Rugby Rules!
21 March 2025Well, there is the rugby rule that says when a ball goes over the sideline, it cannot be considered in play and subsequently touched down for a try… but we will not quibble the small stuff! Ardscoil na Trionoide were honourable and fair-minded opponents in the McMullen Shield Final and they fully deserved their 36-16 victory. But Rugby Rules in a greater sense that, once again, Gav Maguire and Daniel Stamp have re-established our school’s number one sport and heart-and-soul. Rugby is a tough game for a small school to compete in: finding fifteen, fit players is hard enough. Finding fifteen players with ability, desire and guts is even harder, but somehow Gav always does, and this year the current crop did us proud, battling manfully until the last whistle against a larger (yet skilled) team.
We started very well, showing trademark St. Conleth’s rugby: quick passing, deft movements and tough groundwork. Rían Wickham and the pack were moving up the pitch yard-by-yard. Andrew Gore-Grimes was pulling the strings with finesse. Diego Coyle was rampaging down the middle of the pitch. If a ball or two had bounced one way or another, things could have gone quite differently. But a couple of against-the-run-of-play tries by our opponents were hard to overcome, despite Jamie MacNicholas’s smashing tackles and overall heady play. Graduating Sixth Years Cillian Cooke, Daniel O’Connor and Fionan Power also led the way. The fact that much of the squad is made up of Fifth Years and TYs means we can expect a strong, immediate future, especially when Mr. Morris’s quality JCT is taken into consideration. Overall, it was a classic, St. Conleth’s day. Students, staff, alumni… everyone came out to support the but it was the Juniors who brought the most fun, colour and noise. And don’t worry, there will be more days like this… and, soon!