Match Report: Thanks to Dermot Benn 

It was a game of four halves! After 100 minutes of enthralling rugby in the Provincial Towns Seconds Cup Final, Naas vs Gorey ended in a 24-24 draw after extra time. These evenly matched teams will have to do it all over again in a replay, set for Saturday next, 10 May with Kilkenny RFC hosting the game once more. 

On a bright but blustery day and a well-presented pitch, both sets of supporters were treated to a fascinating encounter that kept them on tenterhooks throughout. 

Naas played against a strong breeze in the first half and were under pressure from the start as Gorey mounted an earlysustained attack. They took the lead with a penalty after 3 minutes. The Kildare side maintained their composure and settled in to the game. On the 16th minute speedy full backJohn Shanahan danced his way through the Gorey defence evading a number of tackles to score a superb try. He converted his own score to put Naas 7-3 ahead.

On 28 minutes, the young Naas 10, Josh Murphy, made a terrific break through the heart of the Gorey defence and delivered a long wide pass to winger Tim Courtney. The 6’2” flying winger charged down the left wing, beating two defenders and cutting inside to score under the posts. John Shanahan dispatched the conversion to give Naas a 14-3 lead. 

Gorey stuck to their task and a short time later scored from a penalty given for a Naas player failing to roll away, reducing the lead to 8 points.

Naas were containing their opponents relatively comfortably at this stage nullifying their attack plays which varied from long punts well taken by Courtney and Shanahan to grubber kicks cleaned up by right wing Kenny Gralton. The Wexford men’s forward pack power plays were halted by brave tackles from centres Andy Shanahan and Oisin Tyrell and forwards David Benn, Philip Jordan and Conor McGroary. The Naas Pack led by team captain Eoin Tierney at tight head and Patrick Stapleton at loose head held their own in the scrum. The lively Richie Brophy hit delightful box kicks and snapped at the heels of his opposite number with a high level of energy. Naas were efficient in their line outs with accurate throwing from hooker Joe McSherry and great fielding by Aaron and Andy Murphy. 

However, momentum shifted firstly with the loss of powerful winger Courtney following an unfortunate clash of heads on 32 minutes followed by a yellow card for a high tackle on 35 minutes. Gorey took advantage scoring a try on the stroke of half time. The tricky conversion was missed leaving the score at 14-11 to Naas at the break. 

Gorey took the game to 14-man Naas straight from the restart, with Naas digging in defensively until they were back to full strength.  Although restored to a full contingent, Naas were still under pressure and conceded a penalty for an offside in the 50th minute. Gorey levelled the game at 14-all. 

In a cagey last 30 minutes of regular time, Naas scored next with a penalty from the assured boot of John Shanahan to retake the lead 17-14 on 62 mins. But once again the Cobraswere reduced to 14 after a yellow for an infringement flaggedby the touch judge. The Naas men’s backs were to the wall once again and Gorey scored a late penalty to level the match just before the full-time whistle to bring the game into extra time.

Playing with the wind and renewed confidence, Gorey took control of the first half of extra time – the third half of the match! Late on following a series of pick and goes by their forward pack they forced their way over the line under the posts for a try. With the simple conversion they took the lead for the first time since the 3rd minute of the opening half. Gorey now led 21-14 at the final break.

Naas now had a final 10 minutes to rescue their season. To their credit they played with a great degree of calmness andstuck to their game plan. And it paid off half way through the final 10 minutes of extra time when they scored a well worked try from a penalty to bring the game level for the third time. 

Naas forced their way into the Gorey 22 with a long relieving penalty kick from Conor Sheridan. A brilliant line out take by Andy Murphy, and a driving maul set in train a superb Cobras attack which was illegally pulled down a few metres from the try line. Powerful lock David Benn took the tap penalty but was held up short of the whitewash. Eoin Tierney and Aaron Murphy were on hand to recycle the ball and found a waythrough the despairing Gorey defenders to score almost under the posts. The conversion by John Shanahan left the teams level at 24-all with 3 minutes to play.

The last couple of minutes action will long live in the memory of both sets of supporters. To Gorey’s credit they controlledthe ball in the Naas half, probing for the winning score. Heroic defensive plays by the Naas players one and all held the Gorey men out. 

With the clock in the red, the referee awarded a penalty 35m in front of the Naas posts for not rolling away from the ruck. The task of winning the match with the last kick of the game fell to Gorey’s outhalf. But against a strong wind the hushed crowd watched the ball drift to the right and wide.

Ultimately a draw was a fitting result for both teams following a great game of competitive rugby contested in the right spirit by all 44 passionate, committed amateur players.