Leinster League win for Mullingar U15s
U15 Div 2 Leinster League final: Mullingar 27, Edenderry 17
Mullingar RFC’s U15s are Leinster League Division 2 champions, after they defeated Edenderry on the recent bank holiday Monday (May 2).
Edenderry kicked off the game in a wet Tullamore venue, and were under sustained early pressure. At the seven minute mark Peadar Glennon cut through the Edenderry defence to score the first try of the day, with the conversion coming from Cillian Traynor.
Edenderry sent the restart straight to the Mullingar pack led by Rory O’Brien. Structured team play ensued with strong carries from Brook Glennon and Aaron McGauran allowing Traynor to score a try of his own.
The first half closed out with brilliant backfield cover from Kylan Heffernan, Henry Duncan and full back Jake Greene as Edenderry tried desperately to get a foothold in the game. The men in white and blue went in at half time 12-0 down despite their best efforts.
The second half opened much like the first with Mullingar on the front foot. Despite been driven back on each occasion against a much bigger pack, Ruairí D’Arcy hooked well at the number two spot, securing 100 percent scrum success. The wet conditions resulted in an excess of scrums due to spilled ball.
Throughout the game the two flankers Alan Manning and Brook Glennon were fast out of the scrum to neutralise Edenderry’s no. 8 pick and go from the back of the scrum.
12 minutes into the second half, Alan Manning, with strength and composure, managed to take on and spin away from several defenders before touching down wide on the right. Shane Maloney continued to navigate the hazardous breakdown with purpose while Mullingar retained possession.
Five minutes elapsed before James Flynn at outhalf, provided the assist for Peadar Glennon, who turned on the magic to skip through the heart of the Edenderry defence, for the second try of his ‘man of the match’ performance, leaving Traynor another easy conversion.
A 24-point deficit sparked Edenderry’s offense as Mullingar began to tire from the heavy workload. Strong carries from the Edenderry players earned them 17 points in quick succession late in the second half and it was now a one-score game.
Edenderry’s total could have been a lot larger if it wasn’t for continued work ethic from Killian O’Halloran-Smyth, the defensive player of the game, closely followed by Jake Greene at full back, and Flynn, who managed to launch himself into a crucial tackle out in the wide channel during Edenderry’s resurgence period.
Noah Ryan provided another pivotal moment with unmatched intimidation at the front of the lineout causing him to spill the ball forwards 10 metres from the Mullingar line.
It took true grit from the Mullingar team, no more than from Joseph Kidd who was playing against schoolmates, to get the ball up the pitch into a scoring position. Kidd constantly secured the ball from the Edenderry restarts and took the big hits of the arriving chasers.
With five minutes remaining and Mullingar under pressure, Maloney managed a kick chase assisted by Greene to clear the Mullingar half and force Edenderry into conceding a lineout.
In the subsequent run of play, Edenderry conceded another penalty within range of the posts. Rory O’Brien, the Mullingar captain, pointed to the sticks and that gave Traynor the opportunity to ice the game. He kicked the dagger sealing the win at 27-17, a result that was a good reflection of the continued effort at training, as many of the players had to play out of position due to injured squad members.
Squad: Killian O’Halloran-Smyth, Ruairi D’Arcy, Aaron McGauran, Joseph Kidd, Noah Ryan, Brook Glennon, Alan Manning (one try), Rory O’Brien; Shane Maloney, James Flynn, Kylan Heffernan, Peader Glennon (two tries), Cillian Traynor (one try, two conversions, one penalty), Henry Duncan, Jake Greene; Sean McNamee, Conor Maloney, Hugh Isdell, Emil Eriksson-Farell. Injured: Daragh O’Brien, David O’Malley, Dylan Corrigan.