Naas remain in promotion hunt following victory over UCC

Naas senior squad travelled to The Mardyke for round 16 of the Ulster Bank League against University College Cork (UCC) on Saturday last (5th March). The early Spring sunshine made for ideal playing conditions and the game was closely followed by a large group of enthusiastic home and visiting supporters right up to the final whistle.

In the opening minutes UCC took play to inside of the Naas 10m line and were presented with a scoring opportunity after Naas were penalised for going offside at a ruck on their right side. The kick at goal by wing Kevin O’Keeffe however drifted wide to the right.

Naas opened the scoring in the 11th minute with an excellent penalty kick from fullback Peter Osborne after UCC went offside at a ruck on the 22.

Minutes later UCC wing, Kevin O’Keefe leveled the score when Naas were penalised in the centre for a high tackle on their 22.

In the 18thminute Naas won an offside penalty following an attacking move on the left flank involving Johne Murphy, Fionn Higgins and Johnny Delaney which took play to the UCC 10 metre line. David Aherne kicked to the 22 for a lineout on the left side. Naas flanker Will O’Brien secured at the lineout and combined with Paul Tolofua who carried forward to the 5 metre line and was assisted at the breakdown by Ben Swindlehurst, Shane Reilly, Andrew Kearney and John Sutton. Naas lock David Benn then gathered and powered over on the left wing for the opening try. The conversion by Peter Osborne was outstanding and gave Naas a 10-3 point lead.

Following the restart, David Benn again secured but Naas were subsequently turned over at the breakdown. UCC counter attacked using a fast offload game and took play to the Naas 22 but were then penalised for going offside. David Aherne kicked to the opposite 10m line for a Naas lineout on the left flank which was secured by David Benn. Naas pressed forward with Peter Osborne, Johnny Delaney, Johnny Holmes, Will O’Brien and Paul Tolofua all involved and went close to breaching the UCC defence but were eventually penalised for not releasing just metres from the UCC goal in the 25th minute.

In the closing minutes of the first period Naas had at least one further potential try scoring opportunity following influential carries by Will O’Brien and Johnny Holmes inside of the UCC 22, but this was thwarted by robust defence from UCC. Naas were however awarded a short range penalty in injury time and this was confidently kicked by Peter Osborne to give them a 20-3 point lead at the interval.

In the early stages of the second period Naas conceded a number of penalties that presented opportunities for UCC.

One such penalty in the 48th minute was conceded for not releasing when Naas became isolated in mid field. Some minor indiscipline then resulted in a 10m advance of the mark which ultimately gave UCC an attacking lineout just 10m from the Naas goal. After securing from their lineout, the entire UCC pack mauled over the Naas line with flanker Conor Barry getting their first try and this was also expertly converted by Kevin O’Keeffe to give a score of 10-20.

Naas continued to concede penalties immediately following this score which gave UCC further attacking opportunities and dominant field position. The Naas defence however managed to hold firm for the remainder of the third quarter.

As the game entered the final quarter Naas won a penalty on their 10m line. David Aherne kicked for a lineout on the right side 30m out. After possession was secured by Paul Monahan the entire Naas pack mauled forward but were subsequently turned over on the 5m line and UCC cleared.

After conceding further and repeated penalties Naas then had their loose-head prop sent to the bin which ramped up the pressure. UCC then kicked to the left touchline and used their maul to press deep into the Naas 22. They then stretched the Naas defence on the right flank and their wing Kevin Slater crossed unopposed for a further try in the 68th minute. With the conversion narrowly missed this left the score at 15-20.

In the 74th minute Naas attacked as far as the UCC 22 and were awarded a penalty following a ruck infringement. The kick at goal by Peter Osborne however drifted inches wide to the right leaving a single score between the sides.

Still with a man in the bin, Naas struggled to retain any continuity of possession and were under severe pressure right to the final whistle. Outstanding defensive effort especially in the final quarter from Johne Murphy, Ben Swindlehurst, Jason Harney, Johnny Holmes, Andrew Kearney, Paul Monaghan, David Benn, William O’Brien, Ryan Casey, Charles Kings, Rob O’Connor, Bob Bryan and indeed the entire Naas team eventually saw them secure another valuable away win.

Naas senior squad next travel to Belfast on Saturday 26th March for their round 17 UBL game against Malone which kicks off at 2.30pm at Gibson Park. With only two games remaining to the end of season (including home game v Skerries on 2nd April) and considering Naas are currently second in the league this is an important fixture. To qualify for automatic promotion Naas will need to secure at least 2 points more than Banbridge from their remaining two games. In the event that this does not happen, Naas will enter a play-off most likely involving Nenagh, UCC and the Division 1A second loser. All travelling support for this game v Malone is encouraged and most welcome.

Scores / Scorers: UCC 15: (Kevin O’Keeffe 1 con, 1 pen, Conor Barry 1 try, Kevin Slater 1 try) Naas 20: (Peter Osborne 2 con, 2 pens, David Benn 1 try, Paul Tolofua 1 try)

Naas Team: 15. Fionn Higgins 14. Johne Murphy 13. Johnny Delaney (Ben Swindlehurst, 78’) 12. Ben Swindlehurst (Henry Bryce, 40’) 11. Rob O’Connor (Johnny Holmes , 70’) 10. David Aherne (Capt.) 9. Peter Osborne 1. Shane Reilly (Bob Bryan, 75’) 2. John Sutton (Charles Kings, 70’) 3. Jason Harney 4. Johnny Holmes (Paul Monaghan, 40’) 5. David Benn 6. Andrew Kearney (Ryan Casey, 40’) 7. William O’Brien 8. Paul Tolofua ( Andrew Kearney, 70’). Replacements: 16. Charles Kings 17. Bob Bryan 18. Paul Monaghan 19. Ryan Casey 20. Henry Bryce

UCC Team: 15. Daragh Dennehy 14. Kevin O’Keeffe 13. Kevin Slater 12. Murray Linn 11. James Kiernan 10. Tim Clifford 9. Charlie O’Regan 1. Charlie Slowey 2. Ben Burns 3. O’Donovan 4. Ben Mitchell 5. Richard Moran 6. Conor Barry 7. Cathal Gallagher 8. Paul Derham. Replacements: 16. Shane O’Hanlon 17. Daniel Healy 18. Eddie Earle 19. Gerry Ryan 20. Cillian Ansbro