Naas vs Highfield Matchday Programme 16 Dec

ENERGIA ALL IRELAND LEAGUE – DIVISION 1B

VS NAAS RFC

HIGHFIELD RFC

Saturday December 16th, 2023 Forenaughts, Naas Kick-Off: 14:30

Image thanks to Naas Rugby Photographs Christmas hat thanks to Santa Claus!!

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE I am delighted to welcome you all to Forenaughts today for our game with Highfield RFC and to mark our club Christmas celebrations.

Santa is visiting our younger members, and I am sure the levels of excitement will be high before, during and after he drops by the club!

I extend a very warm welcome to Richie Stokes, President of Highfield Rugby Club, his squad of players and travelling supporters.

Last season’s AIL encounter in Forenaughts was a closely fought contest with the visitors taking the spoils on the day, winning by two points.

Naas are in a rich vein of form and come into this game after impressive wins against Buccaneers on the all weather in Tullow and UCC at the Mardyke. That has seen us move up the table to fourth place coming into this match.

We have replaced today’s opponents, who drop to fifth after a very entertaining and physical game at home to Old Wesley with the Dubliners coming away with a narrow win.

Naas will be looking to continue their recent winning ways, while Highfield will be looking to bounce back from last week’s reversal. It will no doubt be another close fought match and I wish all the players an injury free game.

In keeping with the values of the game of rugby, please ensure that all players, coaches and match officials get the respect they deserve today.

Finally, I would like to wish you and your families a very Happy Christmas and the best of health for 2024.

Yours in Rugby Paula Laffan President Naas RFC 2023/24

NAAS RFC TEAM 2. Niall O’Hanlon Athy

1. Conor Doyle Naas

4. David Benn Naas

6. Cillian Dempsey Eadestown

3. Adam Coyle Naas

5. Conor McVerry Whitianga

8. Eoin Walsh Suncroft

10. Bryan Croke (C) Portlaoise

9. Derry Lenehan Johnstown

11. Fionn Higgins 12. Craig Ronaldson Naas Ballymore Eustace

7. Muiris Cleary Naas

13. Charlie Sheridan Naas

14. Donal Conroy Athgarvan

15. Peter Osborne Naas

16. Aidan O’Kane

17. Jack Coyle

18. Francisco Bartorelli

19. Gary Kavanagh

20. Jack Sheridan

21. Tadhg Brophy

HIGHFIELD RFC TEAM Forwards

Backs

Replacements

1. James Rochford

9.

Chris Banon

16. Robert Murphy

2. Travis Coomey

10. Shane Buckley

17. Cillian Buckley

3. Daragh Fitzgerald

11. Colin O’Neill

18. John O’Callaghan

4. David O’Connell

12. David O’Sullivan

19. Liam Fahy

5. Eoin Keating

13. Ben Murphy

20. Richard Cassidy

6. Ross Anthony O’Neill

14. Timothy Duggan

21. Shane O’Riordan

7. Mark Fitzgibbon

15. Jamie Shanahan

8.

Miah Cronin (C)

Match Referee: Sam Holt

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT

Fixtures & Results

Division 1B Table

Date 07 Oct 14 Oct 21 Oct 04 Nov 11 Nov 18 Nov 02 Dec 09 Dec 16 Dec 13 Jan 20 Jan 27 Jan 10 Feb 17 Feb 02 Mar 23 Mar 30 Mar 06 Apr

Home Old Belvedere Naas Old Wesley Naas Naas Blackrock College Naas UCC Naas Highfield Naas Buccaneers Naas Garryowen St Mary’s College Naas Queens Naas

Score 18 - 20 33 - 50 48 - 26 14 - 25 41 - 38 32 - 29 35 - 29 29 - 38 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

Away Naas Queens Naas St Mary’s College Garryowen Naas Buccaneers Naas Highfield Naas UCC Naas Blackrock College Naas Naas Old Wesley Naas Old Belvedere

UCC 29 – 38 Naas | 09 Dec | Match Report For entertainment value alone, there are few more attractive teams in the 2023/2024 Energia All-Ireland League Division 1B to watch than Naas.

Week in, week out, they are involved in high scoring thrillers and last Saturday’s game against UCC was no exception, with no less than 67 points scored Thankfully the storms which were felt in many parts of the country did not hit Cork and the game was played in fine conditions by the banks of the River Lee.

The home side started brightly and took just four minutes to register the first try of the game, when a fine break in midfield by Darragh French split the Naas defence apart. He passed out to James Wixted who finished in the corner. Cian Whooley added the conversion to give them a seven-point lead.

Within three minutes Wixted was almost in again, and it took a brilliant try saving tackle

by Charlie Sheridan to stop him, but sixty seconds later Naas were on level terms.

Nathaniel Edogbo coughed up a ball in midfield, which Tadgh Brophy gleefully accepted, and the Naas scrum-half raced away to score under the posts. Craig Ronaldson tapped over the conversion.

The home side were back in front after 14 minutes when their pack won a penalty at a scrum which Cian Whooley successfully kicked, but they were rocked by a second Naas try on 20 minutes. After a line-out take by David Benn, the ball was moved along the Naas backline to Donal Conroy.

The winger still had a lot to do, but he put in a deft chip over the opposing defence, gathered the ball and raced away to score.

Craig Ronaldson was again on target with the conversion to make it 14-10 to Naas.

The visitors were beginning to take a stranglehold on the game, but out of nothing UCC scored after 33 minutes.

Naas will be disappointed with their defence on this occasion, which saw the home side attacking from deep and a series of missed tackles led to Louis Bruce racing away to score, with Cian Whooley adding the extras.

However, Naas finished the half in style with a truly magnificent try. From a scrum on their own ten-yard line, some sublime play by the backs sliced the home defence apart and a final pass from Charlie Sheridan to Bryan Croke put the Naas captain through for a breathtaking try.

Craig Ronaldson again kicked the conversion to leave the visitors 21-17 in front, which proved to be the interval score.

Within ninety seconds of the restart UCC were back in front. A well worked move at the front of a line-out saw Luke McAuliffe sprint down the left wing into the Naas 22.

When he was stopped the ball was quickly recycled and led to a series of phases, before the ball was returned to McAuliffe who crashed over from close range. The conversion by Whooley was missed, but UCC now led by 22-21.

UCC 29 – 38 Naas | 09 Dec | Match Report Naas suffered a blow after 50 minutes when Michal Haznar received a yellow card for a no arms tackle, and the penalty for this offence was dispatched to touch.

From the line-out a driving maul was set up which the visitors did well to contain, but the ball was then moved out wide to Jason Aherne, who managed to force his way over for a try.

This time Cian Whooley did kick the conversion to make it 29-21 to UCC. But that was to be the last score for them.

From there until the finish Naas completely took over, to gain an important victory.

They tore into the attack and asked serious questions of the UCC defence.

It was no surprise when the stubborn resistance of the home side was broken on 59 minutes, when Charlie Sheridan took a great line at pace to power over.

Peter Osborne now took over the kicking duties and his conversion reduced the margin to just one point at 29-28.

This was followed by another magical try created by the Naas backs on 75 minutes.

From their own ten-yard line Jack Sheridan started a move and took play up to halfway, before passing to his brother Charlie.

The latter then evaded a couple of tackles before passing to the supporting Tadgh Brophy who raced away to score.

Peter Osborne kicked the conversion, and the visitors were now 35-29 in front. The game was settled as a contest after 77 minutes.

Jack O’Sullivan was penalised for a high tackle which saw him receive a yellow card, and Peter Osborne made no mistake with the resulting penalty. That concluded the scoring for the day with Naas victorious by 38 points to 29.

This was a vital victory on the road for Naas and they have certainly hit a rich vein of form recently. They are clearly a match for anybody at the moment, and this good form has propelled them up to fourth in the league and into the play-off positions.

UCC: David Cogan, Sean Condon, Louis Bruce (capt), Darragh French, James Wixted, Cian Whooley, Andrew O’Mahony, Michael Cogan, Luke McAuliffe, Daniel McCarthy, Conor Ryan, David O’Halloran, Jason Aherne, Nathaniel Edogbo, Jack O’Sullivan.

Replacements: Adam Wrona, Alex Hamilton, Patrick McBarron, Jack O’Sullivan, Oliver Young, Billy Kiernan.

Naas: Fionn Higgins, Donal Conroy, Charlie Sheridan, Craig Ronaldson, Jack Sheridan, Bryan Croke (capt), Tadhg Brophy, Adam Coyle, Neil O’Hanlon, Stephen Lackey, David Benn, Conor McVerry, Cillian Dempsey, Jack Rodgers, Eoin Walsh.

Replacements: Conor Doyle, Connie Campher, Gary Kavanagh, Michal Haznar, Peter Osborne, Derry Lenehan.

Referee: Stuart Douglas.

MATCH REPORT: MARK HERBERT

Naas 35 – 29 Buccaneers | 02 Dec | Match Report The drama started before the Naas vs Buccaneers Energia All-Ireland League Division 1B game even started last Saturday and continued right up to the final whistle.

Firstly, the pitch at Forenaughts, Naas failed an early morning inspection, necessitating a switch of venue to Tullow with a 4.30pm kick-off.

Then before the game commenced, Naas were forced to make two late changes with Aidan O’Kane and Paul Monahan unable to play and they were ably replaced by Niall O’Hanlon and David Benn.

The all-weather pitch at Tullow lends itself to fast, open rugby and the first 40 minutes here was played at a frenetic pace, and both sides had tries on the board within the opening six minutes.

There were only three minutes played when Orinn Burgess made a break through the centre, he then offloaded to Stevie Mannion, who in turn passed to Gavin Daly who scored beside the posts for Buccaneers.

However, Naas quickly responded when after a scrum on the 22, a fine backs move created space for Fionn Higgins who finished in style.

Michael Hanley and Craig Ronaldson were both successful with their conversion attempts to make it seven points all.

Naas took the lead after 17 minutes. A brilliant break by Tadgh Brophy split the Buccaneers defence apart, before he found Jack Sheridan in support.

When the latter was tackled, Buccaneers were penalised for hands in the subsequent ruck and Craig Ronaldson made no mistake with his penalty effort.

The lead was extended after 21 minutes with a sublime try by Naas. From a line-out win by the pack, Tadgh Brophy quickly moved the ball into the centre to Charlie Sheridan and his lovely reverse pass put Donal Conroy away, and he ran in unopposed to score under the posts.

Ronaldson was again successful with the conversion and Naas now led by 17-7.

Buccaneers did reply with a Michael Hanley penalty after 24 minutes, but they made a complete mess of dealing with the restart and then compounded the error by conceding a penalty for giving backchat to referee Graham Ormiston.

Naas went to touch with the penalty and from the line-out take by David Benn they set up a driving maul, which powered over the line. Conor Doyle emerged with the ball in his hands and the conversion by Craig Ronaldson made the score 24-10.

The try bonus point was wrapped up for Naas after only 32 minutes, when a great line taken by Charlie Sheridan left the Buccaneers defence for dead. He then passed to his brother Jack, who sprinted clear for another score which Ronaldson converted.

With Naas now leading by 29 points to 10 a comfortable victory appeared on the cards.

But it was not to be, and they will be annoyed for making life difficult for themselves by conceding two tries on the stroke of half-time.

Naas 35 – 29 Buccaneers | 02 Dec | Match Report Firstly on 38 minutes a series of Buccaneers phases led to Liam McNamara crashing over from close range.

Now was the time for the Naas players to stand up and be counted and they certainly delivered in spades.

And just ninety seconds later Josh O’Connor broke through a couple of tackles to score beside the posts.

Buccs threw everything at them in the closing stages in an attempt to steal the game, but Naas refused to yield, and heroic defence saw them hold out for victory.

With Michael Hanley converted one of these tries, suddenly the game was back in the melting pot at 29-22 which proved to be the interval score.

The second half was a lot cagier, but Naas were by far the dominant side for the majority of it and should have had the game wrapped up long before the final whistle.

Two Craig Ronaldson penalties after 48 and 57 minutes extended the lead to 35-22, but three times in this period Naas got over the Buccaneers try line but could not ground the ball for a score, that would have effectively ended the game as a contest.

These failures almost proved extremely costly. On 64 minutes Naas were reduced to 14 men when Cillian Dempsey received a yellow card for tackling Frankie Hopkins after he had taken a quick tap penalty.

Buccaneers then elected to take a scrum penalty and moved the ball wide left before Fionn Higgins was deemed to have deliberately knocked on the ball, and he also received a yellow card.

Naas were now down to 13 men, and Buccaneers immediately launched a series of attacks which led to Matthew Victory crashing over from close range. The conversion by Stephen Mannion reduced the Naas lead to 35-29, and all the momentum with Buccaneers.

Although it was a game that could have been won convincingly, the main thing is that Naas got what they came for – a win and five points. Onwards and upwards for them.

Naas: Fionn Higgins, Donal Conroy, Charlie Sheridan, Craig Ronaldson, Jack Sheridan, Bryan Croke (capt), Tadhg Brophy, Conor Doyle, Niall O’Hanlon, Stephen Lackey, Conor McVerry, David Benn, Cillian Dempsey, Muiris Cleary, Eoin Walshe.

Replacements: Tadhg Dooley, Jack Coyle, Francisco Bartorelli Lagomar, Jack Rogers, Peter Osborne, Derry Lenehan.

Buccaneers: Liam McNamara, Josh O’Connor, Daniel Hawkshaw, Stephen Mannion, Orrin Burgess, Michael Hanley, Frankie Hopkins (capt), James Kelly, Matthew Victory, Matthew Burke, Fergus Galvin, Danny Qualter, Cathal Walsh, Gavin Daly, Cian McCann.

Replacements: Dylan Bolger, Cian Daly, Luke Balsiger, Shane Layden, Conor O’Shaughnessy, Leo MacFarlane.

Referee: Graham Ormiston MATCH REPORT: MARK HERBERT

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