East Glendalough School

Senior Rugby

It was a quiet season for the senior boy’s rugby team. The year’s main focus was on the training pitch trying to develop the team for next year. The season started early with competitive matches in the Leinster development cup against Wexford C.B.S .We unfortunately lost this.

Between Christmas and Easter a local league was organised for teams in the South East region. In this we won both games against Colaiste Bhride Carnew and Arklow C.B.S comfortably. The home derby against Wicklow (a combined team of the Abbey and theDe La Salle) was a much closer game, with us only losing by a small margin.

Although the competitive season was then finished there was still plenty of training being organised by Mr Hurley. Unfortunately for the players it consisted mainly of conditioning work and fitness tests!

We are looking forward to next season and plans have been busily undertaking pre-season training throughout the summer.

Ben Mangan, 6G

Junior Rugby

EGS Rugby Success

After a few years of mixed rugby results in the school, the Junior rugby team really stepped up and made a name for EGS this season. We entered the Leinster Development Cup with high hopes. The team started with great enthusiasm, gaining a stunning 32-7 victory over Scoil Chonglais. This win gave the team a huge confidence boost and we were raring to get on the pitch again - we had the winning bug. We had our eyes set on the cup final, but to get there we had to beat CBS Wexford, Gorey C.C. and Malahide C.S.

With some great teamwork we were able to reach our potential - and with grit and determination saw off all of these teams. Of course there were some individual achievements - our speedy winger Luke Daunt-Smith scoring what seemed like at least three tries every game with his incredible pace, David Hastie making tackle after tackle following the ball along their backline like a vintage No. 7 and literally making the opposing team fear him, and of course Liam Walshe blasting holes through the opposition defence. By making it to the Development Cup final we were moved up to the Duff Cup. The team knew the challenge that lay ahead but we were ready for it.

The first match of our new league was against Wilson's Hospital. At half time the scores were still tied, but we managed to pull ourselves together and with a lot of patience and discipline we managed to score. We pushed them back on to their try line, and when they tried to clear their lines Robbie Bradshaw sprinted in on top of them and managed to deflect the kick and touch the ball down for the first try of the match. The new league was going brilliantly and people had started to talk about East Glendalough - that new rugby school from South Wicklow. The EGS Junior rugby team were in the newspapers and people from all over were congratulating us. Even the principal of Blackrock College rang Mr.Cox to congratulate EGS on its success!

In the school assembly you could smile with pride as Mr. Cox said 'And the junior rugby team has yet again won their match this week'. We played Good Counsel next and beat them 36-3, which got the team through to the semi-finals. Our next challenge was CBS Naas, we knew this was going to be a tough match. The team prepared really well and on the day we gave a spectacular performance. Five minutes from full time we were just one try ahead, the rain came down but our heads stayed up and there wasn't one person on the team that didn't make at least one bone-crunching tackle. When the referee blew the whistle for full time the team erupted with shouts and cheers. We had now got through to two finals!

Nothing like this had ever been achieved by an EGS rugby team before. The heavy snow unfortunately delayed the finals. When it finally cleared a sense of anticipation fell on the rugby players. We played the Duff Cup final first. All of the school was there to cheer us on, they were in jerseys, had their face painted and there were even fox mascots! The team we were up against was Skerries C.C. Both sides played a great game of rugby with lots of great tackles, runs, passes and kicks. But unfortunately it wasn't our day and Skerries came out on top 13-3. The defeat was disappointing and no one on the team wanted a repeat of that. On reflection I think that some days are not for you and it is fair to say that we were beaten by a better team and they deserved their win - good luck to them and their supporters.

We channelled this loss into our Development Cup final against St. Mary's Drogheda. We had the great privilege of playing this match in Leinster's home ground of Donnybrook. We gave an amazing performance and we triumphed over St. Mary's 50-10. St. Mary's put up a good game - but unlike the Duff Cup final - this was our day!!!! And we deserved it …. The team were ecstatic and the supporters clapped and cheered and screamed for us. We were called up individually to get our medals and once we were all up on the stands the trophy was handed to Fergal Marshall, our captain.

We had walked up a set of steps where previous legends of Irish rugby had gone before us - we were so proud of ourselves, our coaches, our supporters, our fellow students and our principal - Mr. Cox and all the school teachers and management team. Fergal raised the cup and again the team went ballistic - this was our day! Fergal then gave an incredibly inspiring speech (as anyone there on the day will know) - he thanked the referee for refereeing, he thanked the players for playing, he thanked the supporters for supporting …. you get the idea!!!! They say everyone has several minutes of glory in their life - that day was a good start! And then we were off for the team photo.

This season has been an amazing one, I have extremely enjoyed playing for my school. I'd like to thank Mr. Cox and the school for all the support that we've received. I'd also like to thank Mr. Hurley and Mr. Richmond for the amazing coaching and support that they gave us this season, we couldn't have done it without them. Also a huge thank you for the families, friends and fellow students who supported us during the season - hearing cheers of 'EGS' makes a real difference when you are on the pitch. It has been a real pleasure to represent East Glendalough School in rugby this season - a season I shall never forget. Now …. when does next season start ???

Sam Ferns, 2E

Junior Rugby 2010-2011

This year was a historic year for EGS junior rugby. We started the year with great excitement and high optimism. We had two new coaches, Mr (the bear) Hurley and Mr Richmond both great rugby men. We began training straight away and had our first friendly match against St. Andrews. We won. This was the start of many wins for us and our cup campaign set off with a blast, with the EGS team succeeding in tests against schools from all over the Leinster region. Before long we found ourselves in the semi final of the Development Cup against a strong team from Malahide. We were delighted that all our hard work paid off with a score of 31-7, and more importantly we had secured a place in the final. Our team captained by Fergal Marshall had a long and excited wait until our big day in Donnybrook Stadium.
In the meantime our success in this league qualified us for a chance to compete in the Duff Cup too. These higher league matches were a tough test for the team with the school competing against teams from Wilson’s Hospital and CBS Nass. To the school’s delight we advanced to the semi final of the Duff Cup and this strong team began to cause quite a stir in rugby circles as well as attracting considerable media attention. In a nail biting semi final our team came up trumps and won 15-8. The “inspirational quest” continued with the team now in not one but two cup finals, a new achievement for the players and for the school. This gave us a chance to qualify and play in yet another higher level, The Fr Godfrey Cup.
On a cold January day the Junior team fought hard in the Duff Cup Final, cheered on by the entire school. After a gritty test our team finally lost in what was a very close match against Skerries. Disappointed and disheartened our coaches Hurley and Richmond tried to lift our defeated spirits for our one last chance at silverware. The Development Cup. Just one week later the team believed that failure was not an option and the support from the teachers and students was overwhelming. We set out with vengeance and really brought our “A game” on the day to bring the cup home.
We then had once last chance to really put our name on the map in the Fr Godfrey Cup against Roscrea and Wesley College. Unfortunately we were not successful again however, merely being matched and holding our own against teams of this calibre was an honour and an achievement for us. Never in our wildest dreams did we imagine playing teams like these with years of experience in the top leagues. I remember one player even joking about the possibility of even having the opportunity to play these teams at the start of the season, but our efforts have taught us that anything is possible and perseverance is key. On behalf of the team I would like to thank Mr Henry Hurley and Mr Graham Richmond without whom I would not be able to write about our successes today. I also could not write this article without acknowledging the support and belief that our principal Mr Cox had in us from the start and the appreciated support we had from Ms Weir and indeed the entire student body and teachers alike.
I look forward to playing for the school in the future and being part of another great team with such a great group of lads who made this season’s rugby so enjoyable!
Joe Jones, 4E

The Junior Rugby Team

The Junior Rugby Team started training last week. Pupils from 2nd to 4th Year are anticipating big Cup and League games. We have a good team and play strongly together.

Luan Williams, 2S and Craig Usher 2G

U13 Rugby

It was hard to train at the start of the year not knowing everyone, but as the season went on, we started to get to know our team mates through classwork and rugby drills, and with great coaches such as Mr.Hurley and Mr.Richmond, it made it very easy for us to learn new skills and techniques.

Our first game was against St.Andrews. Unfortunately we were defeated as a result of a great loss of players, but as the game went on, we started to work as a team and held them in the second half.Our other game in this season was a rugby blitz in Arklow. This was a great experience for the team as we came 3 place in it, barley loosing in the semi-final and winning the 3 place play off. This ended the season on a high and now we look forward to having a chance at competing in the junior cup in which last year’s team did so well.
We would like to thank the coaches for making the season fun and enjoyable.
Keir Hackett 2E and Craig. Usher 2G