By Tommy Butler Longford RFC PRO tommylbutler@gmail.com 

Longford Hall of Fame Awards with Joe Schmidt this Saturday in the Mansion House, Senior Men lose away to Carlow, Senior Women win at home to Portlaoise…

Senior Men

Longford Senior Men had a challenging day in Carlow yesterday with both sides coming away empty handed.  It was a particularly frustrating day for the Late XV who were well in the match in terms of territory and possession but who’s rucking especially let them down.

However, it’s not all doom and gloom.  The Christmas period should allow the Players and Management to reset for the last five league games and the upcoming Provincial Towns Cup.  Longford lie second in the league with seven wins from nine and welcome first placed Suttonian’s and third placed Monkstown to CPL Park in the New Year with all still to play for.  The Senior Men have shown the ability to bounce back strongly from a dip in form and the challenge of a good Monkstown side visiting CPL Park on January 6^th is sure to focus the minds of Management and Players over the Festive period.

First up is the chance to win their first Silverware of the season with the PST Midland League Final in Tullamore on Saturday December 29^th.  Longford are the current holders of the title and will have a hard task on their hands against an Edenderry side who are going well in Division 2 B.

The draw for the first round of the Provincial Towns Cup will also take place next weekend in the Aviva stadium before the Leinster v Bath Champions Cup game.  All fingers will be crossed for a good home draw this time out, as the both Senior Men’s team were drawn away to face Enniscorthy and Gorey in the hardest possible draws last year.  The Provincial Towns Cup is one of the oldest rugby cup competitions and widely regarded as one of the Premier Junior Rugby cup competitions. 

Upcoming Fixtures

Saturday December 29^th Midland League Final v Edenderry (Tullamore) KO 1.30 PM. Sunday January 6^th Leinster League Monkstown (Home).

Sunday January 13^th Leinster League DLSP (Home).

Sunday January 20^th Provincial Towns Cup 1^st Round (TBC).

League Kick offs 13:00/14:30 in January.

Longford Women (Warriors)

Longford Women secured their third victory on the trot yesterday and head into the Festive period with a lot to look forward to in 2019.  This was a solid performance for this young Longford side who are growing in confidence and was a great way to finish off the year with 3 wins in a row. They now take a well earned break over Christmas.

Furthermore, in a historic day for the club during the week the clubs first U18s Girls side lined out against Wilson Hospital in CPL Park.  Everyone was impressed with the skills on show from both sides and the Longford girls will be a great addition to the Senior Women’s side in the coming years.

The Warriors train every Tuesday and Friday night at 7.30 PM. New players of all fitness levels are welcome, even if they have not played before. Contact Nuala on 082482005.

Upcoming Fixtures:

Sunday January 13^th Leinster League Greystones (Away).

Sunday January 20^th Leinster League Naas (Home).

Sunday Januarys 27^th Leinster League Portlaoise (Away)

All Kick Offs are at 1 PM.

Longford Mini/Youths

Mini Rugby (U7-U12)

Longford Minis welcomed Buccaneers RFC on Saturday last to the first blitz between the two clubs in many years.  What started as a wet morning changed for the better and dried up just as the match’s began. Both clubs fielded good numbers from U9 up to U12 on the morning.

Our U12 team were under pressure from the off against a very good Athlone team. However, they kept plugging away despite the difficulty in matching their opponents. The reward was a good catch from a kick off by Senan Murphy who caught the Buccs off guard and scored from deep in his own half and then a fine effort by Michael Glennon, on his debut game for Longford, managed to evade the defensive effort to score in the corner.  Again, much to do to improve in our efforts.

The U10 and U11 teams both recorded two excellent performances and out scored the opposition while the U9 team were in a tight battle but had a great game. Their tackling was impressive against a good team and there were many tries scored by both teams in an honors even contest.

Perhaps the greatest performance of the day was the fine spread provided by the dedicated parents who once again stepped up to show why we have one of the best clubs in the country.  Our guests were massively impressed with the hospitality extended and look forward to many more meetings between our clubs. Thank you all for your help. It is very much appreciated.

Next Sunday will be our last training session of 2018. We will return playing on Jan 5th with a trip to Creggs RFC.  Please check Longford Minis RFC on Facebook for updates each week. 

Fixtures

Saturday December 15^th   
U15 v Birr (Home)

U14 v Edenderry (Home)

Sunday December 16th

U7-U12 & Girls Training (Home)

Training

Longford RFC field teams at Youth level from U6 to U18. Training and coaching information can be found below.  Gerry Carthy is Minis/Youths Chair. We are always looking for more coaches, managers, referees, administrators or helpers. If you can help out for even a few hours or make sandwiches for a game or have an ideas/concern’s please contact Gerry on; 086-8046857.

Youths

Longford Youths are back training at all levels. New players are welcome at all age levels throughout the season (it is never too late to join in!). There is no better time to start with the Rugby World Cup looming large on the horizon next November after Irelands record breaking 2018. Training times and Fixtures can be found on www.longfordrugby.com or at https://goo.gl/qAVBPv

New players are welcome at all age levels – just come to the club on the relevant training night or contact the contact the relevant coach via the link above for details. Don’t worry about not having played before – we have the coaching staff to teach the basics to any player. Jimmy Murphy is the Youth’s Co-ordinator and can be contacted at 086 2555621.

Minis (U6-U12)

Our future Leinster and Ireland stars train every Sunday at 10.30 am. New players are very welcome, we have a comprehensive team of trained coaches. Just remember to bring a gum shield and a bottle of water along with your training gear. Two new innovations for the coming season are that we have a new state of the art 4G training area, which are suitable for contact sports along with Girls Training from U8-U12.

The Full Mini (U7-U12) Season Planner can be downloaded at the following link; http://goo.gl/DAZ5GK  

Padraig Murphy is the Mini’s Co-ordinator and can be contacted at 086 2526741 or prgm@me.com 

Club News

Longford RFC Hall of Fame awards with Joe Schmidt this Saturday

Great excitement in the club is building around the upcoming Hall of Fame awards which take place in the Mansion House this Saturday.  The two inductees for the Clubs Hall of Fame are Paddy Quinn and Matt Hanley.  Neither of these club stalwarts will need any introduction to members and friends of the club.  Longford have secured the services of the most in demand speaker on Irelands sports circuit at the moment, none other than Ireland Head Coach, Joe Schmidt.  Getting to hear from Joe with the Six Nations and the World Cup on the horizon are worth the ticket price alone.  A pre-lunch reception begins at 12.30 followed by lunch at 13:00.  To round off the day attendees can add tickets to the Leinster v Bath Champions Cup match in the Aviva Stadium, which takes place at 5.30.  30 tables have been sold to date!  If you would like to grab the last remaining tickets priced at €100 each please contact any of the organising committee; Michael Connellan, Pat Fitzgerald, Padraic O’Kane, Dan Magan, Padraig Murphy, Gavin Belton and Derick Turner.

Club Representative Honours

Congratulations to Kevin McDonagh who started at hooker and Kola Adejinmi who came off the bench for U16 Midlands team in their win in Shane Horgan Cup versus the North East on December 5^th on a very foggy night in Mullingar.  The final score in the match was the Midlands 39 North East 31.

Congratulations to Mullinalaghta St. Columba’s.

Congratulations to all involved in Mullinalaghta on their historic win in the Leinster Club Final v Ballyboden from all in Longford RFC.

Amazing Fundraising Draw by Longford Senior Men

The Senior Men's Rugby team will be holding a draw this Christmas to support the local rugby club. The tickets will range from 1 cent up to €15 and will be available from all senior players. There is a big prize fund so get your tickets to be in with a chance to win!  The first prize is €1000!!! Second prize is €500 and three further prizes of €100 each.

Social Dancing at Longford RFC

Did you know that social dancing takes place every Wednesday evening from 10 PM – 12 PM?  We have one of the newest and best clubhouses in the country, along with great music and a great crowd.  Admission is €10 including refreshments with all funds raised going directly to the club. Contact 087 9843331 for more information.

Upcoming Lineup:

12/12/18 Brendan McGee & Eugene Cunningham

19/12/18 John Molloy

Great Food/Events & Christmas Parties at Longford RFC

The Sin Bin at Longford RFC serves great quality and value food on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday from 12-3 and 12-7 on Saturday and Sunday. Booking for events such as birthdays, christening, confirmations, communions, weddings and funerals are available.

The Sin Bin also shows all Irish rugby/Leinster/Munster matches live.

For bookings and information phone Kris on 0872872357.

St. Stephens Night at Longford RFC

The Sin Bin will be hosting our normal great St. Stephens night party on December 26^th.  On what is a very busy night in town the rugby club is perfect place to meet friends and family in a more chilled atmosphere.  Remember to put it down on your diary.

4G All Weather Pitch Rental

Our state of the art floodlight Mel Diffley 4G pitch is available for rental.  It contains shock absorption so that players can play contact sports/fall over without hurting themselves.  It is also perfect for 5 a side soccer.  If you would like to book it phone Damian on 0862757103.