Nenagh Ormond in dreamland as top flight debut beckons

'Anything that someone does, we do it as the whole squad of 30, 40 lads. There's no-one going off in their cliques' says skipper Kevin O'Faherty

Nenagh Ormond back row John Brislane : When we're at home we're always at our best, it’s our fortress'. Pic: Ryan Byrne, Inpho

NENAGH Ormond will step into club rugby’s dreamland on Saturday, not wide-eyed but on a mission to stake a firm foothold in the top flight of the Energia All Ireland League.

After back-to-back promotions from AIL Division 2A, the Tipperary club have made it to 1A and have every confidence it will not be a fleeting visit, despite the romance of this distinctly country club mixing it with the big boys from Dublin, Cork and Limerick.

The excitement should be palpable at New Ormond Park come 4pm when Nenagh open their account against Old Belvedere, the Dublin club who make a return to 1A as Division 1B champions with the game being livestreamed on the IRFU’s irishrugby+ platform (plus.irishrugby.ie).

The Tipp club’s last AIL encounter was a momentous come-from-behind play-off victory against UCC in front of a big home crowd on April 26 which sealed their elevation to elite status and Nenagh back-rower John Brislane is certain the good vibes will continue at New Ormond Park this season as the town rows in behind the club.

“We were really happy to get a first game at home because we just wanted to get a foot mark on it,” Brislane, a farmer, told the Irish Examiner

“When we're at home we're always at our best, it’s our fortress and the crowd will always show up really strong whether that's home or away, but really strong on our home days. So we're extremely looking forward to it.” 

Old Belvedere were emphatic champions, finishing 13 points about runners-up Nenagh on the regular season 1B table and winning home and away against their nearest rivals though those match-ups were both tightly contested affairs, the Dubliners leaving Tipperary with a 32-31 win thanks a late penalty from Ireland Under-20 fly-half Sam Wisniewski.

“We have a good rivalry,” Brislane said, “and we're really looking forward to just seeing where we are this year. We're just as close, and we hope to be. We're going to put our best foot forward and see how it goes.

“Other years we would have had targets. Last year’s target was being in the top four. And it's a boring answer, but we're only focused on one game at a time, and analyse that, analyse your game from last week. Try and improve week in, week out.

“If you keep doing that, you get to the end of the season and you have all your little wins built up, it starts getting a bit better. And we keep topping up.” 

Nenagh Ormond are awarded the Bank Of Ireland Munster Senior Club of the Year award. Pic: Dan Sheridan, Inpho

That has been the club’s approach since Brislane, 22, left behind age-grade rugby and turned senior.

“When I was Under-18, Nenagh were in 2A and very much so looking like they were going to go down to 2B and things weren't looking good. And the lads battled really hard and got through it and ended up not getting relegated and staying in 2A.

So when I turned senior we were in 2A at the time, and Derek Corcoran took over as head coach then with James Hickey and Dan Fogarty, and that was kind of the click, when Derek took over.

“We started really focusing on doing the basics right and it was the small things, like just showing up for training on time and getting your extras in before training, and making sure you're doing your gym work.

“It wasn't necessarily training harder, it was just getting the really small things right. And it wasn't like everything happened straight away, but it was like all the little things built up, turned into big things, and it's where our success is coming from, really.” 

There is a recognition, though that Division 1A will be a different beast and Brislane added: “In 1A, there's no easy games, there's no weeks off, there's no, ‘oh, we’ll pick up a few points here’. You have to be on it every week.

“And that's especially why you can only focus on one game at a time, because if you take your eye off, even for five minutes in a game, it could be game over.

“You can't be having your purple spots, you have to be clued in all the time. And that comes from lads coming off the bench, lads starting, like, it's all matters.” 

Club captain and fellow back-rower Kevin O’Flaherty is confident Nenagh have the tightly-knit, largely homegrown squad to ensure that all for one mentality in this toughest of campaigns to come.

“It's dreamland really for the club,” last season’s Energia AIL Division 1B player of the season said. “We've a very good underage system and we have had for a good few years now. You look back when we were in the 2Bs and 2As, we had young lads that were playing senior rugby but they were enticed by playing a higher division and some of them moved to the likes of the Limerick clubs.

“Dylan Murphy for one, he went had a year with Garryowen and he came back to us and he's been exceptional for us. There's been other people like that too, that want to play at a higher standard but maybe the club isn't the right fit for you, whereas I think our club is one that we really have that community feel about it.

“Everyone is really good friends. Like, it’s funny, our forwards coach had his 50th birthday, maybe last year, and other clubs, you might have two or three lads turn up for it but we turn out in our droves. Anything that someone does, we do it as the whole squad of 30, 40 lads. There's no-one going off in their cliques.

“It's very much if you buy into the culture that we have and buy into just working hard, training hard, you'll fit in really well with us.” 

Brislane agrees that the environment at Nenagh Ormond will be strong enough to see the club through their maiden top-flight season and ensure an extended stay in 1A rather than a temporary visit.

“It won't be. We want to put our best foot forward, and all we do is do our best every day and that's what we're going to do.

“And sure, anything's possible. Like, we only went into 1B last year and our plan was to get to the play-offs for 1A. Like, would we have thought we'd be in 1A this year? Not really.

“So, like, that was a really great year last year and sure, there's nothing to say we can't push on this year. We plan on doing our best.”