Leinster League 3: Sunday 15.01.23

North Meath 19-0 Clane

Sometimes you wait 75 minutes for a try and then three come at once.

North Meath left it very late in their game against Clane but a flurry of tries at the death gave the Meath men the victory they needed to secure the Leinster League 3 title.

For 75 minutes, the game had remained deadlock at 0-0. Even though a scoreless draw would have been enough to claim the title, both sides were desperate to cross the line and claim the victory.

The home team had a chance to get on the scoresheet early on when fly-half Oisin McDermott had a shot at goal. But, playing against the wind, the kick drifted wide of the post. Another long distant chance went wide as well.

There were some breaks from scrum-half Nathan Kiernan but unfortunately they could not be finished off. Similarly, some chips into space were not capitalised on, leaving the game scoreless at half-time.

The conditions were unhelpful and worsened as the game went on. This led to a number of untimely knock-ons in the second half.

As the game edged towards full-time, the prospect of a pointless result loomed ever larger, ratcheting up the tension.

By now, North Meath were dominating possession and territory but were unable to cross the line.

And then, in the 76th minute, with a scrum in the 22, the ball went to McDermott and he was able to break free of his markers and cross the line, sparking delirium on the pitch and on the sidelines.

The score seemed to lift the tension from the home team and one minute later, they were in for another score. Kiernan, on the halfway line, chipped into acres of space and winger Louis Finnegan was able to drop on the perfectly executed kick.

And then there were three. Another Kiernan chip, this time to the opposite corner, was seized on by flanker Patrick Farnan, making the score 19-0.

The final scoreline was harsh on Clane in what had been a close contest, especially in the first half.

But for North Meath, the result assures them of the Leinster league title and promotion to league 2b for next season.

What was especially pleasing for the coaching team of Simon Deevy and Conor Grey was that the youth were to the fore for this fixture. Two of the scorers (McDermott and Finnegan) are just 19 while Farnan is just a year older.

North Meath will be presented with the trophy at their next league game at the Grange against Ratoath on Sunday 22nd.

Team: Jordan Herring, Ruben Mostert, Cian Doogan, Andrew Kenny, Louis Finnegan, Oisin McDermott, Nathan Kiernan, Sam Bashford, Sean Gilsenan, Padraic McGurl, Graham Boland, Denis Canon, Cailum Kiernan, Eoin Briody, Ben Shine

Replacements: Senan McDermott, Andrew Dowds, Curtis Hunter, Patrick Farnan, Eanna Finn, Theo Chamberlayne Daye, Ciaran Cullen, Henry Armstrong

Tries: McDermott, Finnegan, Farnan

Cons: McDermott (2)

*Pictures courtesy of Pascal Reilly