Dunne fixed the defence and gave an inside pass to Brian Geraghty who weaved around 3 defenders to score Tullamores second try. Conor Dunne added the extras to put the side ahead for the first time.

To Clonmel's credit, They fought back once more and worked their way into a scoring position. They eventually worked their way over the line through some dogged and determined carries by the pack. The conversion was missed, leaving the score at 18-14 with less than 10 minutes remaining. T

ullamore showed real character in this dying embers of the tie. The side carried direct and abrasively through Chris Whittle, Gavin Kelly and Cathal Behan. This paved the way for Conor Dunne, who skipped past the defensive line. He then pirouetted around two defenders and sent a highly looping pass in the direction of Liam Farrell. Liam scooped up the ball and showed real pace to burn two oncoming defenders and slide in for the crucial score. Conor then buried the conversion from near the touchline to stretch the gap to 3 points. Tullamore held off a late siege by the men in green to secure the victory. It was an excellent win for Tullamore against a very good Clonmel team.

Mark Kennedy, Barry Bracken, Leon Fox and Conor got through a mountain of work in this game and all deserve notable mentions. 

TULLAMORE: 1. Cathal Behan, 2. Shayne Fleming, 3. Mark Kennedy, 4. Alex Bercovci, 5. Ciaran Ennis, 6. Jack Delahunt, 7. Leon Fox, 8. Barry Bracken, 9. Conor Dunne, 10. Craig Strong, 11. Karl Dunne, 12. Lance Batten, 13. Eoin Farrell, 14. Liam Farrell, 15. Brian Geraghty (Captain). Subs:  Alan Douglas for Fleming (Inj) – 30mins, Sam Burns for Strong – HT, Ger Molloy for Behan – 60mins, Scott Milne for Delahunt – 60mins, Chris Whittle for Fox - 65mins (Inj)