Classy Bective outshine Gorey in the mud
A View from the ‘side-line’ by OMAHD
Leinster League Division 1A
Saturday 11th March 2023 @ 3.00pm – Clonattin
Gorey RFC 12(2) – 28(4) Bective Rangers FC
Classy Bective outshine Gorey in the mud and finish with a bonus point victory.
Round 14 of the Division 1A Leinster League and Bective are crowned Leinster League Division 1A Champions for 2022/23 season.
This week, Bective from their last outing had three changes in selection, with Rodrigo Gens starting in place of captain Colin Jackson, who rested on the bench, Shane O’Loughlin at scrum half and Tim Carroll at fullback.
Earlier, the weather in Clonattin cast doubt on the fixture being played but referee Mr Dermot Blake ARLB IRFU from Lansdowne FC, following a pitch inspection, decided to proceed . Underfoot the pitch was very wet following overnight snow which had turned to rain and just on kick-off time, the weather cleared for a mild afternoon. Gorey on the other hand were short some of their regulars and also had ‘one eye’ on their next fixture vs Kilkenny in the Towns Cup. Bective started strongly and were immediately on the offensive with Ti and Bobby Holland carrying hard into the home defence. This was to be the trend for both sides as defence dominated. Bective’s first visit to the home ’22 saw Ti clean through the Gorey defence to score under the posts. Mikey O’Hare added the point and Bective were 7 points up.
As the game ebbed and flowed, it was not long before Bective were back again and following some ‘coast to coast’ backline passing, Mikey O’Hare straightened the line and got in for a fine individual try. Mikey added the point and Bective were now 14 points clear with 20 minutes of play.
Gorey stuck to their task and soon figured the Bective ploy of numbers committed to the ruck and began to take the ball ‘up the middle’. Soon they were rewarded with a try by No. 8 Jordan Ahern. The conversion was missed by their fullback and talisman, Brian O’Leary and the score was 14 – 5 for Bective. With the heavy ground taking its toll on players, Mattie Keane retired due to a slight injury and both sides used the bench with rolling subs. Colin Jackson returned to the front row, Tom Dever to the backrow, with Mark Bennett to No 8. and Tim Molony on for Tim Carroll, Bective set out to close the game off. As in previous games, the Bective pack dominated the opposition and following a series of scrums followed by penalties, the referee awarded Bective a penalty try. The half ended with Bective leading Gorey 21 – 5.
Half Time – Gorey RFC 5 – 21 Bective Rangers FC
From the restart, Gorey came out with a new sense of urgency and continued to attack the Bective ruck. They were rewarded by some fine drives but a chop tackle by Tiernan McCluskey on their No. 8 saw Mark Bennett in for a steal and to eventually get a relieving penalty. Bective then piled on the pressure, with huge carries and exchanges between back and forwards taking them deep into the home ’22. Bective were camped on the Gorey line and following a series of fast rucking, Rodrigo Gens got in for a bonus point try. Mikey O’Hare added the conversion to bring the score to 28 – 5.
As the game wore-on, Bective continued to dominate in both lineouts and scrums but Gorey for their part, continued to defend and attack at every opportunity. However, with minutes left on the clock, Gorey finally got in for a second try when they dotted down in the corner. Brian O’Leary, their fullback, kicked the difficult conversion to leave the final score 28 – 12 for Bective.
Next up is the BIG one, Energia All-Ireland League semi-final qualifier – 1.00pm KO vs Clogher Valley RFC in Ashbrook, Coolmine RFC.
This long-awaited achievement, the second year in a row, has been a tremendous season for Bective to finish as clear champions in what is probably one of the most competitive leagues. This success is remarkable and could not have been done without the support of unseen work in the background, the volunteers and the extended 1XV squad. We had 14 League games in Division 1A and only 6 players have featured in all 14 games and between them have scored 21 tries. These stalwart Bective six are, Captain Colin Jackson, Mark Bennett, Matthew Gilsenan, Shane O’Meara, Scott Barron and Tim Maloney - all I’m sure, will be part of Bective’s fabric and history for many years to come.
Full Time – Gorey RFC 12 – 28 Bective Rangers FC
Bective Rangers FC – 1XV 15 Mikey O'Hare, 14 Tim Maloney, 13 Bobby Holland, 12 Titapu Pairama-Lewington, 11 Shane O'Meara, 10 Matthew Gilsenan, 9 Shane O’Loughlin, 1 Rodrigo Gens, 2 Scott Barron, 3 Connie Campher, 4 Tadhg O’Dwyer, 5 Ger Ward, 6 Mark Bennett, 7 Tiarnan McCloskey, 8 Mattie Keane.
Replacements: 16 Scott Barron, 17 Colin Jackson ©, 18 Tom Dever, 19 Tim Maloney, 20 Seb Berti Jnr.
Referee: Mr Dermot Blake ARLB IRFU Lansdowne FC
Head-to-Head – Leinster League Division 1A - Bective Rangers FC vs Gorey RFC
Played 8, Won 5, Draw 0, Lost 3. Points vs Gorey RFC – 146 pts (22T) – 101 pts (14T)
