Naas Senior Women vs CYM 03Dec

WOMEN’S LEINSTER LEAGUE – DIVISION 2

VS NAAS RFC

CYM RFC

Sunday December 3rd, 2023 Forenaughts, Naas | Kick-Off: 13:00 Referee: Roberto Abbondati

Image thanks to Michael Linehan Photography

NAAS RFC TEAM 1. Emma Tully

3. Katie Halpin

2. Ellen Murray

4. Beverley Mahon

6. Jane Fallon

5. Asta Rowe

7. Emily Mckeown

8. Jess Weld

9. Ciara Mckeown

11. Jamie Garland

12. Abbie Cleary

10. Amy McGuire

13. Rachel Naughton

14. Cliodhna O’Connor

15. Zoe Dunbar (c)

Anna McGrath

Emma Kelly

Ciara Finn

Natasha Moroney

Malgorzata Korpas

Aoibheann Hassett O’Sullivan

League table, results and fixtures

Results & Fixtures

Division 2 Table

Date

Home

Score

Away

24 Sep

CYM

0 - 43

Naas

01 Oct

Naas

29 - 17

Balbriggan

14 Oct

Clondalkin

36 - 21

Naas

22 Oct

Naas

36 - 22

New Ross

05 Nov

Wicklow J1

24 - 19

Naas

12 Nov

Naas

80 - 7

UCD

25 Nov

PortDara Falcons

12 - 38

Naas

03 Dec

Naas

0-0

CYM

09 Dec

Naas

0-0

PortDara Falcons

07 Jan

Balbriggan

0-0

Naas

13 Jan

Naas

0-0

Clondalkin

28 Jan

New Ross

0-0

Naas

03 Feb

Naas

0-0

Wicklow J1

18 Feb

UCD

0-0

Naas

PortDara Falcons 12 – 38 Naas | 25 Nov | Match Report Naas RFC Women are 5 points off the top of the Division 2 table with a game in hand and a superior points difference after a solid win in a scrappy game against PortDara, from the combined Portarlington and Cill Dara clubs.

Missing several forwards, Head Coach Brian Smith was forced to make several positional changes, in a team that was very different to the side that lined out against UCD two weeks ago.

Inevitably, Naas took almost 15 minutes to make the first breakthrough, after a messy opening characterised by 12 penalties, 9 of which were against Naas. Despite the untidy nature of the opening phases, Naas were able to exert serious territorial pressure on the dogged home side.

Young prop Emma Tully, a product of the Naas girls’ section drove powerfully all day, and after 14 minutes she made great yards after a fast tap by the Naas scrumhalf. Tully then fed Emily Mckeown, a back turned flanker on the day, who scored the first of her four tries from the edge of the 22. The extremely reliable Amy McGuire added the conversion to make the score 7-0 after 15 minutes.

From the restart, Mckeown ran powerfully back into the opposition half, and then the Naas pack recycled quickly to allow the impressive Cliodhna O’Connor to beat the PortDara defence on the outside, and race in under the posts. Again, McGuire slotted the conversion to make it 14-0 to Naas.

PortDara contained Naas well for the next few minutes, until Ciara Mckeown broke the line with a darting 30 metre run, well supported by the forwards, in particular Ellen Murray, Asta Rowe and Bev Mahon. The fast ball won by the forwards allowed Emily Mckeown to race in from 24 metres to score her 2nd. McGuire, uncharacteristically, missed the conversion, leaving the visitors 19-0 just before the break.

For the last few minutes of the half, it was about the Naas pack, as the Kildare women put the home scrum under serious pressure, including a stunning scrum won against the head by the Naas front row of Emma Tully, Ellen Murray and Malgorzata Korpas.

The start of the 2nd half was delayed as the medics dealt with an injured player, and the PortDara women handled the delay better than the visitors. They won a scrum penalty, partly caused by the dominance of the Naas front row, and then scored a great team try as the Naas forwards were caught by surprise.

Asta Rowe, Naas’ very popular flanker, then exploded into life with several powerful carries.

Two of these brought her over the line, but it seemed this was unfamiliar territory for the basketball convert and she couldn’t ground for her first ever try. One of these led to a goal line drop out, which misfired slightly for the PortDara women and only went 5 metres.

Once more, Emily Mckeown was on hand to barge in to make the score 24-5 to Naas.

McGuire kept her cool and once more added the conversion.

The Naas pack was now utterly dominant, and they started to stretch the PortDara defence to breaking point. Effective, direct running from Tully, Rowe and Murray took its toll on the tiring home team. To add to the challenge facing PortDara, Smith was able to introduce a raft of young substitutes in Katie Halpin, Abbie Cleary, and Jane Fallon.

On the 60-minute mark, a weary PortDara defence was once more exposed by McKeown’s pace as she ran in for her fourth of the day from her own half. Emma Tully then capped a stunning personal performance with a great forwards try from close quarters, after the whole Naas team was involved in a flowing phase of play which moved the ball first right then left.

PortDara, to their credit, found the energy to launch one more attack and were rightly rewarded with the last try of the game to make the final score 38-12 to Naas.

Naas: Shauna Kinsella, Jamie Garland, Rachel Naughton, Zoe Dunbar, Cliodhna O’Connor, Amy McGuire, Ciara Mckeown, Malgorzata Korpas, Ellen Murray, Emma Tully, Beverley Mahon, Lauren Bergin, Asta Rowe, Emily Mckeown, Jessica Weld, Abbie Cleary, Jane Fallon, Natasha Moroney, Katie Halpin, Emma Kelly

Naas 80 – 7 UCD | 12 Nov | Match Report After a rousing performance against league leaders Wicklow last week, Naas Women continued their fine run of form with an utterly dominant 80-point demolition of UCD on Sunday in Forenaughts.

Scrum half Mckeown took a quick tap and fed the athletic 18-year-old Abbie Cleary who burst free to score under the posts.

McGuire predictably added the conversion to give Naas a lead of 59 points to 7.

It took 13 minutes for Naas centre Emily Mckeown to open the scoring for the home team, as the visitors started brightly with no sign of the collapse to come. Another 7 minutes passed before Cliodhna O’Connor scored the first of her 4 tries on the day, outpacing a gutsy UCD defence to run in from her own 22.

Hubbard then scored a try of her own, and then caught the subsequent restart, set off on a mazy run and fed Anna McGrath, who finished brilliantly to make the score 73 points to 7.

Jamie Garland then showed she could match O’Connor for pace by beating the UCD winger on the outside and scoring under the posts. The ever-reliable Amy McGuire continued her 100% kicking record up to that point in the game, making the score 21 nil after 25 minutes.

Naas scored two more tries before half time, through Mckeown and O’Connor, but UCD scored one of their own after some direct running to make the score 31 points to 7 at half time.

Two minutes into the second half, Naas applied more pressure through their industrious scrum half Ciara Mckeown, whose darting break led to a score for the impressive Katie Halpin. UCD were starting to look a little ragged at this point, and Naas started to play simple, direct rugby which proved unstoppable.

Strong running from hooker Emma Tully and powerful centre Sheena Hubbard resulted in two more tries for O’Connor, with the score now 45 points to 7 at the 50minute mark.

Things went from bad to worse for the students when the Naas scrum started to turn the screw. Referee Koen had no hesitation in awarding a scrum penalty to the Kildare women.

With two minutes left on the clock, GAA convert Shauna Kinsella scored her first try for Naas. McGuire added the conversion once more to make the final score 80 points to 7.

Naas: Katie Halpin, Emma Tully, Malgorzata Korpas, Beverley Mahon, Lauren Bergin, Asta Rowe, Ellen Murray, Ciara Mckeown, Amy McGuire, Cliodhna O’Connor, Sheena Hubbard, Emily Mckeown, Jamie Garland, Zoe Dunbar, Abbie Cleary, Aoife Furlong, Shauna Kinsella, Ciara Finn, Anna McGrath, Rachel Naughton, Emma Kelly

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