Bohs win final battle at Thomond

UL Bohemians 15 Shannon 6

There was just this one last big game and the big machines would move across the grounds to the covered stand and carry on with their devastation.

Fittingly, given they’ve been co-tenants of Thomond Park for over 30 years, given also that the hosts on this occasions, UL-Bohs (Bohemians as they were then), played in the first match in the ground, November 1934, this would be the last AIL match before the diggers moved in earnest.

Under that covered stand also, gathering for the pre-match meal, were those who had come to pay their last respects, and as red of UL-Bohs mixed easily with the blue-and-black of Shannon, there was much nostalgia, much exchanging of yarns, tales, of myths and legends.

“People wonder why Munster are so successful today — it was because of clubs like us,” said former Shannon and Irish great Gerry ‘Ginger’ McLoughlin, addressing the gathering in his new role as Deputy Mayor of the city.

“We hate each other’s guts on the fields but afterwards there was never a bad moment. Dockers and doctors, soldiers and solicitors, playing with and against each other on that field out there, then meeting in the bar afterwards, putting their differences aside and having a few drinks.

“Everything that’s good about Munster rugby came through the clubs. I’m really a Shannon man at heart, but I shared this ground with these fellas here for over 30 years and never had an argument or a falling-out, though we did switch our training nights to Monday and Wednesday — we couldn’t have fellas like Eamonn Tobin peeping out the window, picking up our moves!”

Just when it looked like everyone was going to be carried away in a sea of nostalgia, however, in stepped a pragmatic Ulster man, joint UL-Bohs president Roger Downer.

“People were coming to me saying how sad an occasion this is — it’s not, it’s an occasion for celebration. I was up in Belfast recently and someone said to me: ‘things have really changed; it used to be you could leave your door open at night and never worry about it.’ Well I can tell you why – there was sod-all to steal!

“Who was going to do time for a tin bath? The past isn’t as great as we think it was. The future is every bit as bright as we think it will be. Like everything else, rugby has to change; what we’re doing here is a celebration of all that Thomond Park has been in the past, all that it’s going to be in the future. This is an occasion in which we can be very justifiably proud of what Limerick rugby, what Limerick rugby clubs, what Thomond Park, has done for Irish rugby. But it’s very foolish to be nostalgic for a past that never really was. Think of what we’re going to get, and I think we’re going to get a much superior stadium, a much superior facility. I say, it’s foolish to be nostalgic for that past.”

Yes, there was a game of rugby afterwards, yes there was a bit of a surprise, a fired-up UL-Bohs atoning for their poor performance in another derby last time out, a loss to Garryowen, which left team captain Coleman Finn smiling.

“It was a sweet win, hard fought. Shannon showed their fighting pedigree again as they never gave up. Even after we got our last penalty they came straight back down the field again, won a penalty of their own, and if they had managed to slot that it would have been all hands to the pump for the final few minutes (Andrew Thompson missed, Shannon missed out on a bonus point). In fairness to our fellas they upped their game today, but we had a point to prove and I think we proved it.”

Director of Rugby Mike Tewkesbury was in total agreement. “We never turned up for Garryowen, the boys were immensely disappointed. They had put the work in, they had put the effort in, they trained very well over the last two weeks in preparation for this one. To beat Shannon, one of the top sides, is a magnificent achievement and this is a reflection of all the efforts Ian Costello, Christy Neilan and all the back-up staff have put in.”

A reflection also on the work of Mike himself. “It’s taken seven years, but there’s still a lot of work to do. We haven’t won anything today, but we’ve got a monkey off our backs. We’ve been near them a few times, but they’ve always been able to beat us. We’ve turned that around now, made a lot of old men happy today.”

One man who was not so happy was Shannon coach Mick Galwey. “The better team won, no doubt about that. they were hungrier than us (UL-Bohs open-side John Ed O’Connor typified the UL-Bohs effort, won everything on the ground). In my book when one team scores two tries and the other team scores none, they deserve to win (winger Ian Hanley with a brace, the second the result of a cruel bounce for Shannon early in the second half, just minutes after they’d taken the lead).

“I just thought we didn’t play — okay, they mightn’t have let us play. We were here two weeks ago and we thought we had it right. But that’s rugby, we’ll have to go back to the drawing-board. We were in the top four, it was in our own hands, but losing today hasn’t helped us. Top four, that’s still our goal.”

Scorers for UL-Bohs: Ian Hanley 2T; B. Martin 1P 1C).

Scorers for Shannon: A. Thompson 2P.

UL-BOHS: M. Butler; M. McPhail, B. Martin, C. Finn, I. Hanley; F. Lawlor, C. Delooze; K. Flanagan, G. Ryan, M. Storey; B. Madigan, R. Hartigan; A. O’Gorman, J.E. O’Connor; J. O’Neill.

Replacement: A. Hartigan (O’Neill inj. 9).

SHANNON: D. O’Donovan; S. Kelly, A. Finn, I. Dowling, P. O’Connor; A. Thompson, F. McNamara; C. Costigan, S. Cronin, T. Buckley; P. O’Brien, F. Walsh; D. Ryan, C. McMahon (c), D. Quinlan.

Replacement: G. Noonan (McMahon inj. 30); TJ Hickey (Quinlan inj. 55); J. Clogan (Kelly 73); T. Bennett (80+3).

Blood sub: TJ Hickey (Ryan 47/54).

Referee: J. Carvill (Leinster).