Laois defeat confirms Ladies’ relegation

Relegation back to Division Three was confirmed for Roscommon Ladies last Sunday following their 2-9 to 1-5 defeat to Laois in their final Division Two fixture.

In order to avoid the drop, Roscommon had to beat Laois while hoping for a Westmeath win over Monaghan, and they duly obliged with a 2-10 to 1-11 win.

Roscommon did get off to a good start with an early goal from Aisling Hanly but Laois grew into the contest and a Laura Marie Maher goal was quickly followed by a Mo Nerney penalty to give the hosts a 2-3 to 1-3 lead at half-time.

The second-half fightback never materialised as Laois outscored the Rossies by six points to two to bring an end to a dismal league campaign for Ollie Lennon’s charges.

Next up for Roscommon is the Connacht Intermediate Championship, which due to Sligo’s relegation to the junior ranks, now involves a straight final against Leitrim on May 14th.

Buccs fall to first home defeat

Energia All-Ireland League: Buccaneers 7 Highfield 27. Buccaneers suffered their first home defeat in the Energia All-Ireland League when a fired up and physically stronger Highfield came out on top 27-7 at Dubarry Park on Saturday. The Cork side brought an aggressive intensity that the depleted Shannonsiders could not match in this Division 1B encounter sponsored by Glasson Lakehouse.

U-20s advance in Purcell Cup

Leinster Rugby Purcell Cup Quarter-Final: Dublin University 26 Buccaneers 31. On Sunday, in Monkstown RFC, in the heart of Dublin City, Buccaneers U-20s squared up to Dublin University in the Leinster Rugby Purcell Cup quarter-final. Martin Staunton’s squad were travelling more in hope rather than in great expectations as this cup team is a very different selection from the Buccs who started the league last September. However, the much-changed Pirates came flying out of the traps and a super first-half display propelled them to a 31-26 victory.

Girls bow out in Connacht

Connacht U-14 Girls Cup: Buccaneers 12 Ballinasloe 34. The great 2023 Connacht U-14 Girls Cup campaign came to an end at the semi-final stage in sun-drenched Dubarry Park on Sunday against a more experienced Ballinasloe side who remain unbeaten this season. The scoreline does not indicate how close the tie was until the last ten minutes when injuries to key players allowed the speedy Ballinasloe backs to find space to get over and secure victory.

Away to Old Wesley

Buccaneers face Old Wesley in their final away fixture of the Energia All-Ireland League which takes place on the 4G surface at Energia Park, Donnybrook, on Saturday, commencing at 2.30 pm.

U-20s away to Corinthians

Ironically next up in this Leinster Rugby Purcell Cup run is another Connacht club with the cup semi-final in Galway against a really strong Corinthians outfit who have completed an excellent Leinster League season in which they lost really tight games to champions Terenure College. They could now be re-enforced by returning players especially from Cistercian College Roscrea and Irelands U-20 Grand Slam winners.

Other news…

Buccaneers U-12 and U-14 Girls were recently presented with jerseys by Breda Donnellan on behalf of sponsors Donnellan’s Pure Pharmacy.

There is a new date for the Buccaneers RFC Prime Auction which now takes place in The Bounty on Sunday, April 30th at 3.30 pm.

Finally for this week, the annual Laya Tag Rugby Series returns on Thursday evenings from May 11th. Training sessions start on April 13th. Teams and individuals can register at buccaneers.tag.rugby@gmail.com.

Creggs set for All-Ireland qualifier

Creggs Firsts don’t have too long to pick themselves up following their heartbreaking Connacht Junior Cup final defeat to Westport last Sunday as they travel to Coolmine to take on Richmond RFC this Saturday. Kick-off is set for 3 pm and the Maroon and White should get the job done against the Limerick side. All support is welcome.

Girls seal final spot!

Creggs U-18 Girls booked their place in the Connacht Cup final with a convincing 47-17 win over Sligo in Creggs last Friday night. Tries from Rachel McDonald and Siofra Hession (2) with three conversions from Éabha Dowd gave the hosts a 21-12 lead at half-time.

Creggs produced an excellent second-half performance with tries from Shauna McDermott (2), Aoibhinn Murray and Rachel McDonald and almost perfect kicking from Éabha Dowd ensured safe passage to the decider this Sunday.

U-14s miss out on ‘first try’ rule

Creggs U-14 Girls played out a cracking 26-26 draw with Westport in the Connacht Cup semi-final at home on Saturday but unfortunately missed out on a place in the final due to the ‘first try rule’.

The girls started well but fell behind to that crucial first Westport try in the opening stages. The hosts, however, responded well with Emma Boyle and Emily Kelly going over. Alice Featherston added one conversion but Westport led 19-12 at the break.

The home side improved in the second half with converted tries from Kate Madden and Emily Kelly. They left everything out on the pitch but sadly lose out as Westport scored first.

Boys suffer last eight defeat

Creggs U-14 Boys bowed out of the Connacht Cup at the quarter-finals stage following a 24-7 defeat to Sligo last Saturday. Conditions were far from ideal and Sam Walsh scored the hosts’ only try of the game in the first half as Sligo ran out comfortable winners.

This marks the end of the season for the U-14s who have had a successful campaign, reaching the latter stages in both league and cup competitions.

Away win in Westport

Creggs U-13 Boys produced a brilliant performance on the road last Sunday morning as they overcame hosts Westport on a scoreline of 2419 in their Connacht Cup replay.

Tries from Ryan Halligan, Kyle Cahill, Eoghan Mannion and two conversions from Cormac Doyle gave the visitors a 19-0 half-time lead.

Westport came back to level matters in the second half before another try by Halligan made the game safe for Creggs.

Mini Rugby

Eleven clubs divided into 18 teams took part in the Connacht U-11 Blitz in Creggs on Saturday morning last. The clubs involved including Monivea, Buccaneers, Corinthians, Loughrea, Gort, Galway Bay, Ballinasloe, Galwegians, Tuam, Carrick-on-Shannon and Creggs received plenty of support from coaches and parents.

Dinner Dance…

Creggs Rugby Club will host a dinner dance on Saturday, April 8th in the Abbey Hotel in Roscommon. This will be the club’s first social occasion since Covid-19 and tickets are limited. Anyone requiring tickets are asked to contact Aidan Farrell on 087-2428471.