Roy Ashmore Leinster U18's proof#2

The Interprovincial Championship 2016

Leinster Clubs U18s

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U18 CLUBS KICK-OFF INTERPROS IN DONNYBROOK

Frankie O’Dea of Leinster during an U18 Clubs Friendly game between Leinster and Exiles.

The Leinster U18 Clubs, sponsored by Bank of Ireland, play Connacht this weekend in Donnybrook Stadium in their second round of their Interprovincial Series, KO 13.00.

With 14 clubs throughout the province represented on the team, all members and supporters are urged to get down to Donnybrook to support the team this Saturday.

The U18 Clubs were given a sharp reminder of the standards they have to reach in being well-beaten by The Exiles last week in what amounted to their last action before the onset of the Interprovincial Championship.

The Clubs began the season with three 20 minute segments against Leinster Schools as a fact finding mission, more than anything else.

This was followed by a valuable exercise at home to a big, physical Northampton in which Leinster fell to a 15-10 defeat. The customary width was difficult to find with front-foot ball at a premium. The longer the game went on, the better Leinster became and there were openings to pinch a victory near the end that could not be closed out.

Those first two steps in the season were marked by improvement to leave coach Dan van Zyl’s squad in a positive frame of mind before ‘the fifth province’ came to Dublin town last week.

Leinster were rocked by nineteen unanswered points as The Exiles poured forward. Outside centre Kieran Dunne caused havoc

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with the first two tries and midfield Cillian McGann added the third. From there, the home side clawed their way back into the game as their forwards got down to work and the backs increased their intensity in the tackle to make it 29-14 by the final whistle. ¬¬“We weren’t happy from players to coaches to managers,” said Team Manager Louis Magee.

“What we’re looking for is more urgency from the players, more positivity. This is actually a talented group. They have trained together, worked hard together. It is just a matter of putting that practice out on the pitch.”

“Now, we were far better for a 10-15 period of the second-half against The Exiles. The game was definitely there to be won when we closed to within five points (19-14) around the 45th minute.

The results haven’t been all that great, so far. But, the guys are always learning and they are getting better. It is a matter of translating that to where it matters most.”

Props Conan Dunne (Kilkenny) and Daragh Bolger (Clontarf) are back from last year to lend their experience for what to expect. Brian Deaney will be back in the second row. But, the Wexford Wanderer is not likely to make the opening round against Connacht on Saturday.

The willingness of Leinster to stand up and fight will be led by captain Joey Sparza, flanker Dan Egan, hooker Declan Adamson and number eight Martin Maloney.

In behind, there will be the opportunity for centres Jordan Fitzpatrick, their goal-kicker, and Cillian Redmond to make a better impression.

The Westerners met The Exiles last Monday week in what should be a fair barometer of what Leinster will come up against at Donnybrook. They came out the right side of it 25-15 with their tries coming from Aaron Martyn, Liam Winnett, Colm Reilly and Hugh Lane.

Munster had the benefit of Paul O’Connell’s expertise in his new Academy Advisory role during a three-week camp at Rockwell College last month.

Ulster have been a work in progress at this level and greater resources have led to a steady improvement in their Clubs.

It is anyone’s guess how they will fare on the opening weekend.

This picture will become a lot clearer when Leinster have to travel to Thomond Park for round two on Saturday week Leinster U18 Clubs, Interprovincial Series fixtures 2016 Sept 3 (Saturday): Leinster U18 Clubs v Connacht, Donnybrook, Time 13.00 Sept 10 (Saturday): Munster v Leinster U18 Clubs, Thomond Park, Time 14.30 Sept 17 (Saturday): Leinster U18 Clubs v Ulster, Donnybrook, Time 13.00

Leinster U18 Clubs, sponsored by Bank of Ireland 15. Cormac Timoney (Navan RFC) 14. Daragh Kelly (Suttonians RFC) 13. Cillian Redmond (Tullow RFC) 12. Frankie O’Dea (Clontarf FC) 11. Morgan Purcell (New Ross RFC) 10. Hugo Lennox (Skerries RFC) 9. Gareth Fitzgerald (Tullow RFC) 1. Daragh Bolger (Clontarf FC) 2. Aleksa Mitic (Mullingar RFC) 3. Conan Dunne (Kilkenny RFC) 4. Joey Sparza (Ashbourne RFC) 5. Conor Moore (Carlow FC) 6. William Ashmore (Mullingar RFC) 7. Luke Thompson (Wicklow RFC) 8. Martin Maloney (Athy RFC) Captain Replacements 16. Declan Adamson (Clontarf FC) 17. Aziz Naser (Suttonians RFC) 18. Charlie Ward (Tullow RFC) 19. Charlie Quirke (Seapoint RFC) 20. Darragh Murphy (Tullow RFC) 21. Jordan Fitzpatrick (Portarlington RFC) 22. Mark O’Sullivan (Clontarf RFC) 23. Sebastian Pimm (Enniscorthy RFC) The Leinster U18 Clubs, sponsored by Bank of Ireland, were undone by Connacht three triesto-two in the Inter-provincial Championship at Donnybrook on Saturday afternoon.

Connacht came to play, despite the conditions, and centre Craig McCormick gave them the early go-forward they were hunting for to enable lock Niall Murray to force his way over for Dylan Prendergast to make it 7-0 in the fourth minute.

Leinster were quick to move on from this early setback. They twice got into a dangerous position only for their set-piece to let them down.

Wings Daragh Kelly and Morgan Purcell were keen to get into the game and they got close to the line.

A scrum in the shadow of the sticks was used for number eight

Martin Maloney to feed scrum-half Gareth Fitzgerald and his left-handed pass put Kelly outside the reach of the Connacht defence in the 13th minute.

The ambition of both sides was admirable as the wet conditions made handling and retaining balance a real challenge.

When Connacht got close enough, they turned to their big men to make it count and number eight Pat Howley’s low angle and leg drive took him to the line for 12-5 in the 18th minute.

The Westerners managed to apply pressure through the astute kicking of Prendergast and full-back Hugh Lane until the speed of Purcell prompted a lightening breakout with Kelly spilling the ball forward as the line beckoned.

When Connacht trucked the ball away from danger, Martin Maloney pinched a penalty on the floor for prime position. The subsequent lineout malfunctioned and prop Conan Dunne lost the ball forward.

They had to settle for three points from centre Frankie O’Dea to narrow the difference to four at half-time.

The rain kept coming. And so did Leinster. Centre Cillian Redmond’s poke through caused havoc.

The evasiveness of Purcell, from deep, and Kelly, from in close, created the opening for full-back Cormac Timoney to go close before flanker Luke Thompson touched down over a cluster of bodies for 13-12 in the 43rd minute.

Straight away, Leinster were cautioned for hands in the ruck and Prendergast split the posts to recapture the lead.

Out-half Hugo Lennox twice outfoxed the cover to get in behind the first line of defence before O’Dea landed the lead from a penalty on the right in the 50th minute.

Connacht openside Dylan Tierney-Martin executed a blockdown and pick-up for pressure to force a penalty which Diarmuid Codyre smacked home.

Their centre McCormick was the next man up to cause a turnover and the concession of a penalty try for interference off the ball for Codyre’s conversion to make it 25-16 in the 54th minute.

From there, it was a long way back given the constant drizzle.

Codyre seized on a loose ball and prop Ronan Corless turned

over a penalty as Connacht ran out deserved winners.

At Donnybrook - LEINSTER 16 (D Kelly, L Thompson try each; F O’Dea 2 pens); CONNACHT 25 (N Murray, P Howley try each; Pen try; D Codyre, D Prendergast pen, con each).

U18 CLUBS FINISH WITH A WIN 19 September 2016 12:24By EditorJoey SzparaJoey Szpara of Leinster in action against Andrew Foster of Ulster during the U18 Clubs Interprovincial Series Round 3 match between Leinster and Ulster at Donnybrook Stadium.Eoin Noonan© SportsfileThe Leinster U18 Clubs, sponsored by Bank of Ireland, saved their best for last in finally putting a win on the board in the Interprovincial Championship against Ulster at Donnybrook on Saturday afternoon.

There was immediate impact for Leinster when the visitors fullback Jac Lloyd Evans dropped a ball and was forced into giving up a penalty for centre Frankie O’Dea to open up with three points.

It was almost cancelled out when Ulster prop Aaron Kennedy disrupted the scrum for a shot at the posts which out-half John Cooke could not convert.

The danger had not dissipated. Centre Evin Crummie poked a kick through for the benefit of a 5-metre lineout out of the sound defence of Morgan Purcell.

Ulster number eight Andrew Foster was taken down by Martin Maloney. But, tight-head Callum Smyth looked a certainty to score when the ball slipped from his grip.

It took a fine poach by Leinster openside William Ashmore to relieve pressure and a deft ball on the floor from Hugo Lennox to bring centre Jordan Fitzpatrick into the game.

The persistence of Leinster paid off when Ulster’s defence went to sleep long enough for number eight Martin Maloney to surge to the posts for O’Dea to make it 10-0 in the 20th minute.

A sweet pre-planned move enabled wing Darragh Kelly to test out the defence of full-back Lloyd-Evans before Lennox flighted a kick to Purcell, who outpaced Matthew Faulkner for the second try for 15-0 in the 26th minute.

A piece of individual brilliance from Ulster centre Michael O’Neill did not yield the try it deserved when inches away from grounding the ball on the end of a sizzling break and kick.

From the ensuing scrum, wing Kelly nailed Cooke to force a knock-on.

It was Leinster who began the second period like they were behind, twice working the short side, Maloney almost creating the space for Joey Szpara to make it into the right corner.

But, that man O’Neill was not about to roll over. He came menacingly again until outnumbered down the right.

O’Neill got even closer to payback when taking Niall McKeating’s pass to within five metres of glory and wing Shane McKeever got even closer.

All of Ulster’s solid approach work was undone by white-linefever. They just didn’t have the patience to keep doing what got them so near.

Eventually, smart play along the three-quarters gave flanker Ben Heath all the room needed to burst over in the left corner for 15-5 in the 50th minute.

Centre O’Dea showed he was more than a goal-kicker with a searing break and long, left-handed pass that sent wing Kelly flying over on the right.

Straight away, Leinster came calling again, Dan Egan speeding down the right for their fourth try in the 54th minute.

Leinster lost their replacement hooker Luke O’Callaghan to the bin, although it did not prevent Lennox from setting Fitzpatrick up for the fifth just past the hour and Kelly picked up his second to bring up the half-dozen.

At Donnybrook: LEINSTER 35 (D Kelly 2 tries; M Maloney, J Fitzpatrick M Purcell, D Egan try each; F O’Dea pen, con) ULSTER 5 (B Heath try).

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