DO YOU WANT A GREAT CHRISTMAS GIFT IDEA?
Why not purchase Longford RFC Club Gear by Canterbury for the special people in your life?All gear can be ordered online at the link below; Cool fleece tops, polo shirts, jerseys, training gear, hats, bags etc make great stocking fillers
Hilary Davis also has high quality club ties available for €25

MINI/YOUTH PLAYING INFORMATION AND PLAYING TIMES

Youth’s Fixtures 

Sat 17th Dec

U15’s v Navan (Home)

U16’s v Tullamore (Away)

Youth’s Results

Longford U13 05 Naas 14

Longford U14 59 Ardee 05

Longford U15 10 Gorey 15

Longford U16 10 Birr 43

Longford U18 05 North Kildare 22

Match Reports

Leinster U14 League Div 1A 

Longford 59 Ardee 5

Longford Under 14s finished off the year with a comprehensive win against a valiant Ardee in the second round of the Leinster League. Ardee started strongly and probed the Longford defence, before the hosts got into gear. However, a glimmer of what was to come when a burst from centre Oisin O’Toole released left-wing Cormac Donagh to race for the line, only to be snuffed out by a superb covering tackle. The game was to come to a shuddering halt though, as flanker Jason Glancy & Ardee prop Connell McCague collided in the midfield, leaving both warriors injured and unable to continue. We wish them both a speedy recovery.

When the game finally resumed, Longford applied the pressure, and Josh Sorohan, playing at the unfamiliar position of out-half scored two swift tries, converting both. Longford dominated for the remainder of the game, and a hat-trick from the rampaging loose-head prop, Aaron Oates and braces from No 8 Kola Adejinmi and centre Cian Sutton delied the overall team performance here. The coaches had made a number of (baffling!) positional changes but the wholse squad adapted to their new roles brilliantly. Cian Sutton, reveled in the freedom at 5/8 and was behind many of the line breaks made. Josh Sorohan, as always was inspirational, but the day belonged to the new guys. Owen Harkin, at his first run at full-back, was unlucky not to cross the whitewash, and Niall Sheridan nearly broke his duck on a couple of occasions, but for a cover tackler and an earlier infringement. Man-of-the-match, however, for a storming second-half performance was blindside flanker, Aaron Gilna, who constantly probed the Ardee defences, giving the forwards more impetus. He was unlucky at one stage to be held three metres from the line.

The old cliché goes that it’s the forwards that win games and the backs by how much, and whilst we can eulogise all the backs, the forwards outscored them; but even these lines were blurred. The ever versatile Ronan Kavanagh played at hooker, flanker, No 8 and even centre during the day’s proceedings, and was a natural at all. The front row was dominant; Padraig Sheridan, just back from injury powered up front, whilst hooker Patrick Connaughton snuffed out any responses. Another front-rower back from a layoff, Kevin McDonagh took the reins in the second half, with scrum-half Dylan Reilly maintaining the onslaught; & unlucky not to get on the scoresheet himself. Mark Bracken slotted into an unfamiliar No 7 role and hounded and harried the Ardee back-row.

Much of the good work though came from the platform we have been working on, and the second-row pairing of Jack Linnane and Rory Maguire reigned supreme at the line-out, with Jack also getting some excellent turnovers in the rucks and Rory carrying like a demon, only to be stopped short. Rory, that try is coming soon.

Anyway, we sign off from competition for 2016 but we can look at our next game, with a long trip to Wexford with optimism. Wishing everyone a Happy Christmas, and from all the squad, Jason, see you again soon.

Squad: Aaron Oates; Ronan Kavanagh; Padraig Sheridan; Rory Maguire; Jack Linnane; Aaron Gilna; Jason Glancy; Kola Adejinmi; Dylan Reilly; Josh Sorohan; Niall Sheridan; Cian Sutton; Oisin O’Toole; Cormac McDonagh; Owen Harkin; Kevin McDonagh; Mark Bracken; Patrick Connaughton

Leinster U15 League Div 1 

Longford U15 10 Gorey 15

Longford’s Under 15s slumped to a second successive league defeat away to Gorey on Saturday, the only consolation being a late bonus point but with only two points from their first two outings it will take something of a miracle to be in with a shout for league honours come next February. Once again, it was very much a case of what might have been with Longford having the lion’s share of both territory and possession but indiscipline at the breakdown and a lack of composure when in possession proved to be their undoing. Conceding somewhere between 15 and 20 penalties for a variety of infringements, particularly in and around the ruck, Longford were their own worst enemies, needlessly conceding possession to the home side time and time again.

The game began with Longford very much to the fore, camped inside the Gorey half for long periods and it was very, very much against the run of play that the home side scored with 15 minutes on the clock. A somewhat risky pass across the back line was knocked on and with the referee playing advantage the Gorey left winger was quickest to respond and ran for half the length of the pitch for an unconverted try wide out in the corner. Matters were to go from bad to worse when, a few minutes later, Longford needlessly conceded a kickable penalty inside their own 22 and almost in front of the posts to give Gorey a scoring opportunity which they willingly took.

With just minutes left before the break Longford got themselves back into the game when Shane Mallon muscled his way over following a break from the base of a scrum by No 8, Ciaran McCormack and with little between the sides there was all to play for in the second period. All that Longford had to do was cut down on the penalty count, stop giving needless possession to Gorey time and time again, and instead build play through phases after which the scoring opportunities would eventually present themselves. The second half opened brightly enough with Longford doing just that, James Doyle and Maks Napieralski carrying well into contact. Once again, however, Gorey were to score completely against the run of play and, once again, Longford were the authors of their own misfortune, Gorey stealing possession from a ruck near their own line when James Doyle was left isolated when the support players were slow to arrive and, having turned over possession near their own line, the home side ran the ball the length of the pitch for a converted try.

Unfortunately, the old habits from the first half resurfaced and again hard earned territory and possession was needlessly conceded to the opposition with a variety of infringements at the ruck, side entry, failing to stay on feet and no release. With time running out Longford got themselves back into the game Shane Mallon crossing for a try in the left corner leaving it a single score game. With the kick off constituting the final play of the game Longford failed to secure meaningful possession and as the ball eventually went dead Gorey emerged with a somewhat fortuitous four points but, at the end of the day, Longford can have no complaints as the game was there to be won.

Squad: Gary Kenny, Mark McHugh, Ciaran Shannon, JJ Jackson, Dylan Fay, Conor Cox, Ciaran McCormack, Ben Carthy, Ultan O’Sullivan, Thomas McDermott, Shane Mallon, James Doyle, Jack Sullivan, Charlie Patterson, Frank Patterson, Killian Rawle, Kieran Reen, Maks Napieralski, Joshua Gray, Seamus McKeon.