Leinster League

Division 1A

 

Skerries 6

Newbridge 7

 

NEWBRIDGE scored a vital win over former AIL club Skerries that puts them back in the top half of the league table.
Such is the tight nature of Division 1A that a single try can mean the difference between third place and the relegation zone.
This week that try came from the Newbridge second-row Colin O’Brien with Ben Swindlehurst taking the pressure kick for the conversion to win the game.

Trailing 6-0 with the clock fast running out Newbridge supporters looked set to start counting their lost chances.
Substitute prop Arjen Delaney  came on and immediately added some power to the Newbridge scrum that had been locked in a dog-fight all day long.

Number 8 Jonny Downey had made many of his trademark surging runs from the base of the scrum and ruck, but when the try came it fell to O’Brien to use his strength to dot down from close range.

Newbridge had chances throughout the match with outhalf Sean Kelly finding the length from place kicks but not the accuracy to let Skerries maintain their slender lead.

The visiting team were forced through injury to make yet more changes to their starting line-up but Massey Tuhakaraina was excellent at scrum-half where he went up against former Leinster man Chris Keane.

At full-back Robbie Waters kicking from hand ensured Skerries’ attacking options remained limited on their home patch.
With round seven next week against Carlow the potential is there for Newbridge to cement their place in the top half of the league.

 

Newbridge: Cillian O’Shea, Niall Duggan, Mark Southern, Terry Donnelly, Colin O’Brien, John Southern, Eoin Walsh, Jonny Downey, Massey Tuhakaraina, Sean Kelly, Neal Hogan, Denis O’Callaghan, Ben Swindlehurst (c), Dave Hogan, Robbie Waters. Subs: Arjen Delaney, Mick Byrne, Gareth O’Reilly, Denis Clarke, Chris McGrath.

 

Provincial Seconds

Skerries 5
Newbridge 52

The Newbridge seconds had far less trouble than their 1st XV counterparts to win over a young Skerries team.

Seven tries from play and six conversions from John McNamara produced a bonus-point win.

No.8 Niall O’Connor was first over while prop Killian O’Hagan also touched down.

In between a quick-tap penalty saw Skerries get their only score of the game.

But then Newbridge dominated completely with centres Matt Mullins and Colm Dunning running riot in the midfield.
Mullins got tries either side of halftime time while scrum half Barry McCann also added a score.

Pat Lawlor also scored a try to cap a great performance for the Newbridge front row of Lawlor, O’Hagan and Kevin McCarthy.