Kilkenny youngsters set tone from off in impressive win over Enniscorthy

The Kilkenny under-13s delivered an excellent all-round performance to record a convincing Leinster League victory over Enniscorthy in difficult wet and windy conditions.

Kilkenny set the tone early, opening the scoring after just two minutes when Nicky Cleere crossed the line following a sharp break from Tomás Fitzgerald with Vinny O’Shea converting for a 7–0 lead.

The pressure continued and at seven minutes Noah Power powered over from close range at the ruck, touching down under the posts. O’Shea added the conversion to make it 14–0.

Kilkenny’s dominance at set piece told again on 12 minutes when Jacob Briers finished well from a scrum move. Another successful conversion pushed the score to 21–0.

Six minutes later, Hugh O’Donoghue produced a superb individual run to score, converted by Noah Quirke Duggan, extending the lead to 28–0.

Just before the break, Kilkenny struck twice more. Jacob Briers claimed his second try after a strong break from a scrum against the head, converted by Tomás Fitzgerald, before sustained pressure in the Enniscorthy 22 saw Conor Bowe pick from the ruck and drive through the defence for Kilkenny’s seventh try. O’Shea again added the extras to give Kilkenny a commanding 42-0 half-time lead.

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The second half began as the first ended, with Jacob producing a turnover in midfield and racing 40 metres to score, converted by O’Shea to make it 49–0.

To their credit, Enniscorthy responded with a strong purple patch, scoring three tries in succession as Kilkenny were forced to defend for long periods. However, Kilkenny showed great resilience and teamwork in the closing stages, producing outstanding defence, with Noah Quirke Duggan to the fore, to hold Enniscorthy up over the line and prevent a further score.

Overall, it was a very good team performance from Kilkenny, highlighted by strong set-piece work, clinical finishing, and excellent defensive commitment, particularly at the end of the game. Many thanks to Kilkenny College for hosting the game.

Kilkenny have a weekend off next weekend then move into phase two of the Leinster League.

Kilkenny - Alex Hennessy, Bill Brennan, Conor Bowe, Conor Ryan, Fiacra Drennan, Finlay Drennan, Harry Phelan, Hugh O’Donoghue, Jack Colclough, Jacob Briers, James Brennan, James Porter, Mark Phelan O’Grady, Marty O’Carroll, Matthew Jolley, Nicky Cleere, Noah Power, Noah Quirke Duggan, Oscar Doyle, Oscar Murphy, Pat Doheny, Rory Maher, Ted Carroll, Tomás Fitzgerald, Vinny O’Shea.