Junior Season Winds Down

Cawley Cup Quart-Finals

Loughrea v Ballyhaunis    Ballinasloe v Corrib

Ballina v Tuam    OLBC v (winner of UCG/ Westport)

1A/1B League Play Off

Corithians v Buccaneers

1B/1C League Play Off

Gort v Dunmore

J2 League Semi-Finals

OLBC v Buccaneers    Tuam v Ballina

1C League (refix)

Connemara v Monivea2 (refixed)

(All matches played on or before 25th March. Kick off 3pm)

They came, they scored, they conquered …just.

John Colleran and the Galway Corinthians landed at Glenina’s Crowley Park on Saturday morning with the Glynn Cup and Langan Trophy. Half a St Patrick’s Day later they left again, muddied and bloodied but with silverware in tow.

Corinthians opened their 2012 account with a victory, the Thirds responsible for taking the visitors one ahead in the Ryder Cup-style aggregate tally. The score remained unchanged at the 19s full-time whistle, the first of two draws logged on Saturday.

By the time the Under16s had finished, Corinthians had gone two ahead, Galwegians managing just a half-point from a possible three. The hosts then went on the rampage clearing three wins from the next three fixtures to go one point clear after the 14s, 21s and Under17s.

Just over the halfway mark after six of 11 games played, Galwegians President Noel Leader’s smile was never more apparent. It was shortlived however, as Colleran’s crowd nabbed the next two; the Under15s and Seconds flying the flag for the N17.

With three matches remaining, Corinthians had the upper hand on three-and-a-half one win clear of Galwegians.

The Galwegians Under13s made it very interesting with a late victory squeezing the gap to a half-mark, leaving the womens tag rugby challenge and the senior feature match. The women drew in their last outing, and did so again in 2012. Corinthians could have afforded a draw to retain the Glynn Cup, the onus on the hosts’ to see the visitors’ hand and raise them a try in the seniors.

Corinthians, down three-nil on half-time to a Darragh Leader dropped goal scored the invaluable touchdown six minutes in to the second.

It stayed that way to the finish, President Leader’s grasp on the Glynn Cup only temporary on Saturday. John Colleran, the Corinthians, and the all-important Glynn Cup departed Glenina in convoy, in much the same way they had arrived earlier that morning.

Chop v Choke: the Defender's Dilemma

While Ireland's World Cup dragonslayers were still celebrating with touring ex-patriots on Eden Park, Australian media vultures and rugby pundits circled overhead.

The frenzy focused not on Australia's capitulation to Paddy fervour but the raging success of the "choke tackle", a relatively new defensive manoevre which prevents ball-carriers from seeking the safety of the turf and hampers continuity of attack.

Fast forward two weeks, and the Welsh brains trust were clapping themselves on the back for felling Irish giants Ferris and O'Brien with textbook assaults on opposition bootlaces.

So which is the best ploy?

Choke tackle virtues deny supporting forwards much of an opportunity to blast scavenging tacklers beyond the breakdown and effectively force those running support lines to assist the vertical player. Distribution too is hampered as the ball-in-all nature of the tackle prevents wouldbe offloaders from freeing the all-important pig's bladder.  In an ideal world, the ball becomes unplayable, locked up in a mess of opposition arms and, with no chance to recycle possession, tacklers secure a scrum-feed.

The "low-chop" tackle, by comparison, scuppers any forward motion as the ball-carrier's legs disappear from underneath him/her. With the ball (and player) on the ground, the breakdown occurs immediately and possession frequently falls the way of superior numbers. Ground gained beyond the contact is minimal, and the ball becomes the focal point for expert on-site scavengers such as Warburton, McCaw, Australia's Pocock, Schalk Burger and, of course, our own Sean O'Brien.

The variables thereafter are endless and include quick turnover against the run of play, static distribution and commitment of attacking numbers sent in to retain possession, or the ignominious penalty awarded against the ball-carrier for not releasing.

On the greater scheme of things, these two defensive strengths can determine who plays where, which players start or finish a game, and indeed the gameplan devised prior to kick-off. Alternately, for tacklers with an aptitude for both methods, the position of the pitch becomes a factor, as does which ball-carrier they encounter, and the proximity of that carrier's support network.

To succeed in modern rugby, players require the skill, the technical nous, and thepresence of mind to do both. At differing points in their careers coaches too may implement different systems. More importantly if a player can recognise when a player is susceptible to being held-up or sufficiently isolated for a steal, defenders can weigh the situation and decide accordingly.

For examples of “Chop” and “Choke” tackling go to: www.youtube.com/connachtcoach

Sligo IT Hosts National Schools Blitz

Sligo IT hosted more than 500 children Friday, March 9.

Youngsters from 24 schools flocked to the Connacht's northernmost blitz for a great day of touch rugby. The blitz is an annual fixture on the Connacht calendar - a Sligo RFC and Connacht initiative geared toward sparking rugby enthusiasm in its youngest demograph.

Run in co-operation between Connacht Rugby and the Sligo Sports Partnership, Blitz organiser Ross Mannion said the Blitz was a fitting finish to a winter which has taken in more than 30 schools in the Sligo catchment.

Touch rugby is a non-contact variation of the traditional game, similar to tag rugby and focuses on ball-handling, spatial awareness, and athletic competition.

"It was a great day for all involved, all the children and teachers were brilliant and a credit to their schools and families. Everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves," Mannion said.

"Hopefully we'll see a lot more of them in the coming years playing rugby with Sligo Rugby Club." Mannion also thanked teachers and principals for their input and encouragement.

"We are indebted to the Sligo Sports Partnership too, they make any sort of community event like this an absolute breeze at our end and pretty much shoulder any logistic headache. They do a great job."

Aside from Connacht Branch personnel, Sligo's Summerhill transition students James Hampson and Darren Harte also slotted in well as assistants. (contributed - Ross Mannion)

Marist Athlone secured the Supermac’s Connacht Schools Senior League and Cup double courtesy of December and March finals finesse.

Coach Mick Loftus was typically circumspect about the magnitude of this achievement, but a tiny smirk betrayed the tough veneer, Loftus only too aware history had long toyed with the Midland mob.

“I guess, it’s well, you know what it is. It’s…yeah. It’s pretty good.”

Loftus' charges were no strangers to success having hoisted silverware earlier this winter, but the last time Marist claimed Cup honours was in 1977. That bogey no longer looms, Wednesday’s victory further sweetened by the fact Sligo Grammar featured opposite.

“To do it is a big ask, the double doesn’t happen very often. But to do it against a decorated rugby college, one of Connacht’s finest, well it’s thrown us right on the middle of the map. We’re now one of Connacht’s “rugby” strongholds,” he said after the game.

Of the match itself, it was a titanic struggle of men and might, no better characterised than by those leading. Grammar skipper Thomas Ferrari is part of the First XV furniture these days, one of the most capped premier schoolboy footballers in the province. He has busted, bruised and broken himself on near enough to every ground in the Connacht catchment, and did himself (and his team) justice on Wednesday.

Machine-cut as a mobile front-rower, Ferrari played out this final (and the December league stoush) in the back-row, and looked every bit as useful there as any on the paddock. While he spent much of his afternoon defending a well-oiled Athlone engine room, his ball-carrying deep in Marist territory drew three and four defenders and he was unfortunate not to ground one over the line.

Opposite him was the always-safe and oft-devastating Robbie Henshaw, (13).

His winter has been one to remember, peppered with provincial honours and international caps, a league title and follow-up cup victory. Despite various under-age call-ups beyond the Supermac’s Connacht Schools competition, he looked every bit a livewire schoolboy come full-time, relishing the win and the realisation of a dream which started three years ago.

Defensively, Marist had the edge throughout, denying extra inches come contact time. They too asserted more control in the midfield, Henshaw’s right arm proving meddlesome in broken play, his reach alone keeping would be tacklers at bay. Using it several times in the same phase, Henshaw's piston said in not-so-many-words "if you're going to tackle me, you best do it properly." It is a rarity in any grade to see ball-carriers dictate the terms of the tackle, and on Wednesday Henshaw was very much in charge.

Ably-backed by man mountain Ryan Sheridan the pair of them comprised a major problem for the Grammar brains trust.

Sligo needed to be at their best. In set-piece, they were. Scrums gave little to either side, except clean (but slow) ball, and lineouts were disappointing for both sides.

The most even match-up of the day was at the back of the scrum, Grammar nine Enda Gavin orchestrated all distribution with a wisdom belying his 17 years, and Marist’s Robert Ashe every bit the little general opposite. While they never met head on, each showed serious mettle against hulking opposition and would have drawn little if any criticism for their respective performances.

Marist opened their account seven minutes in, Kevin Cooper scorched through fractured defence from 12m out cutting back on the angle to score 18m in from the right hand touch. The kick went astray. Their second try (from Cooper's brother Brian) came late in the first half, again on the 15m line, albeit the other side of the pitch, slick hands and superior numbers the telling factor.

Counting against Sligo was a poor goalkicking performance from the usually-reliable Colm Egan. He sent two wide in the first half, and on winning a confidence-boosting penalty “gimme” 16m from the posts in line with the left upright bizarrely sent it wide. It didn’t get any better for Egan shortly after when headgeared second-rower Diarmaid O'Dowd-Hill beat two, drew two and gifted a short ball to Egan with enough pace to at least break the line if not take him the four or five steps to the tryline, and he spilled it short of the contact.

Too many errors stunted Sligo continuity, and a failure to adequately cater to Marist’s dangermen hindered Grammar’s opportunities to stretch tiring defence.

Marist made fewer mistakes, surrendered territory on occasion preferring possession instead, and trusted their heavies to hang on to it. And hang on to it they did. Whereas Athlone’s superbacks shone sporadically, Wednesday’s victory came in large part from the executive engine room which performed anonymously

– but effectively – from the opening whistle to the very end. A complete Marist performance from one to eight (plus subs), stifled any real Sligo opportunity beyond third and fourth phase.

That said, with a Supermac’s junior league title, and a cup final berth in the replay, Sligo’s First XV glory days may return soon enough.