Kilkenny made to rue missed chances in Leinster League

Kilkenny welcomed South Dublin visitors, Bective Rangers to Foulkstown for the most recent round of Leinster league matches.

Coming off the back of a strong performance the previous week against Seapoint, Kilkenny came into the game high on confidence.

For the visitors, they stumbled over the line against Gorey the previous week.

Both Kilkenny and Bective needed wins for many different reasons. The latter are chasing the league title, and by all accounts were coming to Foulkstown to clock up a cricket score, while the former are fighting relegation, alongside the aforementioned Gorey, from the premier division of Leinster junior rugby.

With the return of Joe Manuel and Podge Mahon, Kilkenny fielded a very strong side, but dealt a hammer blow just before kickoff with the withdrawal of team captain, Jake McDonald through a groin injury.

The game kicked off with high intensity, with the visitors playing with pace and purpose and spreading the ball wide at every opportunity.

To their credit, Kilkenny dug in deep. Wes Carter and Gary Dunne set the standards up front with Joe Manuel and Liam Caddy laying down markers in defence out back.

When things settled, Bective realised that they were in a two sided contest and would not be the pace setters. Kilkenny got a foothold into the game and threatened the line but to no return.

Following a good spell, a lapse in concentration afforded Bective a chance to threaten the line and a nailed on try was prevented through an extraordinary and superbly executed last ditch tackle by Jack Walsh.

The clearance kick afforded Bective possession and in the 12th minute they got the opening try.

In the 27th minute Corkery then slotted a penalty over the black spot, narrowing the gap to two points. Minutes later another Corkery penalty gave the hosts the lead.

On the stroke of half-time Riy Stanley was on the end of a dominant driving maul to score a brilliant team try.

Corkery converted, giving Kilkenny a 13-5 half-time lead.

Despite the pre-game commentary, Bective were rattled by the Kilkenny performance, their coach, ex-Ireland and Leinster player, Bernard Jackman voiced his opinions to his side and introduced ex-Connacht and South Africa player Danie Pooleman to the tie.

Bective started the second half better and bombarded the Kilkenny line, but as they did all day, the Cats defended doggedly and with full commitment to holding the visitors out, which they succeeded in doing for 10 minutes.

Following a succession of scrum penalties, referee Clive Wardrop’s patience ran out and awarded Bective a seven point penalty try.

This was the second scrum penalty try conceded by Kilkenny this season. The first was away to Gorey on the opening day and are two instances that the side could rue come the end of the season, as both cost the Cats two certain victories.

This was a hard pill for Kilkenny to swallow, particularly given their efforts in defence for 10 minutes, but that’s the game.

In the 55th minute a dangerously high no arms tackle on Jack Walsh saw Bective temporarily reduced to 14 players.

In the 60th minute Corkery and his opposite number exchanged penalties taking the score to 16-15.

Then in the 65th minute against the run of play Bective went in for a try taking the score to 20-16.

From here Kilkenny went up a few gears and dominated the game.

Repeated visits to the away 22 zone went without a score.

Again Kilkenny came, mauling their way to the line, only to be halted and the maul was pulled down and unpunished.

From minute 75 to 80, Kilkenny had three of their best opportunities to take the victory.

The first came after good play created a two man overlap on the club house side, but an over zealous skip pass cut out the overlap and allowed Bective to tackle Jack Walsh into touch, a little more patience and allowing the ball go through the hands would have sufficed.

Two minutes later, referee Wardrop’s patience ran out again, this time with Bective. He awarded Kilkenny another penalty, but at four points down only a try would do.

Again Kilkenny would not lie down, they returned to the five metre zone, big carries from Conor Dempsey, Gary Dunne, David O’Connor and Roy Stanley got the hosts into a very strong position to get the score.

With an overlap on the touchline the ball was transferred to Ben Devlin, normally the safest pair of hands, Devlin was given a hospital pass and scrambled to gather control of the ball, eventually and agonisingly knocking on.
This saw Bective clear their lines and the referee brought proceedings to a close.

For Kilkenny it was another one, for the fourth time this season, that got away.

The away match against Gorey and the home and away contests with Seapoint being the previous games that the team let slip, this is 16 lost points, and would have Kilkenny now competing for league honours instead of being stuck in relegation trouble.

At the end head coach David O’Connor was frank in the reasons for the loss, it was simply down to poor decision making.

The Seconds were also in action and they went down to the same opposition, they had good performances from Darragh Morrissey, Alan McIntyre, Brendan McIntyre, David Moore and Liam McWea.