Unlucky breaks deny Sunday’s Well much-needed win against Thomond
It's the breaks you see, those damned breaks. Take Saturday's 22-21 home defeat by Thomond.
The Limerick side are flying high in Division Two, while the 'Well are struggling to break free of the relegation zone. Yet an uninformed visitor to Musgrave Park would have wondered which was which.
After giving the tight, experienced Limerick side a 13-0 start (made by a beautiful switch-pass from scrumhalf Anthony Hartery), the best of the rugby was played by an adventurous, courageous 'Well side.
Tenacious defence by Thomond, led by the inspirational Ger Earls and the prodigious boot of outhalf Aidan O'Halloran, were hugely instrumental in gaining the four points for the visitors.
But luck and overuse of the self-destruct button killed the home side. O'Halloran missed only one kick from seven for Thomond while Hogan-O'Connell missed four from eight for the home team, and Richard Daly missed a drop-goal.
Tries? Thomond crossed the Well line once, that opening quarter, Sunday's Well crossed four times, but ended with only two on the board.
They had a try disallowed in the first half for a forward pass after wing Sean Keenan inexcusably got a little ahead of himself, then a second half mauling effort was deemed held up at a time when the Well had enormous pressure on Thomond.
"That game was a synopsis of our season," said Kidd. "There's a ton of spirit there, we're playing really well, just not getting the breaks. Get over the line, try not given every now and then you need that bit of luck, but all year we've been missing out on it.
"And we've been cursed with injuries. Eddie (Hogan O'Connell) and Declan (Coppinger) played with injuries today, Corne Korff, our outhalf, has broken ribs.
"But I'm proud of the guys, they just keep on keeping on; we're training well, playing well enough, not just walking in the gate, dropping our heads and losing it. We're in there fighting to the end."
Is it tougher at this level than at the top? "What's tougher is the lack of depth. The one thing at this level is you really do have to coach. It's not a case that if an individual isn't performing well, you can just replace him with another top-class player. We can't do that.
"If someone is playing poorly, you've got to work with him to improve his game because you don't have the ready-made replacements. From that point of view, it's probably more challenging. You have to 'make' your players, rather than being given them on a plate.
"But it doesn't matter the level of rugby, the pressures are the same, the excitement, the enthusiasm. The skill levels are different, but the heart and soul, what the guys are trying to do, is the same".
Can the Well stay up? "Yeah, we can definitely stay up, no question about that. We've still got to play the three teams that are around our own position. Those are must-win games, but there's no reason why we can't win them".
The win brought Thomond to second place in the table, above Limerick rival Old Crescent, idle this weekend after Ballynahinch agreed to a postponement.
Dolphin stayed top with a 37-0, five-try away win over second-from-bottom Greystones, DLSP stayed in touch with a Dublin derby 25-18 win over Bective Rangers that also earned them a four-try bonus point.
At the other end of the table, things don't look too good for either Portadown or Greystones, but if Sunday's Well maintain their current form, and the breaks start to turn, they should avoid the drop.
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