Towns Plate

Portarlington 24
Carlow 12
CARLOW will want to forget their Leinster Towns Plate outing on Sunday but will find it hard to do so. When pitted against Portarlington, a team they beat in the Leinster League this season 29-0 at Oak Park and 36-14 in Portarlington, complacency undoubtedly set in.
For a start they selected some fringe players “to give them experience”. But it was their game on the park, lacking so much in urgency and precision, which was Carlow’s downfall. That, plus an onslaught of injuries allowed Portarlington into a game that even they expected to lose.
The game was only minutes old when Carlow lost their bustling hooker Conal Slater with a leg injury and winger Seamus Curran suffered a similar blow. Then captain Tommy Ratahi was sidelined with a head bang which required stitches. Worse came when Slater’s replacement Mark Slye had to be hospitalised with suspected concussion.
All of this happened early in the game but in spite of such adversity, Carlow secured the first score when Niall Bermingham went over in the corner after number 8 James Nolan had made good ground.
Even when Port got a breakaway converted try on half time, Carlow supporters felt that with the wind in the second half, their side would prevail. But the score seemed to galvanise the Offaly side and they started to win a series of penalties, especially in rucks. They pushed their 7-5 lead out to 10-5 with a penalty 14 minutes into the half. Six minutes later Carlow conceded a converted try to go 17-5 in arrears.
Now with their backs to the wall Carlow began to put on pressure. They were rewarded with a try in the corner by Sam Dunne which was converted by Andrew Hanley. At 17-12 Carlow still trailed by five points with 11 minutes remaining. Again, aided by their dominant scrum, Carlow pressurised the Portarlington line.
But Port held out getting several vital turnovers with Carlow pinged for holding onto the ball. The home side’s defiance was rewarded two minutes from time when another penalty got them out of jail.
They worked their way all the way up to the Carlow line for their third try. The conversion made it 24-12.
Carlow will be hoping that the malaise of Sunday’s game will be well and truly gone by their next vital Leinster League game against Newbridge on 5 March.
Carlow J1: Fionnan Burke, Sam Dunne, Simon Walshe, Harry Hennessey, Seamus Curran, Andrew Hanley, Nigel Smyth, Larry McGrath, Conal Slator, Ross Byrne, John Lyons, Wes Shirley, Niall Bermingham, Tommy Ratahai, James Nolan. Subs: Alan Byrne, Mark Slye, Thomas Whitney. Alex Crossley, Peter Hennessey

Women’s rugby
Rathdrum 27
Carlow Coyotes 10
Carlow Coyotes missed out on getting into the Leinster league senior final when they lost in Rathdrum on Sunday. Carlow matched their Wicklow opposition up until half-time when the score was 10-10.
However injuries began to take a toll on the Coyotes and they lost out when the home team were able to call on several strong replacements. The Coyotes now look forward to their Cup match.
Carlow Coyotes: Maureen Youg, Doireann Bashford, Catriona Cassidy, Sorcha Fitzhenry, Jade Collins, Lisa Doyle, Emily McKeown, Eimear Murphy, Val Timmons, Tanala Keogh, Nollaig Lyons, Rebecca Smyth, Joyce Mahon, Chloe Byrne, Jen Ardill. Subs: Lisa O’Malley, Michelle Matthews, Fiona Cantwell, Louise Conville