Cashel diehards hit brick wall

Cork Constitution 26 Cashel 15

Cashel have come a long way in the past five years. The junior ranks have been left behind, the club won nine cups in 2009 and they’re sitting pretty with two wins from two in Division 2A of the Ulster Bank League.

This was their second successive year reaching the last four of this storied competition against the odds. Bruff had been stunned in front of their own supporters, before Old Crescent left Spafield with almost half a century of points put on them. In last year’s semi-final, Cashel were steamrolled 47-10 by eventual winners Garryowen. The end result may have been the same at Temple Hill on Saturday, but they’re getting closer. What’s more, the finer details of the game suggest they should have won.

“We started so, so badly. You can’t give a team like Con a 10-point lead,” lamented Cashel flanker Ed Leamy. “Once we got going and switched on, we were well able to play, but weren’t putting away our chances.

“But that’s why Con are where they are. They punish your mistakes.

“Last year Garryowen gave us a good lesson in the semis. The difference on the scoreboard was 30-odd points, it’s 11 this year. If we can keep our focus, we won’t be too far away over the next couple of years.”

Having spent much of his career at Con, Leamy — brother of former Ireland star Denis — knows what’s required. He’s one of a number of totemic players who have returned home from top AIL clubs, now they can get a good standard of senior rugby in Tipperary.

“We didn’t exactly sit down and state any ambitions for the club, the last 10 years has just been about tipping away,” deadpans Leamy.

“Lads came back from senior clubs, Brendan O’Connor and myself from Con, Pat O’Connor from Shannon, John Ed O’Connor and Giles Boland from Bohs. There’s plenty of AIL experience there.

“Our young lads are good too, the likes of Cian O’Donnell who is on the Munster U20s. There’s fellas who could potentially play in Division One but they’re staying back in Cashel. There are quality players in this area, and Rockwell College is only out the road. These guys have an outlet to play senior rugby locally now.”

Having let Con lock Cathal O’Flaherty through for a soft try, Cashel found themselves 10-0 down inside nine minutes. They owned the rest of the half and played some slick rugby with no shortage of ambition, but the normally dead-eye Pat O’Connor could only land one of his four first-half penalties.

Con hit them with a sucker punch after the break, Phil Donnellan bursting through for a try after they had menacingly upped the pace, and Gerry Hurley’s conversion sent them out to 17-3.

Cashel again responded with bags of continuity but not enough end product. Their enterprise was eventually rewarded with a Rory O’Connor score out wide, Pat O’Connor converting to leave just seven points in it.

But crucially, they lost the restart and Con turned the screw again, the Tipp men coughing up two penalties to Hurley before Darragh Lyons popped over a drop-goal.

Boland did get over for an injury-time try but it mattered little as Cashel were left to wonder how they allowed Con to win with only around 30% of possession.

Some unyielding defence from the hosts helped, especially as they spent 30 minutes with 14 men due to three separate yellow cards. That experience should stand Brian Walsh’s men in good stead ahead of a final date with a teak-tough UL Bohemians outfit.

Scorers for Cork Con: C O’Flaherty, P Donnellan try each; G Hurley 2 cons, 3 pens; D Lyons drop goal.

Scorers for Cashel: R O’Connor, G Boland try each; P O’Connor con, pen.

CORK CONSTITUTION: R Clune; O O’Donnell, N O’Driscoll, P Parfrey, C Quinn; D Lyons, G Hurley; M Moynihan, A Cudmore, P Galvin; P Donnellan, C O’Flaherty; G Lawler, A White, J Ryan.

Rolling replacements: B Cagney, B Vaughan, C Corkery, P Dooley, B O’Hara, B Derham, P Perez.

CASHEL: P O’Connor; R O’Connor, G Boland, B Silke; K Leamy, C Quinlan, A Kelleher; E Hall, C O’Donnell; H Stanley; P Ryan, S Walsh; E Leamy, JE O’Connor, B O’Connor.

Rolling replacements: D Lamb, N Kelly, M Crosse, A Downing, M Hickey, D McGrath, R Mullane.

Referee: S Kierans (MAR).