Ballincollig U8 player Ruairi O’Donohoe brought lots of luck to Munster in yesterday’s superb 38-6 win over Edinburgh.
Ruairi was selected as the junior supporters club mascot for the Heineken cup match in Thomond Park and proudly led the team out with captain Peter O’Mahony.
Well done Ruairi. Hopefully we’ll see you leading the team out again as captain some day!!
The fixtures for Phase 2 of the U16A league are now available to download. Ballincollig are free next weekend and begin the campaign with a home game v Charleville on February 1st.
Ballincollig U13’s
Match Reports Weekend 11/01/2014
Under 13s
Ballincollig 19 Charleville 26.
Ballincollig U13s made the long journey to North Cork to play Charleville on Saturday for their first game of 2014. It turned out to be a game of 2 halves. Ballincollig came out of the blocks stronger and after an impressive 20 minutes were deservedly 19 points up and looked the more controlled team. Charleville were consistently in their own 22 and the only answer they had during the early stages of the game was to kick to ball out back to Ballincollig. However, this tactic suddenly created an opportunity for the home team when they were able to capitalise on some poor ball control by Ballincollig and get their first try against the run of play. The first half ending 19pts to 5pts in favour of Ballincollig after Charleville missed their conversion. The try spurred on Charleville and the second half was a different game. Ballincollig lost their shape and concentration and allowed Charleville to get back into the match. Charleville scored another try soon in to the second half which pulled the score back to single converted try. Ballincollig were now the team stuck in their 22.
On occasions Ballincollig played the great rugby we know they can play including a great 25 yard maul from their own try line. But this was not maintained and Ballincollig continued to make silly mistakes. Soon the game was level when Charleville were awarded a penalty try after Ballincollig were again caught in the back and a Charleville player illegally pushed off the ball when a try was clear. This tied the game and then to add salt to the wound, in the last 2 minutes Charleville scored the last try of the game to win the match by spreading the ball out wide when Ballincollig got sucked in to the centre to be fair however and not taking anything away from Charleville’s fine come back, this was really a game lost by Balllincollig rather than won by Charleville. The disappointment by the Ballincollig lads was clear on their faces but no doubt the lads will have learnt a valuable lesson in North Cork and will bounce back next time.
Under 14s
Ballincollig U14s moved a step closer to qualifying for the knockout stages by beating a very good Clonakilty team 14 – 7 in a very competitive and sporting game in Tanner Park Saturday. James Moore, Mikey Fitton and Ciaran O’Driscoll worked very hard in the front row. Conor O’Buchalla, Reece O’Donighue worked hard in the forwards with Sam Kiely, Phil Minihane, and Padraig Sweeney working hard in the backs. Tries by Jack Casey and James Peterson both converted be the reliable Zak Forde. We travel to Bandon on Saturday 25th for a winner take all game. All support would be greatly appreciated
Fixtures Weekend 18/01/2014
U7 – Training 10am Tanner Park
U8 – v Skibereen home kick off 10am
U9 – v Skibereen home kick off 10am
U10 – v Skibereen home kick off 10am
U11 – v Skibereen home kick off 10am
U12 – v Skibereen home kick off 10am
U13 – v Muskerry home 12 noon
U14 – Training Tanner Park 11.30am
U16 – Training Tanner Park 11.30am
U18 – Training Tanner Park 11.30am
- Our annual Door to Door collection will begin on Monday 20th January. All donations greatly appreciated.
- All player registrations & subscriptions are now OVER DUE these can be paid in the club house on Saturday morning
- Club shop open every Saturday morning 9.45am
Coaches from the Munster Branch led by Finny O’Regan will be in attendance this Saturday to lead a training session for Mini Rugby coaches and players in the U8 to U12 grades.
The session starts at 10am sharp and will run a little later than usual to about 11:45am.
The U7’s will train as normal from 10am to 11am.
Youth Fixtures
U13s v Charleville (Away) meet Tanner Park 9:15am – kick-off 11am
U14s v Clonakilty (Home) kick-off 11am
U16s Training 11.30
U18s Training 11.30
The Club Shop will be open at 9:45am selling teas, coffees, snacks and club gear.
No fixtures were played on the weekend of 14/12/2013 due to adverse weather conditions
Training re-commences on the January 4th 2014 @10am for U7 to U12.
U13 – U18 Contact your coaches for training times over the Christmas period.
The Club Shop will be open tomorrow morning December 21st from 10am to 12 noon for anyone who would like to buy club gear as a Christmas present. New stock has arrived!
Match Reports
Under 9s
Ballincollig U9s hosted a strong Bandon side on Saturday morning. There was some excellent individual performances and a great team effort at the breakdown as well as tries from Sean Kelly, Jack Murray, Pete Kelly, Sean O’ Neill, Steven Naughton, Ben Foley and James Hurley. They face a trip to Old Christians this weekend, before heading into the Christmas break.
Under 10s
On Saturday we travelled by bus to Skibbereen . We had a total of twelve players and they were Eoghan O Brie , Zakk Davis, Ben O Connor, Evan Mc Cardle, Rory Kiely, Sean Miskhe, Robert Dennehy , Ronan Power, David Hurley, Daniel Keating, Cathal O Donoghue and Dean Carey. We played a total of three matches . Our first match was against a strong sided Skibbereen. Our lads although failing to score played well. This was primarily due to the fact that they failed to clear out in the rucks thus giving away too much possession. Our second match was also against Skibbereen and our lads got much better organised in the rucks and tackled better . Three tries in a row from Eoghan O Brien and one from Dean Carey clenched victory for Ballincollig. Our final match was against Crosshaven who were very good at rucking, Ballincollig defended well and put in a huge effort but unfortunately it was Crosshaven who won out the match. All the lads enjoyed the day and are looking forward to playing away to Old Christians next weekend. Well done lads
Under 11s
On Saturday 7th December Bandon RFC were the visitors to Tanner Park. On a lovely bright sunny morning Bandon kicked off to start the game. Both teams were quite evenly matched and played some great rugby. Bandon were superb in attack, quickly recycling the ball and spreading it wide at every opportunity, but Ballincollig’s defensive work was outstanding. On several occassions managing to rip the ball in the tackle, and winning vital turnovers in the ruck, but Bandon finally managed to score a deserved opener to take the lead and from the kick off put together another fine backs movement to score again. This only spurred Ballincollig on and as they won they’re own kick off and created a series of driving mauls to advance them close to the Bandon line and scored an easy try. Ballincollig kicked off to start the second half a long kick and chase to put the Bandon backs under pressure and managed to force a knock on close to the Bandon line. A quick feed from the scrum and some slick passes saw Ballincollig score in the corner to level the game. Ballincollig mounted sustained pressure on the Bandon defence and turning over the vast majority of ball in the ruck managed to score again. From the kick off Ballincollig made another quick break to increase their lead. But Bandon dug in and wouldn’t concede the game, and by spreading the play wide at every opportunity managed to create a gap to score a fine try. Bandon had their tails up and again managed to crash over to level the game. Ballincollig kicked off again and chased down brilliantly to force another turnover which resulted in a well worked team try. But Bandon wouldn’t let their heads drop, and drove on for the levelling score and mounted sustained pressure on the Ballincollig line but as so many times before Ballincollig managed to turn the ball over in the ruck and quickly moved the ball through the hands and kicked for touch to end the game but Bandon’s full-back made an excellent catch under pressure managed to break a tackle and score right on the final whistle. A draw was the fairest result for both teams after a really great display of rugby
Under 12s
We left early for our match away to Skibbereen and also had an unexpected additional match v Crosshaven who also travelled. Ballincollig ended up playing 3 matches for what proved a challenging day for the strong squad of 18 who travelled. First up was the Skibbereen B team which straightened out the aches from the bus journey and finished 4 tries each. Next up was Crosshaven which proved a stern test for us as well as the ref in a fiercely contested match which resulted in us losing by single try. The final match against our generous hosts proved a step too far as the efforts put in the earlier games meant we couldn’t compete to our usual high standard against a big fresh Skibbereen A team losing by 3 tries. Special mention to the entire squad for their massive efforts on the day especially in the Crosshaven match where they stood toe to toe against a difficult team and showed great discipline and spirit and will learn from this game going forward. Well done all and we end the year next week with a game against Christians. Well done lads
Under 13s
The U13s travelled to Highfield anxious to reverse the result of their first game of the season against the same opposition and what a display by all 15 players. Ballincollig led by 4 tries (2 converted) to nil playing a brand of rugby that one Highfield supporter said was the best he’d seen this season. The second half was a different affair as The Highfield made a number of changes and how the fresh legs made an impact. They scored 4 tries, 3 by one particular player to storm back into the game. However another try for Ballincollig secured the win. It was a display each and every lad should be extremely proud of. The coaches certainly were. We’ll done all 15 of you.
Under 14s
Ballincollig faced Muskerry in this local derby which didn’t disappoint. From the kick off it was a close fought battle with our forwards putting Muskerry under pressure inside their half. Colm Tuohy, Kieran O Driscoll and Mickey Fitton were excellent in both the scrum and rucks while Liam McGeough and Conor O Buchalla worked really hard at the break down area. After much hard work Tiernan Quinn crashed through to score for Ballincollig and Jack Casey converted. In the second half Muskerry scored beneath the posts to level the game. Eoin O Neill and Zak Forde worked really well together to keep Muskerrys half backs under a lot of pressure while Liam Fahy, Michael Hallisey and John O Connell did great work in the backs. A great performance by the whole squad. Well done all.
Under 16s
Ballincollig U16s had a narrow defeat away to Charleville losing 5 points to nil last Saturday. This was a very physical challenge to which every Ballincollig player committed to with passion, skill and discipline. The only score came in the last 5 minutes of the first half when Charleville scored a try from a penalty which from a Ballincollig point of view the penalty appeared to be appointed to the wrong team. Ballincollig came out determined to win this match in the second half and almost achieved this in the last 5 minutes when they made a great break down the touchline only to be tackled by a collar grabbing tackle that was deemed legal by the referee. The forwards were impressive in the set pieces and also their rucking and mauling has improved while also the backline showed good attacking and defence skills. So far this season this Ballincollig team can be proud of the way they have grown and matured as a team and I am sure Saturdays defeat will help them to move to the next level. Well done lads great performance.
Under 18s
The top of the Table clash between Mitchelstown and Ballincollig in Tanner Park. Both Teams were up for this game & conditions were perfect for rugby. Ballincollig were first to get on the scorecard after 5 minutes with a try scored by Humphrey O’ Mahony off the side of a strong Ballincollig maul. The conversion was not successful so 5-0 to the home side. 10 minutes later Mitchelstown pressed hard and scored a try later converted to bring it to 5-7. They scored a second on the 22nd minute and the conversion on target brought the score up to 5-14. Early substitution brought Aaron McNamara on for James O’ Donnell in the centres. The wake up call for Ballincollig came with some great defensive work, to keep it at 5-14 at half time. New focus kicked in with a try from Mikey O’ Shea from Ballincollig on the 40th minute now 10-14.The second row scoring machine for Ballincollig struck again with Humphrey O’ Mahony getting his second with 50 minutes gone this was converted by Aaron O’ Flynn Ballincollig lead 17-14.Mitchelstown broke the Ballincollig defence 10 minutes later conversion missed 17-19 in favour of the visitors. Ballincollig kept the ball in hand and attacked head on time and time again Mikey O’ Shea scoring his second try on 66 minutes 22-19, Ballincollig in the lead again from a huge Team effort. A penalty within range of the posts was 3 points extra for Aaron O’ Flynn putting Ballincollig further ahead on the 70th minute 25-19.The game finished on this score line with brilliant performances from both sides. The endless nights of training and team building showing the results with the impact made by substitutes brought on. This result should put us in a strong position for a home semi final after Christmas. Well done lads
Peter Kelleher(captain), Dylan Desmond, James Kelleher,Mike O’Shea, Humphrey O’ Mahony, Fionnan MacDermott, Cian Shanahan, Robert Donohue, Brian Verling, Cameron Lucey, Daire Conway, James O’Donnell, Scott Vaughan, Aaron O’ Flynn, Shane Quinlan, Rob Nyhan, Dave O’ Brien, Daire Buckley, Colin Casey, Aaron McNamara, Jack O’ Sullivan, Cian O’ Leary, Dave McCoy.
Fixtures Weekend 14/12/2013
U7 – Training 10am Tanner Park
U8 – v Old Christians away meeting @9.30am in the club & leaving 9.45am
U9 – v Old Christians away meeting @9.30am in the club & leaving 9.45am
U10 – v Old Christians away meeting @9.30am in the club & leaving 9.45am
U11 – v Old Christians away meeting @9.30am in the club & leaving 9.45am
U12 – v Old Christians away meeting @9.30am in the club & leaving 9.45am
U13 – v Muskerry Tanner Park kick off 11am
U14 – Training Tanner Park 11.30am
U16 – Training Tanner Park 11.30am
U18 – Training Tanner Park 11.30am
- All player registrations & subscriptions are now OVER DUE these can be paid in the club house on Saturday morning
- Club shop open every Saturday morning 9.45am
Brothers Sean, Orrain & Paul McGarry created a little bit of history in a recent match against Midleton. It was the first time that three brothers have lined out for the same Ballincollig team together. In addition, younger brother Liam lines out for the Ballincollig U12’s.
Congrats lads and well done!
Match Reports
Under 8s
Ballincollig U8s entertained Muskerry on Saturday and a very competitive match kept the large crowd entertained. It was evident that our lads are improving, and with each week their confidence to get on the ball is resulting in the coaches having to work on their ability to share the ball with their own team mates. Well done lads keep up the good work
Under 10s
The U10s played Muskerry at home we had a big turnout and we were able to field two teams .We had Zak Davis, David Hurley, Jamie Dineen, Daniel Keating, Matthew Hopkins, Robert Dennehy, Eoghan O’Brien, Cathal O’Donoghue, Sean Mishke, Ronan Power, Dean Carey, Evan McArdle, Colin Mullally, Connor Morey, David Fahy, Ben o Connor and Rory Kiely. The lads played really well with everybody rucking and tackling really well. Well done lads
Under 12s
Perfect rugby playing conditions welcomed Muskerry to Tanner Park. Played in 3 15 minute periods Ballincollig got off to a slow start allowing Muskerry a 2 try lead but scored before the end to narrow the gap to 1. The next period saw great line breaks by Ballincollig but the strong rucking Muskerry pack gave them plenty of possession and out scored Ballincollig again by 2 tries to 1. Ballincollig’s rucking greatly improved in the final period which finished 1 try each. All the team improved as the game went on with special mention for the ferocious tackling of Cathal McDermott and Shane Buckley.
Under 13s
Ballincollig U13s hosted Mallow at Tanner Park on Saturday. In a close game that could have gone either way Mallow edged out the home team on this occasion to win by 10 points to 5. Mallow took the lead with a well worked try and then against the run of play got a second try. Both conversations were missed however and when Ballincollig got a deserved try of their own there was only 5 points in it. Mallow held out however to win the game. Ballincollig will look forward to the next encounter with them.
Under 18s
Ballincollig 32 pts Old Christians 0
Ballincollig U18s continued on their winning ways when they hosted Old Christians at Tanner Park on Sat. They began the game with intent and within 10 minutes they registered 17 points the first try within 4 minutes when Shane Quinlan gathered the ball outside the 22 and proved unstoppable as he glided under the posts for the opening score which Cameron Lucey converted. Cameron himself added another try on the 7th minute which he again converted and before the break Mickey O’Shea scored a try after an excellent maul which begun on the 22 when Fionnán Mc Dermott secured the lineout and the pack did the rest. On the resumption more pain was to follow for the visitors as Cameron Lucey proved the thorn in the side when he scored his second try. Ballincollig emptied their bench but were still a potent force and when Peter Kelleher crossed the whitewash the game was over. The Ballincollig Boys showed great pitch awareness and managed the game extremely well and Brian Verling at scrum half gave go forward ball to his forwards and backs alike which the opposition had no answer for. It was a very polished performance and the best of the season so far but Ballincollig’s league game against Bandon away in 2 weeks will provide a much stiffer test as both sides are locked on 6 points. The forwards Peter Kelleher, Dylan Desmond, Peaches Kelleher, Mickey O’Shea, Humphrey O’Mahony, Cian Shanahan, Robert O’Donoghue, Fionnán Mc Dermott, Robert Nyhan, Cian O’Leary, Daire Buckley and Stephen Mc Grath put in a huge shift and the backs Brian Verling, Aaron O’Flynn, Cameron Lucey, Aaron Mc Namara, James O’Donnell, jack O’Sullivan, Shane Quinlan, Cameron Thornton, Colin Casey, Daire Conway had the measure of the opposition all day with some very slick passing and interchanging. The boys have a well deserved rest on next weekend having already played games so far. Well done lads for a gritty and powerful performance.
Fixtures Weekend 19/11/2013
U7 – Training 10am Tanner Park
U8 – Training 10am Tanner Park
U9 – v Highfield Tanner Park kick off 10am
U10 – Training 10am Tanner Park
U11 – v Midleton away meeting 9:45am travelling by car
U12 – v Highfield Tanner Park kick off 10am
U13 – Training 11:30am
U14 – v Crosshaven league Tanner Park kick off 11:30am
U16 – Training Tanner Park 11:30
U18 – Training Tanner Park 11:30
- Ballincollig RFC Youths Quiz November 30th €40 per table all welcome great prizes and spots on the night.
- Please return any tickets & monies for the IRFU Your Club Your Country Draw to Tim Murphy.
- All player registrations & subscriptions are now OVERDUE these can be paid in the club house on Saturday morning.
- Club shop open every Saturday morning 9.45am
Match Reports
Under 16s
Ballincollig U16s were beaten in their away league game to Old Christians last Saturday. Both sides were level at half time with a penalty each. This was a closely contested match with some great forward play and back play by both teams. Ballincollig individual tackling was good but the defensive line was too slow coming up to the Old Christians attacking back line. In the second half Old Christians scored a try, a conversion and a penalty for a final score of 13 points to 3. Even though Ballincollig were strong in the set pieces their continuity play between both the backs and forwards was the difference between the 2 sides. Ballincollig have plenty to build on before their next league match in 2 weeks time. Well done lads
Under 18s
Ballincollig RFC U18s got their league campaign back on track on last sat 9th Nov with a comprehensive victory over Dolphin at sun drenched Tanner Park. Within the first 15 minutes Ballincollig had registered 3 tries from Aaron Mc Namara (2) and Daire Buckley Peter Kelleher and Shane Quinlan also crossed the whitewash a few conversions from Aaron O’Flynn added further to their visitors woes before the referee called a halt to proceedings for half time.. On the resumption Ballincollig who were totally dominant in all sectors emptied their bench and added further pain to Dolphin with tries from Robert Nyhan (2) Michael O’Shea, &James O’Donnell. Dolphin to their credit played valiantly to the end but Ballincollig’s no surrender attitude ensured their line would not be crossed on this occasion. A good performance from the Ballincollig backs, Aaron O’Flynn, Cameron Lucey, James O’Donnell, Aaron Mc Namara, Shane Quinlan, Jack O’Sullivan, Scott Vaughan, Cameron Thornton, Colin Casey Brian Verling and Dave Mc Coy who were on the offensive for most of the game pinned the opposition back who were given very few chances to launch any forays into the opposition half. Ballincollig forwards Peter Kelleher, Daire Buckley, Peaches Kelleher, Dave O’Brien, Michael O’Shea, Robert O’Donoghue, Dylan Desmond, Fionnán Mc Dermott, completely dominated proceedings at scrum, Ruck, maul and line out time. Next week the boys will have a much sterner contest when they host Old Christians’ @ Tanner Park.
Fixtures 16th November 2013
U7 – Training Tanner Park 10am
U8 – v Muskerry Tanner Park 10am sharp
U9 – v Muskerry Tanner Park 10am sharp
U10 – v Muskerry Tanner Park 10am sharp
U11 – v Muskerry Tanner Park 10am sharp
U12 – v Muskerry Tanner Park 10am sharp
U13 – v Mallow Tanner Park kick off 11.30am
U14 – v Bantry League Tanner Park kick off 12.45pm
U16 – Training Tanner Park 11.30am
U18 – v Old Christians League Tanner Park kick off 11.30am
- All player registrations & subscriptions are now OVERDUE these can be paid in the club house on Saturday morning
- Club shop open every Saturday morning 9.45am