Monkstown FC 15 – 31 Longford RFC
Match Report
Sydney Parade is a proud place for the players and supporters of Monkstown Rugby, so the disappointment of what unfolded last Saturday is hard to swallow for all involved. The players and back room staff remember all to well the the pain of losing to Longford in the first leg of this seasons campaign and were looking to make amends. Sadly it wasn’t the home sides day.
The game got off to an exciting pace when a poorly fielded kick found its way into the arms of Phil Ellis. The right winger darted around four would be Longford tacklers to fall under the posts. Dave McAllister added the extras and it was a dream start early on for the home side, 7-0. However, shortly after Longford’s winger decided he wanted in on the action and linked up well with his second row team mate who galloped over from distance to bring the scores level. Moments later McAllister was given the chance to kick on with a penalty in the Longford half, he nudged it through and Monkstown regained the lead. As the clock shifted closer to 40 minutes, Longford scored a decisive try that would see them exit the first half leading 17-10.
As the second half began, the breeze that Longford played into in the first half was now facing the Town and Longford took full advantage. A rolling maul gave the visitors some room to breath as their rumbling pack crossed over for another converted try bringing the score board to 24-10. One of the highlights of the second half for Town was Rory Alwright’s bustling run through the heart of the Longford defence that saw him barrel in over the line beside the posts. The extras were missed but Monkstown were suddenly back in with a shot at 24-15. Unfortunately the ecstasy was short lived. Late in the game, having been stretched from side to side by a well controlled Longford outfit, Monkstown could not find it in them to maintain their shape allowing the Longford fullback to cross over to reward the visitors with a decisive bonus point win. The final score stood at 31-15 and the men from Sydney Parade need to review and regroup over the Christmas period.
Monkstown Team
15. Padraig Twomey
14. Philip Ellis
13. Robbie Ensor
12. Rory Alwright
11. David Kilbride (c)
10. David McAllister
9. Dave Morris
8. Omar Hassanein
7. Jeff Draper
6. Cian Carroll
5. Cian Duggan
4. Jack Heart
3. James Clifford
2. Eoin Murphy
1. Ivan Dunne
16. Gareth Williams
17. Mark Culhane
18. Eoin Murphy
19. Dermott Furry
20. Barry Stevenson
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