City of Armagh RFC Season Review

2014 - 2015

SEASON REVIEW

BY EVAN MORTON www.armaghrfc.com www.facebook.com/city.of.armagh.rugby.club twitter@armaghrugbyclub

The 2014-15 rugby season came to a close for City of Armagh RFC when Neil Faloon, Club Captain for the incoming season, was awarded two trophies at the Ulster Bank League Annual Awards at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on May 14th. Neil was awarded the trophy for Player of the Year in Division 2B and also the Ulster Player of the Year award.

In addition to Neil’s awards, City of Armagh RFC were nominated for Club of the Year at the Ulster Rugby Awards in May. Cormac Fox was nominated for Youth Player of the Year at the same Awards, a great honour for a sixteen year old. Finally, at the 2015 Armagh Sports Forum Awards, the 1st XV were named Senior Sports Team of the Year.

All these awards and nominations were great recognition for City of Armagh RFC, which rounded off a season of remarkable success.

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The 2014-15 season began in August when the senior squad toured the Languedoc region in Southern France. The tour had been planned for many months and a dedicated band of players and club members worked tirelessly to fund-raise and plan the adventure in France. A squad of over 30 players, lead by captain Mark Riddell, set off for France accompanied by the Club President, several committee members and supporters.

Two fixtures were arranged and off the field everyone enjoyed whitewater rafting, go-karting, wine tasting and the incredible hospitality of the host clubs. The first match against Gruissan RFC was played in temperatures in the high 20s and was lost narrowly by 12 points to 6.

The second match against Leucate RFC was a tougher affair against a high quality team and despite the conditions, the Armagh team gave an excellent account of themselves in pushing the home team right to the end. Many friendships were renewed on tour, courtesy of John Callaghan and many new friendships were created. Indeed it is hoped that Armagh will play host to a French team in the autumn of 2015.

Returning home, the players were straight into an Ulster Senior League match before the All Ireland League commenced. City of Derry were the opponents and a victory by the visiting Armagh team (10-24) sent out a message that the French tour had not been a wine tour! A first victory over City of Derry in 4 years was a nice start to the season but the All Ireland League was were it mattered.

Following a final warm up friendly win against top junior side Dundalk, Armagh proceeded to win their first 3 AIL matches, away to Old Crescent (7-13), home to Navan (20-15) and away to newly promoted Kanturk (14-17).

A great start from Armagh but early days yet.

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Another impressive win in the Ulster Senior League, (40-0), against Banbridge did cause a stir and a First Trust Senior Cup match against Ballynahinch was eagerly anticipated by everyone in Armagh.

The County Down club recorded a last gasp win, 16-17, with the final kick of the match and Armagh were deemed unlucky not to have progressed in the cup against the eventual cup winners.

The start of November saw a home fixture in the AIL against one of the fancied teams, Greystones and Armagh were victorious on the day (20-7) leaving them one of the few undefeated teams in the AIL. Armagh’s next home game was going to be a crucial fixture when unbeaten Highfield travelled to the Palace Grounds. In a closely fought encounter, it was the visitors from Cork who emerged victorious (12-16).

Armagh knew on the day they could have won this match but Highfield marched on to totally dominate the league thereafter.

Following their first defeat, Armagh looked to bounce back the following week when the team travelled down to Dublin to play unfancied Wanderers, however after a poor performance, they suffered a second defeat (11-6). This perhaps brought some reality to the task that lay ahead in the All Ireland League.

Middleton from County Cork travelled to Armagh in the penultimate AIL match before Christmas and the home team won (21-19) despite ferocious pressure from the visitors, camped on the Armagh line for the last 10 minutes of the game.

Back in the Ulster Senior League Armagh travelled to top side Ballymena and tasted defeat for the first time in this competition. A last minute penalty to Ballymena was converted to give the home team a narrow victory (21-19). No one was to realise at the time how significant this result would be, come the end of the season.

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The Saturday before Christmas saw City of Armagh travel to Ards, a side already struggling at the bottom end of the league table and after a competitive first half, Armagh came through comfortably by the final whistle with a bonus point win, (11-40). Christmas week saw another win for Armagh in the Ulster Senior League when Rainey were the visitors to the Palace Grounds, (18-8).

Following a two week break, Armagh returned to the Ulster Senior League and once more defeated ‘senior’ opposition in the form of Division 1B side Malone, with a 3 - 17 scoreline.

Sunday’s Well were the second Cork team to visit Armagh and for the third time this season Armagh tasted defeat (11-13). It was becoming clear that the battle for a top four finish was going to be a tight affair with a number of teams such as Greystones and Tullamore along with Highfield setting the early pace.

January came to a close when Armagh travelled to De La Salle Palmerston in Dublin and returned to winning ways, (12-17). It was clear by this stage of the season that Armagh were not getting enough bonus point wins compared to their competitors and indeed, scoring tries seemed to be a struggle at times. The team fortunately were still maintaining a challenge for a top four finish.

February saw an impressive home win over a strong Queens team in the Ulster Senior League, (37-6) and this was followed up by an away win in the AIL at Boyne in another tight match, (18-20). Armagh’s momentum in the AIL took another knock at the end of the month when Munster side, Bruff adapted better to horrendous weather conditions in Armagh to win yet another tight match, (3-7). With Armagh dropping to sixth place in the league, some had doubts that Armagh had the tenacity and mental strength to win the crucial games to achieve a top four finish.

Every match now had become a cup final and any more points dropped would be disastrous.

March was to be a make or break month in Armagh’s season.

Away to Sligo was never going to be an easy fixture and many feared the worst when Armagh were behind at half time. The elements proved pivotal however and Armagh turned the game around and even managed a crucial bonus point, winning (5-27). A very significant result.

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Armagh’s performances in the Ulster Senior League showed no dips compared to the AIL and yet another impressive win away to Belfast Harlequins had the Division 2B Club remarkably in the top 3 in the league table.

A runaway victory (50-0) against neighbours Dungannon maintained Armagh’s superb form in the Ulster Senior League but the AIL was the real goal for the season.

With two matches remaining, Armagh held fourth place in the league with a one point advantage over Sundays Well. Limerick side Richmond made the long trip to Armagh, seeking points to avoid a relegation battle. Armagh left it late but a fourth try brought the valuable bonus point win, (22-3). Now it was all down to the final match to decide the promotion issue!

Prior to that final AIL match Armagh travelled to Ards for their penultimate match in the Ulster Senior League. A 27-0 win cemented their position in second place and remarkably Armagh had a realistic possibility of winning the League if they could win their final match at home to hot favourites, Ballynahinch.

Before that encounter however, City of Armagh had the little matter of a trip to Tullamore to decide who got promotion into the ‘new’ Division 2B for 2015-16 season. Supporters had spent all week working out all the possible permutations. Could Armagh get a win and hold on to the fourth place spot? How would Greystones get on in Sligo? Would Highfield go through the season undefeated in the Cork derby against Sundays Well?

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Armagh’s trip to Tullamore was treated like a cup final with promotion at stake for both teams. Tullamore had been unbeaten at home all season, scoring at least 20 points in every match. Many pundits had backed the home team but they hadn’t taken into consideration the character of the Armagh team and the huge travelling support that descended on Spollanstown in Tullamore.

Tries from John Faloon and Seamus Mallon and 11 points from the boot of Harry Boyd saw a famous victory for Armagh (0-21).

Supporters were jubilant that the team had finally sealed promotion in their fourth season back in the AIL. Results from other fixtures in fact elevated Armagh to second place in the final league table. The goal set at the start of the season had been achieved and the celebrations went on for quite a while that night!

Armagh were in first place at the top of the Ulster Senior League!

In the clubhouse after the match, Coach Andy Hughes was presented with a gift by President, Raymond Donnelly, for his service to the club over the past seven years.

One final fixture remained for the First XV, the final home Ulster Senior League match against Ballynahinch. Just five days after their heroic performance down in Tullamore, Armagh hosted Ballynahinch at a packed Palace Grounds. A win for Armagh would place them top of the table however Ballynahinch had a crucial game in hand against City of Derry. The game also marked the last match for Coach Andy Hughes who had announced his plan to stand down at the end of the season. The match itself was another epic which had the supporters on edge throughout. Remarkably Armagh defeated their more senior opponents, (19-10) and for the first time in the club’s history,

Two weeks later, Ballynahinch won their game in hand and took the league title by the narrow margin of 2 points. City of Armagh can take immense pride in finishing runners up. For a team seeded tenth to win 9 out of 10 matches and scoring 281 points for, with 71 against was remarkable and rounded off a successful season for the First XV captained admirably by Mark Riddell.

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City of Armagh Second XV also had a good season. They did struggle at times to get consistent team selections and the result was a seventh place finish in the Second XV League. The season highlight was a terrific run in the Town’s Cup. The first shock they pulled off was beating a much fancied Omagh team who had reached the Junior Cup Final. Led by captain Conleth Oliver, Armagh won a close encounter 16-12.

In the next round Armagh were drawn at home to Bangor, one of the leading teams in Qualifying One and finalist in the All Ireland Junior Cup. Once again Armagh confounded the pundits and pulled off a shock 30-24 victory. Forwards and backs combined to put in one of the performances of the season with team manager, Gary Morton delighted with the outcome. The team did bow out of the cup in the quarter final away at Clogher Valley who went on to reach the final.

City of Armagh Thirds and Fourths also had successful seasons both on and off the pitch. The Third XV ablely guided by Trevor Girvan, finished second in Junior League 5 to a very strong Ballymena 5s. Eleven wins out of fifteen was a great credit to the players and the team also had a brilliant run in the Forster Cup, reaching the semi-final. At home to Ballymena 5s, with many ex-senior players in the Ballymena ranks, Armagh lost 14-19, one of the toughest matches the eventual cup winners had all season.

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David Loughran performed heroics in getting the 4th XV team out and it was a great credit that far fewer matches were cancelled this season by Armagh teams. Probably the highlight of the 3rds and 4ths season was their tour to Manchester. Like all good tours the players enjoyed themselves off the pitch and won a high scoring match, 45-35, hosted by Didsbury RFC.

Armagh Ladies were not to be outdone this season when it came to success. With continued encouragement from Senior Vice-President, Shirley Ann Donaldson, a greater number of girls at under 18 and under 15 levels attended training regularly. Credit goes to the coaching team for their efforts, Neil Rafferty, Harry Doyle, Peter O’Hanlon and Robert Dougan, with valuable assistance also from Zoe Templeton.

The under 18s participated in the Ulster League while both age groups attended various blitzes. The highlight of the season was the Under 18 girls winning the Ulster Youth Shield, following a narrow 10-7 victory over Monaghan, the first ever silverware for the Club in ladies rugby! Seven Armagh girls were also included in the Ulster U18 squad, Molly Lavery, Carla Rafferty, Morna O’Hanlon, Stacey Fluke, Lisa Henry, Beckie McCauley and Vicky Irwin, which was great recognition for the Club.

In addition, Vicky Irwin has also been honoured with a place in the Ireland U18 7s squad, a fantastic achievement. Every club has its ‘unsung heroes’ and Armagh Ladies would like to thank John McCord for all the assistance he has given off the pitch throughout the season and also thanks to Paul McCord for helping with refereeing on numerous occasions.

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Armagh Youth also continue set the bar high when it comes to success under the direction of Youth Convenors Richard Black and Anton Finn. This season it was pleasing to see the Under 14s, under the coaching team of Niall Chapman, Brett Nelson, Philip Doyle and Philip Agnew, reach the final of the Ulster Cup at the Kingspan Stadium. The young players showed great skill and ability all season with terrific wins in the Cup against Civil Service and Portadown and Coleraine in the semi-final. Unfortunately they came up against a very strong Carrick team in the final, which was played in atrocious conditions.

In the U14 Premier League, Armagh finished in third place with only 2 defeats in 16 matches, another terrific achievement the boys can be proud of. In addition, Stephen Murphy, Aaron Whyte, Cormac Houlahan, Sam Murray and Dylan Nelson were all selected for regional representative squads, a great credit to the Club.

Our U16s had another superb season, following on from their League and Cup double success last year. Anton Finn, assisted by Gervaise O’Brien and Harry Doyle saw their team yet again, go through the league campaign undefeated, scoring 608 points in 16 matches. The team is now unbeaten in the league since October 2013. Season highlights would be the home and away victories against old rivals Virginia but also an extremely hard fought home win against a very strong Rainey side.

Having clinched the League play-offs with convincing wins over Ballynahinch and Enniskillen, the team then focused on winning the U16 cup after defeating rivals Rainey in an incredibly tight semifinal, 14-12.

The final was a repeat of the U15 Final with Virginia tough opponents. Also played in a constant downpour, it was Virginia who squeezed home by the tightest of margins, 5 - 0.

City of Armagh RFC can be proud to have two teams appearing in Youth Finals at the Kingspan.

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During the year, the U16 squad also went on tour to Cork, following several successful fundraising events by parents and supporters. Two matches were arranged and Armagh emerged triumphant, beating Presentation Brothers Cork and Kinsale by over 50 points in the two games.

Another highlight of the year was the Civic Reception for the squad in recognition of their success from the Lord Mayor of Armagh.

Representative call-ups to the Ulster Squad were achieved by Barry Finn, Paul Mullan, Shea O’Brien and Cormac Fox in the Under 18s. In the Ulster U17 squad we had Shane McKeever, Evin Crummie and Aaron Kennedy while in the Under 16 squad, Nathan Rodgers, Ryan Morton and Tiernan O’Neil were selected. All in all, fantastic representation from City of Armagh which bodes well for the future success of the club.

Mini Rugby at Armagh continues to go from strength to strength with 260 boys and girls registered and 48 local schools have pupils represented. With such good numbers and 2 - 3 teams in each age-group Mini Rugby Convenor, Colin Morrison is delighted to call upon over 40 coaches and volunteers to ensure the minis section operates smoothly. A fun 5K run was organised at the start of the season and this was a great success and the annual Halloween Party remains as popular as ever.

Teams travelled to Ballynahinch, Banbridge and further afield. Indeed Armagh Under 10s were invited to Ashbourne RFC for the National Aviva sponsored minis event before Christmas. Our Under 12s also had the honour of playing at the Kingspan Stadium at half-time during the Ulster v Toulon match in October.

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The Armagh Blitz in April is now the largest in the whole of Ireland with 13 clubs attending and 1300 kids participating. City of Armagh had the pleasure this year of hosting a party of 100 children and adults from Slirling County RFC in Scotland who stayed in Armagh for 3 nights. The mini section is indebted to all the sponsors who assisted with the Blitz and throughout the season.

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Club Awards 2014-2015 Top Try scorer

Wilson Cup

Neil Faloon

Services to youth rugby

Smith Cup

Niall Chapman

U20 Player of the Year

Johnston Cup

Kyle Faloon

Club Player of the year

Black Cup

Trevor Girvan

Performance on and off the field.

Hyde Cup

Harry Doyle

Clubman of the year

Livingstone cup

Willie Smyth

School Player of the year

Faloon Cup

Michael Thompson

Youth player of the year

McCall Award

Vicky Irwin

Best Team of the year.

Moffitt Cup

1st XV

Best Youth team

Nesbitt Trophy

U16s

Fundraiser of the year

Paddy Smith Cup

Raymond Donnelly

Creative Player of the year

Bill Jennings Cup

Manihera Eden

Player of the year

1st XV 2nd XV 3rd XV 4th XV

Neil Faloon Gareth McNeice David Bingham Robert Dougan

President’s Award

Ladies committee

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Mini Awards PLAYER OF THE YEAR

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER

BEST NEWCOMER

P2

Will Anderson

Eoin McCusker

Ryan McKeever

P3

Sean Sands

Daniel Jenkins

Shea Clarke

P4

Ryan McGahan

Charles Hefferon

Robert Hamilton

P6

Davyd Wilson / Darragh Lennon Darcy Rice

Kristopher McKenzie

P7

Ruari Nugent

Lee Nesbitt

Luke McKeever

U12

RJ McCall

Caleb McKeown

Jay Hall

New U12 Award for Endeavour

Lee & Adam Wilson

Youth Awards U14 Best New-comer Most Improved Player Player of the Year

Sean Hannaway Cormac Campbell Aaron Whyte

U16 Best New-comer Most Improved Player Player of the Year

Cormac McClinchey Dean Chamber Barry Finn 13

Latest News City Of Armagh RFC appoint new coaching team for 2015-16 Alex McCloy has been appointed new Head Coach as part of the Club’s new coaching team for next season.

Originally from Ballymena, Alex played for his home club, before moving to Belfast Harlequins. He then took up his first coaching role and spent four seasons with Ulster Rugby as their full-time Senior Performance Analyst & Head of Analysis. He was also a Coaching Consultant for the Rotherham Titans in England.

Willie Faloon has also been appointed to the coaching team at City of Armagh. A local resident, Willie attended the Royal School and his professional rugby career took him to Ulster and then to Connacht. Willie has just signed a new contract to return to Ulster for the 2015-16 season.

Club President, Raymond has emphasised that both appointments underlines the Club’s determination to continue to progress as a club, both on and off the field. The First XV, following promotion, will be playing in the new re-structured Division 2B in the All Ireland League and we will be aiming for further success. The new coaching team, however, will have responsibility to ensure all our adult teams are successful and there will be continued support for our Ladies, Youth and Mini sections.

City Of Armagh RFC launches new APP for your phone or tablet Andy Rowan has created an App for City of Armagh Rugby Club, the first by a club in Ulster. The App will let you check out News, Fixtures, Events, Teams, Leagues and loads more!

To download the App to your phone, ipad or tablet computer, go to the Apple App Store or Google Play and download TEAM APP Register and sign up to City of Armagh Rugby Club It’s all FREE!

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Social Events City of Armagh Rugby Club welcomed Film & TV Star, Sam Neill to a Wine & Dine event in the clubhouse. Star of Jurassic Park and 60 other films, Sam spoke about growing up in Northern Ireland and his expanding wine business now in New Zealand - Two Paddocks.

SPORTS BREAKFAST In April, over 425 members and guests from across the whole Armagh area attended a fundraising breakfast in conjunction with Armagh Rotary Club. Held in a massive marquee at the Palace Grounds, many sports stars attended from rugby, soccer and GAA. A delicious breakfast was provided by the Yellow Door Deli and served by pupils from the Royal School rugby squad. Thank you to everyone who attended or helped with sponsorship and made the event such a success.

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Social Events

ANNUAL DINNER This year’s Club Dinner in February was another terrific success with 120 members and guests attending. Junior Vice President, John McKibben represented the Ulster Branch and the Guest Speaker was former Irish International, Alan Quinlan.

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VIP Guests Willie Faloon

IRFU President Louis Magee

Luke Marshall, Adrian Logan, Raymond Donnelly, Ian Henderson & Les Kiss

Andy Ward

Ireland Assistant Coach, Les Kiss

Lord Mayor’s pre-match reception at the Council Headquarters for Club representatives and Irish Ladies Internationals, Ashleigh Baxter and Grace Davitt.

Cheers from Tommy Bowe, Rory Best and Stephen Ferris 17

Thank You to our Sponsors

Thank You also to our Match Sponsors and other Sponsors throughout the season