Emphatic win for Newbridge against local rivals in all Kildare clash

Newbridge RFC 36 - 19 Cill Dara RFC

Newbridge welcomed local rivals Cill Dara to Rosetown for the penultimate fixture of the Leinster League 2A season, having already got the better of their Kildare neighbours twice this year in the reverse league tie and the Hosie Cup Final.

With the worst of the recent weather gone and perfect conditions greeting both sides at kick-off, the stage was set for another competitive derby encounter.

Newbridge came into the game in impressive form and began with real intent. After 18 minutes, the pressure told. Blindside wing forward Shane Treacy found himself in space out wide and finished in the corner to open the scoring.

The home side dominated possession and territory for long spells in the opening half but struggled to turn that control into points.

However, just before the break, Treacy struck again, once more appearing in space out wide to finish off another well-worked move. Newbridge went into half-time with a 10-point advantage.

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With the wind now at their backs, Newbridge continued to press in the second half. A midfield scrum provided the launchpad for the next home score. Number 8 Max McLoughlin picked from the base before slick handling from Robbie Waters, and Darragh Whyte sent Gavin Houlihan racing in under the posts after a superbly executed move. The conversion pushed the lead out to 17–0 and gave the home side real control.

The bonus-point try followed soon after when a good pass from Cameron English released Stephen Cooke into the corner, stretching the advantage to 22–0.

At that stage, it looked like Newbridge were cruising, but derby matches rarely follow a straightforward script.
Momentum swung when McLoughlin was shown a yellow card, quickly followed by Cooke, reducing Newbridge to 13 men.

Cill Dara took full advantage. Their scrum began to exert pressure and a powerful pushover, finished by scrum half Sean, finally got the visitors on the board at 22–5. They struck again shortly after through lock Christopher Walsh, narrowing the gap to 22–12 with 15 minutes remaining and setting up a tense finish.

Back to a full complement, Newbridge steadied themselves and responded in style.

A brilliantly weighted crossfield kick from John O’Brien to winger Houlihan was expertly patted down into the path of Whyte, who finished in the corner. Whyte added his second soon after, with Newbridge executing another midfield move involving Kev Commane and John O’Brien to extend the lead to 36–12 and effectively sealing the contest.

Cill Dara’s Chris Cousins grabbed a late consolation, but the day belonged to Newbridge. The victory sees them retain the Jon Conlan Memorial Trophy and complete a clean sweep over their rivals from across the Curragh, capping another strong performance as the league season edges towards its conclusion.

NEWBRIDGE: 1. David Morgan 2. William Jennings 3. Michael Ugochukwu 4. Steven McElligott 5. Cameron English 6. Shane Treacy 7. Denis Clarke (Capt) 8. Max McLoughlin 9. Robert Waters 10. John O’Brien 11. Gavin Houlihan 12. James Parkinson 13. Riain Murphy 14. Stephen Cooke 15. Darragh Whyte. Replacements: 16. Cillian Beirne 17. Mark Bennett 18. Chris Leech 19. Zack Meehan 20. Kevin Commane.

CILL DARA: 1. Aaron Kane 2. Oisin Carroll 3. DJ Brannock 4. Christopher Walsh 5. Billy O’Shea 6. Colin Moloney 8. Chris Cousins 9. Sean Behan 10. William Doran 11. Adam Meehan 12. Ryan Hogg 13. James O’Loughlin 14. Senan Brannock 15. Rory Conway. Replacements: 16. Louis Venter 17. Ross Dooley 18. Thomas Cleary 19. Stephen Walsh 20. Philip Kenny.

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