Introduction
Welcome to 'InSalmo' This blog is all about giving club members out there an insight in to what's happening with the 1st XV from inside the smelly (or is it smulley) ranks of the first team dressing room.
I think it's very important that our members feel a connection to the 1sts and the individuals involved, and this blog is a way for us to reach out and make that connection.
At the end of the day, we carry the flag for the club and the club is judged on how the 1st team performs on the pitch and the result we achieve in the league. It's a big responsibility but one we're all aware of and accept. This being said, we're all in this together and we're all here to enjoy it. The boys really appreciate all your support.
Blog 3 Monday 29th August 2011
This week marked the start of the season for the 1st XV with a tough opener against St. Mary’s in the Leinster League. Pre-season this year has been tougher than most, with more emphasis on distance running. This isn’t ideal for some of the heftier members of the front row, myself included. Conditioning Coach Phil De Barra has been putting us through our paces for the last 8 weeks and this fixture gave the boys a chance to show off all the hard work they have put in.
Mary’s always proves to be a very challenging fixture but with a strong Salmo team named, all the boys were eager to impress and looking forward to finally playing a game of ball after a long summer. The management team have worked hard over the summer recruiting new players and Friday saw two of them make their first start for the 1st XV, with Stephen Copeland at scrum half and Jasper Pickersgill at open-side (another recruit from Hogworts), while another new face Shane Robertson (Wanderers) started on the bench.
Friday night rugby brings a special atmosphere to Kirwan Park and the boys bought into this from the start. A minutes silence was observed to pay tribute to the passing of club stalwart Ron Buckley. The game began at a very quick pace and it was evident from the start that the hard work we had put in over the previous weeks would put us in good stead. We aimed to use our fitness to pressurise a skilful Mary’s team, which contained numerous professionals. Some good work from the Salmo defence pushed Mary’s back, with big hits from Keith Taite and Conor Power Snr. Mary’s quickly realised that this would be a much tougher game than the one 12 months ago. We won’t mention that one again!
Both teams enjoyed some early possession and showed that this would be an entertaining match for the spectators with some open running rugby on display. Mary’s had set up camp in our 22 and some good Salmo defence kept them at bay for numerous phases until they scored a controversial try from a kick through. No doubt some areas of the crowd were thinking here we go again with Mary’s pushing on and registering another high score but the boys pulled together and knew we had much more to offer. From a set piece Salmo launched an attack into the Mary’s half with some good interlinking from backs and forwards which resulted in a penalty which Phil De Barra casually slotted over from the Mary’s 10 meter line. At this stage of a very fast and physical game the likes of Smully and Big Vic were probably questioning why they were still playing rugby in their twilight years. A very entertaining first half finished 7-3 to Mary’s.
In the half time huddle it was clear from the attitude of the players that we believed we could win this game and prove to the league that Salmo are real title contenders this year. The second half began in the same fashion as the first with some massive collisions from both sides. Salmo’s new openside ‘Piggy’ was very impressive at the breakdown and turned over some nice ball for the backs to use in counter attacks. The Salmo defence infringed at lineout time and gifted Mary’s a penalty which they converted to make it 10-3. Mistakes from both sides crept in during the second half and game was played from one set piece to the next, but this is expected from the first outing of the year. Some great Salmo defence put Mary’s under a lot of pressure on their own ball and this resulted in Conor Power Jnr intercepting a pass and spiriting 50 odd meters to score under the stick. Phil converted and tied the game at 10-10. Mary’s responded with some good rugby of their own which resulted in some serious pressure on the Salmo line, after numerous phases they finally breached the Salmo defence for a converted try. 10-17.
Mary’s controlled the tempo of the game for the final ten minutes and Salmo, with a mis-firing lineout, found it difficult to hold onto possession. The game was still there for another Salmo comeback but with some loose handling and errors our final attack filtered out with a knock on. It was a difficult defeat to take as we were so close to another big scalp but there were plenty of positives to take from the game, no more so than the vastly improved fitness levels of all the boys from this time last year.
The boys were happy with their performance but know there’s still a lot more hard work required before we begin our Ulster Banks campaign on the 1st of October. The team is in a very strong position at the moment and with plenty of players challenging for places the competition is great. Those lads away for the summer will need to catch up on the rest very quickly if they are to be considered for the team, especially Karl Moran who spent a very successful summer working in LegoLand, Chicago. Next Friday the 1st XV continue their Leinster League campaign with a tricky away fixture in UCD, KO 7.00, all support welcome.
EO’R