Youths 5 | Buccaneers Rugby Football Club Athlone

After 2 months of hard work and near misses, Buccs U13’s hard work has finally paid off and recorded their first win against a very strong Mullingar 15. It is now blatantly obvious to all who turned up to support this team that the future looks very bright indeed.

 Right from the kick off Bucc’s took the game to Mullingar, recording the first try of the game after only 10 mins. Some quick ball by scrum half Ben O’ Carroll to his fly have Ruairdhi Fallon who managed to guide the ball to his centres with precision and speed, by the time winger Adam Burke got hold of the ball the Mullingar team knew they were going to have a long day. Burke showed perfect speed and agility to round his man and take the ball into the breakdown just short of the of the Mullingar line. From there Kyle Blackweir received the ball and like a knife through butter glided through a stout defence for the touchdown. The conversion taken by Ruairdhi Fallon fell just short and wide but a gallant attempt none the less as the ball was a good distance from the posts.

 From the re-start Mullingar came back  strong and with a surge to the Buccs line almost got over but the ball was knocked on due to pressure from Ronan Flanaghan and Martin. From the scrum Buccs did enough to drive the ball back, unfortunately the ball came back to quickly and the Mullingar flanker was on hand to touchdown for a good try against the run of play.

 Bucc’s were on top again from the restart and sensed an opportunity to run the back line as often as possible, Gavin Daly, Natanial O’Neill and Full back Fionnan Henry had excellent hands all day and again managed to set Burke free on the wing, a good line was taking the ball wide and with speed, this allowed the forwards to link up with the backs as the ball came back, again the Bucc’s scrumhalf was on hand to show slight of foot and create another chance for Kyle Blackweir to get over for his second try, this time closer to the posts and a perfectly placed conversion saw Bucc’s 12-5 ahead at the break.

 The second half was even more intense players such as Shane Finnerty, Deema Feehan, Anthony Connolly and Brandon Green were tireless in their efforts to control the ball in Bucc’s favour. Tom Shine on the left wing proved the faith of the coaching staff and is certainly a player to watch out for. Unfortunately Fionnan misplaced his gum shield and had to be taken off for safety reasons, but this gave opportunities for Mikey Turner and Conor Waters to come on and prove that strength in debt is crucial at this level.

 The third try was not long in coming a great ball out to Ruaidhr Fallon and was perfectly converted by the fly half who made up for his first miss with a ball from roughly the same distance. Mullingar came back for their 2^nd try and a quick drop goal conversion but unfortunately for them it was but a consolation, as the referee’s full time whistle was blown as the flags went up.

 Final Score Mullingar 12, Buccaneers 19

Buccaneers U13 v Sligo – Sunday November 9^th, 2014

  Sunday saw the Buccaneers U13’s travel in style to the scenic Sligo RFC situated at the foot of the majestic Knocknare mountain, opposite the world famous surf beach of Strandhill with Rosses Point and the impressive table top mountain of Benbulben in the distance.

  Conceivably, it was the distraction of the beautiful scenery that the young Buccs forfeited two try’s and offered an early lead to Sligo.  Perchance, realizing their impending doom “  Cast a cold Eye, On Life, on Death. Horseman, pass by!” Nataniel O’ Neill did a Rob Kearney while running full speed received a perfect pass from Ben O’ Carroll, evaded 3 tackles and scored under the posts bringing the tally back to 10-5 at half time.

Unfortunately the second half started no better than the first and the young Pirates, possibly distracted the by the low flying aircraft into Sligo Airport and home to the Irish Coastguard Rescue Helicopter not only allowed Sligo to slip through their defences and score another two try’s.  But had two tries by Ronan Hanly and Deema Feehan disallowed for apparently going into touch much to the disappointment and heartache of the visitors.

  Feeling hard done by, the young Buccs showed what they were made of and upped the ante.  With great support play by Shane and Kyle Blackweir, Ben Tommy Bowe O’ Carroll with his usual speed and agility scored a try in the corner.  This was followed by yet another try by Nataniel O’ Neill and subsequently converted by Ruaidhr Fallon bringing the score back to a respectable 22-17.

Buccaneers were now on fire and had Sligo under pressure even with a forward the size of Peter O’ Mahony, were none the less going for the equalizer but the counter attack was left too late and the whistle blew ending the game 22-17 to Sligo.

 Although beaten on the day, everyone arrived home content after an enjoyable days rugby followed by a homely reception from Sligo RFC with coaches Paul Fogarty and Paul Hamilton.

  Note, training as usual every Thursday 7-8.30 and Saturday 11-12.30.

Buccaneers Black Team v Ballinasloe away, Connacht League 6 Round, Saturday 10^th January.

 Black Team 10, Ballinasloe 0.                                                                                                           Thomas O’ Neill

 On a cold and crisp January morning, Buccaneers Black team travelled to Ballinasloe to ensure a place in the Connacht League semi-final.  With a fresh westerly wind, this encounter was destined to be a hard slog for both teams where local pride and friendly rivalry would dominate.

 An early lead was gained by Fergus Galvin after the ball came out a ruck on the Ballinasloe 22m line where he fooled the opposition with a perfectly executed dummy pass and scored.  Unfortunately Tadgh Moody under difficult conditions just missing the conversion with the ball narrowly going outside the posts. Score Bucccs Black 5-Ballinasloe 0.

 The Young Pirates kept up the pressure in the first quarter with several incursions into the Ballinasloe 22m line and one too many scoring opportunities narrowly missed.  Tristin Buckley, Tadhg Moody, Rory Dempsey, Niel Clinton, Paddy Toland made great advances with Mathias O’ Neill help up over the line at the posts.  This was subsequently followed by a period of sustained attacks by Ballinasloe who made it into the Buccs 22 where exceptional tackling by Oisin Rock, Karl Doran and Joe Reidy kept them at bay and two exhausted teams welcomed the half time whistle. (Buccs 5:0)

 The second half began with the kick off by Buccaneers where the game ebbed and flowed with neither team dominating and handling errors on both sides and penalties awarded for careless play.  However, though out the second half, the Black team never appeared threatened with predictive play from Ballinasloe where the forwards repeatedly ran with the ball.  However, hard work and determination eventually paid off with 10 minutes to go when No 8 Mathias O’ Neill picked and ran from the back of the scrum, linked up with Paddy Toland who passed out wide to substitute Adam Murtagh scoring comfortable in the corner.  Unfortunately Adam was unable to convert his own try with a strong cross wind and difficult angle bringing the score to Buccs 10, Ballinasloe 0.

 The remainder of the second half was uneventful with neither team dominating but with committed play by both sides and Ballinasloe wishing to put scores on the board in front of a supportive home crowd.  However gallant their effort was, it came to no avail and the game ended after a penalty was awarded against Ballinasloe for not releasing in their own 22 and Mathias O’ Neill subsequently kicked the ball into touch to the delight of team and mentors John Doyle, Paul Byrne and David Dunning

 Buccaneers Black team having played 6 league games so far against stiff opposition like Ballina, Corinthians, Galwegians and Sligo are due to play Westport next week but already qualify to go through the Connacht league semi-final against Corinthians, last year’s finalists!  The very best of luck to them and their team mates Buccaneers Yellow Team who also to go through to the Connacht league semi-finals and will play Ballina.

 Team – Karl Doran, Darren Browne, Joe Reidy, John Costello, Robert Lowe, Oisin Rock, Fergus Galvin, Mathias O’ Neill, Roan Byrne, Tadhg Moody, Tristin Buckley, Paddy Toland, Rory Dempsey, Hugh Mitchell, Niel Clinton, Subs – Ruari Smith replaced Roan Byrne, Liam Doyle replaced Robert Lowe, Adam Murtagh replaced Hugh Mitchell and Cian Daly for Joe Reidy

U15’s Buccaneers Yellow Vs Buccaneers Black, Connacht League Round 3                       by Brian Tallon

Round 3 of the Connacht U15 League 1^st Division saw a unique match hosted last Monday night under lights on the main pitch in all its glory to a crowd that almost rivalled an A.I.L game. The occasion was historic for the club as Buccaneers have never fielded 2 “A” teams at any youth level before. It was the match up that all in the club were eagerly awaiting- The Buccaneers Yellow’s versus the Buccaneer’s Black team, and both teams delivered on their promise of great rugby.

No quarter was given anywhere on the field of play from 2 teams that train together every other week. It was Yellow’s who came out of the blocks quicker after kick off and they drove the Black team back into their own half and looked the quicker and hungrier of the 2 sides. The initial pressure paid off after 8 minutes when Black’s were pinged for going offside and John Tumelty got Yellow’s on the score board with 3 points when he slotted over his penalty from just outside the 22. Tighthead Cathal “Mossey” O’Grady was causing Blacks all sorts of problems upsetting 3 rucks in the first half with his aggressive counter rucking, but as the half wore on both sides were becoming more evenly matched as Black’s got more possession and got up to speed with the game. Black’s looked set to score their first try as Tadgh Moody at 10 sucked in his defender to give a quality offload to Tristan Buckley who put in a weighted kick over the top from about 30 metres out to chase the ball over the try line in a footrace with John Tumelty, but Tumelty was first to get to the ball and deny Black’s their first score when he touched down for a 22 drop out. Blacks were back again in the Yellow’s half moments later and a penalty for offside gave them another scoring opportunity, but Tadgh Moody’s kick pulled just short of the post to leave Yellow’s still in the lead. Yellow’s were to loose Cathal O’Grady on the 20 minute mark when he had to leave the field of play with a knock to his knee and they had to rearrange their formation as Keelan Connolly came in to 2^nd row and Mark Tallon moved into Flanker to allow James Finlass take over from Mossey in the front row. The change unsettled the Yellow’s and allowed Black’s to assert themselves leading to a quick ball to Rory Dempsey on the left wing, and with no cover he looked sure to score in the corner, but he was denied by full back John Tumelty as he came to Yellow’s rescue again with a diving cover tackle that forced Rory to knock on the ball. Yellow’s looked out of danger as they drove up towards half way, but Black’s turned over the ball at the breakdown and drove Yellow’s back to their own 5 metre line where Yellow’s conceded a scrum. Mathias O’Neill at 8, collected off the scrum as the ball came out and drove over the line to touch down for Black’s opening score and to give them the lead at 5-3. The half finished out after Neil Clinton narrowly missed his conversion kick with Black’s on top and with a narrow lead.

Cathal “Mossey” O’Grady came back into the fray for the start of the 2^nd half but couldn’t help Yellows get back in control of the game as Black’s continued to compete better at the breakdown and Liam Winnett at 8 was kept from breaking the line as he’s characteristically known for.   Blacks dominance paid off after 10 minutes of pressure as they got inside Yellow’s 22 and exploited a break in Yellow’s defence to see Oisin Rock at center get over for Black’s 2^nd try, another missed conversion this time by Rory Dempsey left the score 10-3 in favour of Black’s. Yellow’s started to reassert themselves and Black’s indiscipline for several offside penalties brought Yellow’s back into contention when Dara Mulvihill at centre crashed through to ground the ball just outside the post and John Tumelty’s successful conversion brought the sides level at 10-10 with 9 minutes left to play. Black’s came back at Yellows for the next series of plays as they recycled the ball and kept Yellow’s confined to their own half. With less than 2 minutes left a clearance kick by Yellow’s gave a lineout to Black’s 10 metres out and Black’s drove at the line held back by fearless defence from Yellow’s. Black’s Roan Byrne took the ball off the base of the ruck in the corner and dived for the line only to be tackled into touch by Cameron Digan to deny him the match winning try, both players exemplifying the commitment of both sides to winning. Yellow’s were the more relieved of the 2 sides when after a Black knock on after the restart referee Dave Connolly blew for full time and the match finished out a draw.

On reflection both sides can be delighted with their performance with Yellow’s showing the stronger running game and solid defence and Black’s the better rucking and set piece play, so a draw was a very fair reflection of the contest and a fitting outcome on such a great night of entertaining quality rugby.

As with all epic encounters, great credit and pride should be savoured by each of the 35 players who played to the best of their ability and none found wanting.  The decision to field 2 “A” teams has shown to be a wise one where mentors, John Doyle, Paul Byrne, Dave Dunning and Tony Ennis have made outstanding progress with this fine group of men.

Final Score Buccaneers Yellow 10- Buccaneers Black 10

Buccaneers Yellow;     1 Carl Doran, 2. Darren Browne (C), 3. Cathal O Grady 4. Mark Tallon 5. Jason Conway,  6. James Finlass 7. Conor Rohan, 8. Liam Winnet  9. Shane Coughlan 10. Ciaran Sugrue, 11. Cameron Digan,  12. Darragh Mulvihill, 13. Daniel Ennis, 14. Chad Quinn 15. John Tumelty & Subs- Keelan Connlly (for 1 & 7), Xavier Gomez (for 14).

Buccaneers Black; 1. James Downes, 2. Paddy Ryan, 3. Cian Daly, 4. Oisin Rock, 5. Robert Lowe, 6. Liam Doyle (C), 7. Fergus Galvin, 8. Mathias O’Neill, 9. Roan Byrne, 10. Tadgh Moody, 11. Conor McCready, 12. Paddy Toland, 13. Rory Dempsey, 14. Neil Clinton, 15. Tristan Buckley –Subs- John Costello (for 5), Joe Reidy ( for 3), Dylan Cunningham (for 11)

U15 Yellow v Westport Connacht League Round 4 1^st Division (Buccaneers Yellow 68 – Westport 7) - Brian Tallon

Buccaneers travelled to Westport playing with the wind in the first half with devastating effect against an under strength Westport team who suffered a demoralising defeat by the Midlanders.

 Five minutes in Darragh Mulvihill with support from Captain Darren Browne scored a try from the base of a ruck and Shane Coughlan successfully kicked the first of 9 conversions!

 Minutes later No 8 Liam Winnet crashed through several tackles and scored a try after receiving the ball from winger Rory Smith who caught the ball after the restart, 14-0.

 Once again after the restart, the dynamic John Tumelty at full back scored the first of his 5 try tally starting from the centre of the field breaking through a scattered Westport defence where Shane missed his only conversion out of 9 attempts.

The Pirates continued to dominate the first half crossing the line another 4 times with 2 more tries from Tumelty, another from Winnet and new team member Jason Conway at No 5 getting his debut try where Shane not missing the posts once.

This young Bucs team kept up the pressure in the second half this time against the wind where again big No. 8 Winnet crashed through under the posts for a hat-trick and Tumelty after the restart with assistance from flanker James Finlass and Cameron Digan from inside his own half went on to score the last try of the game.

Westport got a consolation try when a clearing kick by outhalf Ciaran Sugrue was held up in the wind and Westport drove over just inside the left corner flag followed by a successful conversion. 

Buccaneers U13 Yellow team were impressive in mixing up play and running through Westport’s defence with big breaks by Daniel Ennis and James Finlass, but crucially every ball was protected with crucial support play at the breakdown by the pack from Cathal O’Grady, Mark Tallon, Carl Doran, Jason Conway, Conor Rohan, and Darren Browne.

Final Score Buccaneers Yellow 68- Westport 7

Buccaneers Yellow;     1 Carl Doran, 2. Darren Browne (C), 3. Cathal O Grady 4. Mark Tallon 5. Jason Conway,  6. James Finlass 7. Conor Rohan, 8. Liam Winnet  9. Shane Coughlan 10. Ciaran Sugrue, 11. Cameron Digan,  12. Darragh Mulvihill,  13. Daniel Ennis, 14. Rory Smith 15. John Tumelty & Subs- Keelan Connlley (for  7), Liam Doyle (for 8), Roan Byrne (for 13).

 NOTE - Congratulations to the U15 Black team who earned themselves a place in the Connacht Division 1 league semi-final where they defeated a very large, strong and talented Galwegians team.  Played in cold and wintery conditions at home on Buccaneers main pitch(due to ice on the side pitch) and a score of just 17-10, it was bruising, close fought encounter with tries by Tadhg Moody who received a pass from Roan Byrne, Mathias O’ Neill with a pick and go from the ruck and Patrick Toland who broke through the Galwegian defence with Tadhg scoring one of three conversions.

Courageous and Spirited preformance by Buccaneers U16 Buccaneers U16s put in a tremendous performance against League leaders Galwegians in a wind swept Dubarry Park. Buccaneers started off playing against the wind and conceded a try early on,however they rallied and a trendous driving maul resulted in Darren Tuohy crossing for a great try. Buccs went in at half-time trailing 10-5 but had the strong wind in the second half.Galwegians kept control of the ball for long periods at the start of the second half,bur persistent pressure by Buccs resulted in a great score by No 8 James Kelly which was converted by Michael Hanley. Despite great pressure from Buccaneers in the final quarter,Galwegians held on for a slim 15-12 victory . Best for Buccaneers in the forwards were Darren Tuohy and James Kelly,while in the backs Michael Hanley,Niall Murray and Shea Henry stood out.

Buccs: Artio Obono,Darren Tuohy Captain,Robert Slevin.Ted Brosnan,Eoghan Kenny,Adam Murray,Aaron O' Reilly,James Kelly,Max Feehan,Michael Hanley,Mel Mullooley,Niall Murray,Donnacha Gately,Anthony Lynch and Shea Henry. Replacements:Patrick Henry,David Gavin and Jack Nolan

BUCCANEERS YELLOWS 10   BUCCANEERS BLACKS 10

Round 3 of the Connacht U-15 League First Division witnessed a unique match hosted under floodlights on the main pitch at Dubarry Park in all its glory in front of a crowd that rivalled AIL attendance. The occasion was historic for the club as Buccaneers have never fielded two "A" teams at any youth level previously. It was a match-up that all in the club were eagerlay awaiting --- BUCCANEERS BLACKS v BUCCANEERS YELLOWS --- and both teams delivered on their promise of great rugby in a thrilling 10-10 draw.

No quarter was given anywhere on the field of play from two teams that train together every other week. The Yellows came quicker out of the blocks, looking hungrier and driving The Blacks back into their own half. This initial pressure paid off swiftly when the Blacks were pinged for offside and John Tumulty opened the Yellows account with a penalty from just outside the 22.

Tighthead Cathal "Mossy" O'Grady was causing Blacks all sorts of problems, upsetting three rucks in the first half with his aggressive counter rucking. As the half progressed, the exchanges became more evenly matched as Blacks secured more possession and got up to speed with the game. Blacks looked set to score a try as Tadhg Moody sucked in a defender to give a quality offload to Tristan Buckley who put in a weighted kick over the top from about 30 metres. However, Tumulty just managed to outrun him in the chase to touchdown. Moody then had a penalty opportunity but his kick pulled short of the upright.

Yellows had to rearrange their pack when they lost O'Grady to injury with Keelan Connolly coming in to the second row and Mark Tallon switching to flanker to allow James Finlass move to the front row. The switches disrupted them and Blacks seized the chance to assert themselves with quick ball to Rory Dempsey on the left wing who looked sure to score but was denied by Tumulty's diving tackle that forced a knock-on. Yellows looked out of danger when they drove towards half-way but Blacks turned the ball over at the breakdown to surge forward and force a five-metre scrum. Mathias O'Neill at No.8 collected off the scrum and drove over to touch down for Blacks opening try. With Neil Clinton narrowly missing the conversion, Blacks held a 5-3 halftime lead. 

Although O'Grady returned to the fray on the restart, Blacks continued to compete better at the breakdown denying Liam Winnett from making the breaks he is characteristically known for. Blacks domination at this period was rewarded when Oisin Rock got over for their second try, with Dempsey on this occasion unable to convert.

But Yellows reasserted themselves, helped by Blacks indiscipline that enabled their opponents gain precious territory. Dara Mulvihill finished off good pressure to crash over for a try near the posts with Tumulty's conversion levellling the scores 10-10 with nine minutes remaining. 

Blacks enjoyed the better of the exchanges in the closing minutes and, two minutes from time, Roan Byrne took the ball off the base of a ruck in the corner and dived for the line only to be tackled into touch by Yellows Cameron Digan to deny him a match-winning try, both players exemplifying the commitment of the two teams to winning. Yellows were the more relieved side when, following a Blacks knock-on after the restart, referee Dave Connolly blew the full-time whistle.

Both squads can be delighted with their performances. Yellows showed the stronger running game and solid defence while Blacks had better rucking and set-piece play. Overall, a draw was a very fair reflection of the contest and a fitting outcome on such a wonderful night of entertaining quality rugby. 

As with all epic encounters, great credit and pride should be savoured by each of the 35 players who participated to the best of their ability. None were found wanting. The bold decision to field two "A" teams has shown to be a wise one where mentors John Doyle, Paul Byrne, David Dunning and Tony Ennis have made significant progress with this fine group of upcoming players. 

BUCCANEERS YELLOW:- John Tumulty; Chad Quinn, Daniel Ennis, Darragh Mulvihill, Cameron Digan; Ciaran Sugrue, Shane Coughlan; Carl Doran, Darren Browne (captain), Cathal O'Grady; Mark Tallon, Jason Conway; James Finlass, Conor Rohan and Liam Winnett. Replacements used:- Keelan Connolly and Xavier Gomez.

BUCCANEERS BLACK:-  Tristan Buckley; Neil Clinton, Rory Dempsey, Paddy Toland, Conor McCready; Tadhg Moody, Roan Byrne; James Downes, Paddy Ryan, Cian Daly; Oisin Rock, Robert Lowe; Liam Doyle (captain), Fergus Galvin and Mathias O'Neill. Replacements used:- John Costello, Joe Reidy and Dylan Cunningham.

REFEREE:- David Connolly (IRFU). 

CONTACTS:-

Coach:- PADDY KENNY 0866067630 paddy.kenny@permanenttsb.ie

Manager:- PAUL BROSNAN

Coaches:- MICHAEL McBREARTY PADRAIG SLEVIN

Management/Coaches:-

PAUL FOGARTY

PAUL HAMILTON

NIALL DALY

JOHN WATERS