Sometimes its possible, in the viewing of one match in Rosetown to experience emotions ranging from abject and utter despair to "Nirvanic elation" ..... -on reflection,it happens quite a lot! ........ Last Saturday's spectacle against Skerries RFC in our penultimate League game ,in perfect conditions for running rugby, we experienced everything! ...... I know now why our home support is so small-its because of the exorbitant medical fees that local Doctors charge for medical certification which Life Assurance Companies are insisting on for anyone brave enough to follow the fortunes of our beloved little Black and Yellow Lads ! The flip side of all this is that if you are a true blue follower and come through watching a Newbridge League matches without experiencing chest pain of some description you know -you have a sound heart!

 

Saturday's game was a classic Rosetown experience ...... a must win game to avoid the dreaded trapdoor to the oblivion of Sunday rugbyin Division 1B! We did it all...... we let them run through us a number of times as if we didn't care a s*** ....... but then when it mattered,we defended our line with a frenzied ferocity as if our very lives depended on so doing which when you come to think about it was actually the rugby truth of the situation. Anyway this is what happened................

 

Within 3 minutes of the start Massey gathered in his own half and made ground on the left before passing to Neil Hogan on the wing who sent the ball back across our line via Ben and Rasher to Dave H on the far wing who from 25m whizzed down the far touchline like a broken arrow before scoring under the posts...... 7-0 to the Black and Yellows. Unexpected start .......,but then within 3 further minutes we experienced abject utter misery as we watched one of our normally strictest of enforcers fall off a tackle on their winger like a tuft of hair falling off a dog with the mange! Seven all and the game not yet into sevenent minute and the old dogs behind the barrier shook their heads and just knew it was going to be "one of those days!"

 

Karl Darragh kicked us back into the lead twenty minutes in but at this point our backline seemed to be competing in a private competition to see who could offer the most pathetic attempt at a try saving tackle as big fast direct runners went through us like a spade through butter ....... within 5 minutes we have conceded 2 more tries and were down-10 points to their 22. At this point our unheralded forwards laid down their marker as they began to win a hard hard battle in the set scrum,in the line out and at the breakdowns.We got inside their 22m ..... turned and tightened the screw 3 times before I think it was Jonnie Downie got in for the try before half time to keep us in the ball game 15 points to 22.

 

We were now beginning to suck diesel but unfortunately we were leaking it at as well ........every time they ran at us they threatened and things wern't helped one bit -when one of our most dynamic of mayhem makers-John Southern was yellow carded 2 minutes from half time........Half Time arrived we have often been more comfortable! You wouldn't think it all the time ,but our coach Mannerosus Maximus is one cool dude!..........he summed up the preceding 40 minutes ,picked out what we needed to do, ......laid it on the line in no uncertain terms ..... We were 40 minutes from oblivion or salvation,which did we want? which would it be? I can tell you it didn't look great when 5 minutes into the second half -we missed another tackle and they went in for their fourth try ..........we looked up at the scoreboard and it said 15 points to their 27 with half an hour to go and to tell you the truth -your humble correspondent often felt better in himself!

 

From the kick off Rasher caught the ball at full tilt and made a huge break bringing us to within 5m of their line .....at this point our so hard working forwards took control,we turned the screw went through 3 or 4 phases and Niall Duggan planted the ball the far side of their line ,Karl Darragh converted .....22points to 27 we were back in business ....... 3 minutes later Jon Downie made a trademark break .....off loaded to Massey who romped in for a beauty of a try- conversion aris and we are now ahead 29-27.....our pack were now in full flow exerting ferocious pressure on hapless young men from the North County Dublin, they seemed to gain respite when the referee awarded them the scrum 6 or 7m from their line ,but our front row of Cillian O Shea,Garreth O Rielly and mark Southern excelled itself again turned over the scrum and suddenly Jon Downie cradling the ball in his almighty grasp dives over the line thus sending your "no longer humble" correspondent into Nirvanic ecstasy!

 

18 minutes to go 34 points to 27 .... you would think Skerries RFC would see the writing on the wall and lie down and take their beating but no!..... back down the field they come but it was a different Newbridge team they now faced into, .....Cillian O Shea, Rory ,Mark and John Southern,Garreth, Terry Donnally, The consistently excellent Colly O Brien, the ice cool assassin that is Niall Duggan...... Robbie Waters is getting stronger and stronger as a scrum half (- what a valuable player he has turned out to be!) Ben, Massey ,Rasher the 2 Hogans and the brilliant Karl Darragh,...... when we are in the zone we are able for anyone ........ The truth of the matter is that even if Skerries were there for a week they were never going to cross our line because the little Black and Yellow lads were in the zone!..... mind you they had a fair cut at it but our mantra was now......."not tonight Josephine"....... they were awarded and kicked one of those mysterious penalties that everyone accepts but no one knows why ......34 points to -30.....we played down the clock until the referee blew his long whistle ......we gathered our breath if not our wits.....did our uggie and went into our humble clubhouse to enjoy a grand pint of Guinness ...... and to enjoy the contemplation of another season of Saturdays!

PS 60 or so stout hearts launched Leinsters Glory from the South Stand of the RDS last Friday...... another step to immortality!

 

PS Eile I stood in the Keadeen Room in the midst of Greatness last Friday night after the RDS and listened to the likes of Bill McBride , JPR Williams,Gerald Davies and David Duckham of the 1971 Lions regale us with their stories ....true Legends of Rugby brought together in celebration by Newbridge RFC...... Niall Brown take a bow!

 

Ps Eile Aris. Tickets are all out now for our annual fund raising Draw .....100 Euro tickets in bundles of 3 ......100 prizes worth 100K all to be one and dusted in the next 2 weeks!Get on your bikes!