PAT ROSSITER CUP FINAL REACTION – PATRICIAN NEWBRIDGE COACH NEIL TAYLOR
Taylor delighted with the spirit shown by Patrician team
By Daire Walsh
AFTER seeing his side claim the Pat Rossiter Cup in the most spectacular of fashions in Donnybrook last Thursday, Patrician College Newbridge coach Neil Taylor express his delight at the current development of rugby within the school.
Patricians recovered from a 19-point interval deficit (26-7) to secure this Junior Development title – which was the school’s maiden success in this competition.
“It was a classic game of two halves. Patricians scored very early on in the game, and then we were playing on the back-foot for the majority of the first half and went down by a significant margin,” Taylor remarked afterwards.
“What was particularly enriching for us as coaches, and for those who work with the boys, is the fact that they showed huge personality, character, resolve, grit and determination in coming back from that deficit and closing out a very tough game. Against an older, bigger and pacier side.”
From the opening moments of this pulsating encounter, Patricians were willing to play an expansive and fast-paced style of rugby. This is something that gave Taylor and his fellow coaches particular satisfaction.
“What was really, really positive about it was, they went out and expressed themselves. They stuck to their game plan, they played pure attacking rugby and they backed themselves in the end of the game to produce tries to win the match.
“There was no sense of being risk averse. Again as a building block, what we allowed them and empowered them to do was play rugby that they were comfortable with, and ultimately for them to prosper through.”
Though Newbridge College have consistently flown the flag in recent years, this victory will undoubtedly boost the game within Patricians. Yet, far from seeing the two schools as arch rivals, Taylor (a CCRO coach with Newbridge RFC) believes a unique bond is developing within the town.
“While Newbridge College will be seen as the centre of rugby in the town, and rightly so, they facilitated a Senior Cup semi-final a week ago to allow for their neighbouring school to fulfil a fixture. When other pitches were unavailable.
“There’s a sense of fraternity in rugby now in the Newbridge area, driven by the club and all the other clubs that support the school. There’s a really positive dynamic around rugby, both in the town and its wider area. Both for boys and girls, and it’s a building process that will continue,” Taylor added.