Bruff comes out on top of test series against Old Crescent

Well, how’s about that one.
Bruff RFC V Old Crescent RFC adult rugby test series over the last three days, all adult teams playing against our neighbours in three different competitions.
On Friday night we had the J2’s under lights in Kilballyowen with a 7:30pm kickoff, a game that led to injury time nerves when Old Crescent managed to touch down to Gain an 8- all draw.

Today saw Bruff coming out on top of the Munster Senior Seconds clash in kilballyowen again by virtue of a 26 point to 13 win, Bruff tries from Mossie O’ Donnell, Hugh Murphy and Ronan Kirby, Remaining points coming from the boot of young Jon O’ Gorman.

Saturday’s clash was always going to be a cracker, we had the two First XV’s playing off in the All Ireland League, Round three. This time the venue had moved into Rosbrien. For the hours leading up to the game we endured a storm as we travelled into what everyone thought was going to be a repeat performance of the game against Lansdown last season.
Pelting Rain, driven by a high wind coming from one end meant that everyone thoguht it was going to be a dour day for rugby. Ten minutes in things started to lift and what was originally thought to be an awful day for the lads on kicking duty turned out to be quite the opposite.

A strong first half performance from Bruff with the aid of the very strong breeze coming from the high road end of the pitch diagonally across towards town meant that after 3 minutes accounts were opened, Bruff going up by three points courtesy of a Brian Cahill kick from about four meters inside his own half. The first half continued with Bruff doing most of the attacking coupled with strong line defending when necessary all keeping play inside the Crescent half of the pitch.
More penalties from Cahill sweet stroking boot on 13 minutes, 18 and 36 minutes without any reply from Crescent meant Bruff went into the break with a 12 point to nil lead, but it wasn’t value for their work. The last pass and other handling errors costing them dearly and the Crescent pack did some great work at the breakdown in defence. It didn’t feel like being enough of a lead with the wind in their face in the second half.

Second half with Bruff into the face of the dying wind went fifteen minutes without a score but Crescent’s Mark Woods taking on kicking duties for the home team, then slotting his first to start a claw back. Penalty No. 2 came 8 minutes later but from then on a mass of injuries caused a very stop start period of play which saw Bruff taking on more ball in the tight and Crescent failing to make any major use of the breeze, their only consolation a missed penalty attempt. Full time came and went and the call came out that there were three and a half minutes left on the clock. We all felt that Bruff could hold out and “Bring home the bacon”.

Then we saw one of the longest periods I have ever seen of extra time. In fairness to this team, over the last couple of seasons we have seen some mammoth periods of injury time but this completely took the michael.

After six minutes we were all extremely agitated, the ball went dead on quite a number of occasions but the referee kept playing on and on and on again. Crescent came into the ascendancy and literally threw everything at the Bruff defence. Finally after nine and a half minutes of injury time the Bruff defence cracked for the one and only time on the day and Crescent touched down about twenty meters left of the post giving them a conversion attempt for the win which (hopefully without being too biased) I did not feel that they deserved, however flashes of last seasons last minute penalty win for Bruff in Kilballyowen last season resounded around the windswept Rosbrien. Woods set himself up, slotted the kick which started well left but curled around and looked like it was heading over, then some god or other seemed to wake up and the Ball struck the black top of the left hand upright going off left and wide. The final kick to touch, a shrill blast and the game was over. The manner in which the visitors celebrated outlining their relief.

This gives us 8th place in the table heading into next weekends home fixture against UCD. A bit of a cushion and a nice return to normality after the recent escapades against Dublin outfits. Oh By the way ththis gives us a “Bruff/Crescent Ryder cup” scoring overall after the weekend of a 2 1/2 points to a 1/2 point win for Bruff 🙂

Danny Keogh on the charge with Mike Carroll in support.

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