Groundbreaking Initiative Continues

Last weekend Ballymena Youth Rugby and Clontarf Rugby Club from Dublin continued with their groundbreaking cross border initiative. The two Clubs have become partners in an effort to secure closer cross border links and show their young players that rugby brings people together in a way in which they can compete but make still new friends.

The event was organised by Clontarf’s Youth Director Rory Ryan. Rory had brought West of Scotland and Suttonians to the Club and all four youth teams competed in a round robin competition.  However, the highlight of the day for the coaches was a match where Clontarf and Ballymena formed two teams made up from players of both Clubs. This saw Ballymena boys pull on Clontarf jersey’s and Clontarf players put on the famous Ballymena black shirt. It may well have been a friendly fixture but the boys on both teams held nothing back and the tackles were soon flying in. Indeed it seemed both teams enjoyed making big hits on their own Club mates as much as anything else.

The match actually did see some great rugby played which showed how the boys from both Clubs bonded together and were able to perform to a high level. Defences,  although aggressive,  lost out in the end and the match ended in a high scoring draw 28 – 28.

In the Clubhouse Clontarf President Jim McIlveen welcomed all the boys but had a special word for the boys from Clontarf and Ballymena. He was delighted that this initiative had been undertaken and believed it showed the future of rugby both North and South was in good hands. He told a large audience that several Presidents from other Clubs had contacted him to hear more about the initiative and that they hoped to follow the lead set by the two Youth Sections. Suttonians President echoed Mr McIlvena’s words and he said that many Clubs were impressed with the efforts being made by Clontarf and Ballymena. Tom Wiggins, Ballymena’s Youth Convenor thanked Clontarf for the hospitality but then turned his attention to the boys. He said that since the initiative started the boys had shown fabulous enthusiasm and their willingness to compete and make new friendships would put many adults to shame. He told the boys he hoped to run a tournament next season at Ballymena where Clontarf and Ballymena would join together to put two joint teams up against four other teams. This would truly be a first in Irish Rugby with joint Youth teams playing in a competitive rugby tournament.

The day was a great success and another important step in the development of this exciting initiative. Ballymena RFC would particularly like to thank Glens of Antrim Potatoes who have both supported and sponsored this very worthwhile endeavour.

In a very hard fought match Clontarf won the deciding game of the under 18 league. At the end of the league campaign this final match was a “winner takes all” situation with both teams undefeated.

Clontarf started strongly with some very powerful forward driving play lead by captain Gordon Brennan. After ten minutes man of the match scrum half Alan Gibbon took full advantage to dive over for the opening try which he duly converted. ‘Tarf continued to dominate the opening period. Credit to the Tarf scrum, and in particular the front row of Sean Flynn, Stephen Lawless and Barry Whelan, which won six strikes against the head in the opening period.

The pressure told off resulting with a blindside move that saw winger Stephen Lamb go over in the corner. Several players were involved in the lead up to this try including both wing forwards Rob Kearney and Joe Murphy.

Bective came out strongly in the second half and opened the scoring with a breakaway try. They now had the momentum but a planned move between Brennan and Gibbon put centre Sean Bulman through on the halfway. He executed a lovely chip and chase to gather and score the try.

Bective upped the ante and came right back. Some very strong defence by winger Colm Coffey and centre Luke Murphy kept them out for a long period. Good lineout work by second rows Kevin Prout and Aaron O’Toole kept us in the game. However the pressure told and Bective scored their second try, but missed the conversion. This set up nail biting last eight minutes.

Bective piled on the pressure but the Tarf defence stood firm. Jeff Whyte at fullback did a lot good covering and last line of defence tackling. Replacement flanker Cian Keogh pulled off some crucial ball wins. Outhalf Craig Wilson put in some strong clearances and crucial tackles- he showed very good control under pressure. The forward effort, especially the maul work of Aaron O’Toole, was top class. The back row did not miss a tackle. The spirit of the team told allowing the Tarf team to celebrate at the final whistle.

Well done to coach Paddy Lee- he set the standard for the lads. The support of the U17 coaches Karl Cagney and Damien Wilson was also key. A special mention also to Derek Brennan and Kevin Bulman- parents of Gordon and Sean- who have been running extra fitness sessions for the squad.

Team; Jeff Whyte, Colm Coffey, Luke Murphy, Sean Bulman, Stephen Lamb, Craig Wilson, Alan Gibbon, Sean Flynn, Barry Whelan, Stephen Lawless, Aaron O’Toole,Kevin Prout, Joe Murphy(C Keogh HT), Rob Kearney, Gordon Brennan.
Replacements. Cian Keogh.Jimmy Oliver, Ben Kidd, Vincent gavin, Brendan Ryan.

Other panel members who played in league. Niall Twaddle, Daragh Collings, John Gibbon, Conor Kelly, Jamie Buckett, Karl MacKenna, Colin Ryan, Daniel Fanning, Nick Bett.

Brendan Fanning, Sunday Independent

Before a ball was kicked this season – or rather passed three times before the end receiver gets flattened – the mini rugby world was thrown into turmoil. First the IRFU shifted the age grade from 1 July back to 1 January, so as to fall into line with practice elsewhere. Then they ruled that the competitive structure should be taken out of the minis game. If the first was awkward and in some case painful, the second is a good deal more contentious and will resurface for sure before the season is out.

The ‘awkward’ aspect of the date change is that groups who have been chugging along together from under 7s have been split. The painful part is that some of those kids – those born in the second half of the year – have missed out a season’s rugby by leapfrogging up to their new category. Whatever way you look at it, this is time they won’t get back.

All of that however is small beer compared to the decision to scrap the competitive structure. This issue will run for a while yet and the resistance started last season with an email sent from one club to a handful of others looking for support. The nuts and bolts of the argument is that union is imposing an unreal restraint on the trade of mini rugby players and coaches who, the opponents maintain, have been sailing along happily until this ill wind blew in from Lansdowne Road. Eh, not quite.

For sure there is more right than wrong with the minis game in Ireland, but simply because it is well attended – numbers have exploded in the main thanks to the profile provided by our national and provincial sides – doesn’t mean that it couldn’t do with some adjustment.

There are a few bodies within the union’s rugby development who reckon that the game would be better served if kids could get through the first three years at least without being asked to tackle. And they’re right. It doesn’t make sense to ask kids to take and make tackles before they have got to grips with how to pass the ball. But you wouldn’t hold your breath on this fundamental change being made.

Judging by the reaction in some quarters to the IRFU directive on taking the competitive structure out of the game there would be head gaskets blowing all over the shop if tackling was put back until under 10s.

The union’s shift in policy will mean that for minis there will be no cup or league competitions and that blitzes will be affairs where teams get to play lots of games but there will be no knockout conclusion to the day. The argument against this change is frequently irrational.

Consider the following excerpt from an email floated by one Leinster club last season.

“It beggars belief that when you consider the explosion in numbers playing mini rugby in the last five years and the increased competition that we have from other sports such as Soccer and GAA that the IRFU now want to put us back five years in development! This coupled with the current economic slow down will make it more difficult to attract and maintain numbers in rugby where it was no problem to pay subscriptions for two or three different sporting activities in the past. The child will decide this more so than the parent.”

The temperature goes up a few paragraphs later. Consider this passage:

A blitz is a competition full stop. The objective of entering a blitz (Competition) is to win not just to make up the numbers so are we not “emphasising results”? There can be no justification for argument on this point. So why stop leagues and cups which are to all intents exactly the same?

When someone tells you “there can be no justification for argument on this point” it suggests the blinkers are on and the ear buds are wedged in place. And that their point of view is the only one in town.

Some of us would argue that playing is more important than winning, and that the notion of competitive rugby being the ideal environment for promoting skill is bogus. The first casualty of competitive rugby is skill. In minis this translates to giving it to the big kid and encouraging him to run over the top of the opposition rather than passing the ball. And nobody takes more pleasure from this than the winning coach.

They will tell you that the whole team is delighted because they went home with the trophy but in the process how many players never got a pass, and worse still how many never got a game?

Certainly the union’s directive is a serious shift in emphasis, but maybe it’s more illustrative of how far mini rugby had gone away from its core values – participation and skill development – than the degree to which the IRFU are losing the plot. We suspect they are closer to the right track than usual.

The first try was scored by James Doyle – A Classic forwards try after what seemed like an eternity of pressure. The second coming before half time came after a multiple of phases. Patrick Foley popped a quick ball to First Centre Aidan O’Brien from the back of a maul. Aidan’s straight direct running up the centre of the pitch brought in the defence. The ball passed through several hands before a quick one-two interchange saw Kevin Mullins put Mark White away in the corner. A second half break by Sean McCullagh broke down the defence and after a few more phases Sean crossed with power to score the final ‘Tarf try. Navan put in a spirited display and came away with a consolation try. We thank them for their sportsmanship. The win was a team effort and the coaches would like to express their thanks to all who participated.

Squad: Keith Boucher (Captain), Hugh O’Connor, Mathew Butler, Luke Trench, Stephen Cole, David Condon Aidan O’Brien, Patrick Foley ,Sean McCullagh, James McGauran, Kevin Mullins, James Doyle, Conor McGinn, Jordan Mulvanney, Oisin Hoy, Mark White, James O’Siorain and Sam Maher

Knowing exactly what they had to do to and led by Captain Glenn Predy, `Tarf set about the task in hand from the very outset and it wasn`t long before an unstoppable rolling maul saw flanker Daire Russell safely to ground under the posts. With the pack dominant and the backs simply rampant, there followed a further 7 tries, with both forwards and backs touching down. As the score mounted and the return to a doughty Wanderers side was confined to conversion of a single penalty kick, Clontarf gave full and free expression to the range of talents which characterises this particular group of players and left opponents and spectators alike with memories of this match which will last for quite a while. At the final whistle players and supporters alike (and a delighted Club President !!!) knew that it was `mission accomplished` and joy was unconfined (not least on the part of Coaches Aidan Murray and Colm Carmichael)! With the League trophy in hand and after some stirring words from “Locks”, the new Metro League Champions crossed the river bound for Castle Avenue and an evening of celebration.

Clontarf`s resolute 5-month march towards the title was characterised by a 100% unbeaten home record and the loss of only one game all Season, with 262 points scored and 96 conceded. One of the more remarkable and bizarre features of the campaign was a 0-0 draw (a very rare occurrence in any rugby match !) against Greystones in appalling weather conditions at the tail-end of November.

Having secured the first objective for the Season, all thoughts within the Under 18 camp are now firmly focussed on the second objective – the capture once again of the Metro Cup (which currently resides in the Castle Avenue trophy cabinet, having been won in May, 2006 by last year`s Under 18`s) and attempting a famous League and Cup double !! The Cup campaign opens on 11 March with an away tie against our neighbours Suttonians.