RUGBY
Bad weather means wasted trip to Glasgow
By Daire Walsh
ADVERSE weather conditions ensured that many sporting events were postponed across Ireland and the UK last weekend, and Leinster’s proposed Guinness Pro12 game on Saturday against Glasgow Warriors in Scotstoun Stadium was no different.
This game against the reigning league champions was expected to be a major test of the Blues’ mental resolve ahead of their back-to-back European Rugby Champions Cup encounters with Toulon, but the rain-soaked pitch in Glasgow was deemed unplayable upon inspection.
It remains to be seen when this game will now take place, but even though Leo Cullen’s charges ultimately remained idle, they will nevertheless face a hectic schedule in the coming weeks. Key players like Jamie Heaslip, Jonathan Sexton, Isa Nacewa and Sean O’Brien weren’t included in the match-day squad for this Pro12 clash, and they will need to be at full strength for this Saturday’s trip to Toulon.
MU Barnhall’s away fixture with Highfield in Division 2B of the Ulster Bank League was also postponed on Saturday, but Naas’ home game against Nenagh Ormond in Division 2A did go ahead as scheduled.
The Forenaughts outfit had started the day in second place in the third-tier table, and with 30 minutes gone on the clock, they led their Tipperary counterparts by four points (7-3). A converted try from Derek Corcoran helped Nenagh to move into the ascendancy prior to the interval, though, and despite the best endeavours from Naas, the visitors held out for a 10-7 victory.
As a result of this defeat (their fourth of the campaign), Naas have now dropped down to fourth position, six points behind current divisional pace-setters Banbridge. A couple of games fell foul of the weather in Division 1A as well, but the local derby between UCD and Old Belvedere did take place at the Belfield Bowl.
Kildare duo Billy Dardis and Jeremy Loughman were selected in the starting line-up for UCD, and they played a major role in their side’s hard-earned 20-12 win, which helps them to remain at the summit of the top-flight table.
Adam Byrne would have joined Dardis in the Students’ back-three for this game, but the Kill native was on Ireland Sevens duty for the past weekend. Ireland had a mixed start to the Dubai Men’s Sevens International Invitational Tournament on Friday, as they followed up a comprehensive 36-0 triumph over Belgium with a 19-0 reversal at the hands of Apache.
They made encouraging progress on Saturday, however, and Byrne featured from the start in all three of Ireland’s games. They defeated Georgia by 13 points (20-7) in the Cup quarter-final, and even though they came off second best to eventual winners Samurai 7s (26-12) in the subsequent semi-final, they ultimately secured a respectable third place finish with a 19-10 success against FFR Development.
Captain Tom Daly and Ballynahinch star David McGuigan crossed the whitewash in this 3rd/4th Place Play-Off, while Young Munster’s reliable place-kicker – Gearoid Lyons – finished with a personal tally of nine points.