UCC Rugby continue where they let off

A number of UCC Clubs are still awaiting their return to action for the 2020/2021 academic year; the Mardyke grounds are noticeably quiet. However, UCC Rugby is one of the few clubs where it’s business as usual, and as All-Ireland League action is considered elite sports, the Rugby Club have been able to continue throughout the added Covid-19 restrictions. The club itself enjoyed a mixed bag of success last year, with triumph in the Donal Walsh U20 tournament the pinnacle in a season that ended prematurely with the onset of the pandemic. If the opening two games of this year’s campaign are anything to go off, then the Men’s senior squad intend to make a serious statement in this year’s AIL.The Western Road outfit’s first outing this year took place down the Mardyke against a lacklustre Shannon side. In a game that UCC were never losing, the opposition failed to get to the pace of the game, and within 8 minutes UCC had already got over the line thanks to a Brendon McSorley effort. It was McSorley again who touched down the college’s third try of the game just after the turn of the 20 minute mark, his second effort once again converted by James Taylor who was faultless throughout. UCC led 26-5 when referee Kevin Barry blew the half-time whistle, yet the onslaught would continue when he blew it again fifteen minutes later. The college were relentless in their stylish attacking play, and Shannon failed to meet the pace of Bowen and Bohane on the wings. Courtesy of tries from Richard Thompson, Robert Hedderman and Killian Coughlan, UCC attained an insurmountable lead which Shannon could only attempt to mitigate with two tries of their own. Taylor’s kicking saw him finish the game with an impressive 17 points, case and point of why he was the recipient of last season’s Division 1A ‘Rising Star’ award. The game would finish at 40-10, with UCC getting to use all their bench in the process. UCC really set the tone for the season with this 9-try performance, an impressive running game with an unrelenting attacking attitude; a lethal mix.Bigger challenges lay ahead for the students, and a meeting with Old Crescent on the weekend after the blitzing of Shannon proved a more intense pairing. From the offset, it looked as if it was going to be much the same as the Shannon outing, with the college amassing a 19-0 lead in the opening 40 minutes. However, this Energia Community Series Conference 1 game was far from over, and it's credit to the Limerick side that kept picking at UCC’s lead right up until the dying minutes. With trys from Daniel Hurley and Val McDermott, complemented by the kicking of Ronan McKenna, Old Crescent brought the scoring margin to 26-12 with a quarter of the game left to play. Neither side opted to take a penalty kick throughout the contest, instead both sides availed of the pace of both sets of wingers to take it to the opposition. And it was that tactic that saw UCC go over for their first try in the opening quarter, when the students opted for a five-metre line out which Richard Thompson contested and won, breaking it down to Kieran Coughlan in the corner who put the college on the scoreboard. The college responded to Crescent’s purple patch in the second half with a try from the industrious Ryan Murphy, only to be almost immediately negated at the other end of the pitch by Crescent’s Michael O’Hanrahan. This tit for tat final period made for brilliant viewing, with both teams aiming to go one better than the other. Good teams die hard, and in the final moments of the game Old Crescent would eventually bridge the gap and level via an outstanding individual effort from McDermott whose direct running was a constant threat from Crescent throughout. A deserved result for both teams, though UCC will no doubt have regrets on losing a lead which seemed beyond reach in the early stages.UCC Rugby are one of the few UCC Sport Clubs operating to some degree of normality at the moment, and further fixtures in the coming weeks will continue to be live-streamed on either the UCC or opposition’s respective Youtube channels. UCC Women’s Rugby are also actively recruiting new members, with no experience required to compete. Training for the women’s team resumed on Monday the 19th in the Mardyke and interested parties are asked to email womensrugby@uccclubs.ie. With an exciting brand of rugby being played by our Men’s squad this year, and the promise of a more competitive Women’s squad for the new season, both teams will be ones to watch in the coming months.