Tullow safe but Carlow face anxious wait after dramatic last day
Adam Johnson was Tullow's last gasp hero today Photo: Thomas Nolan Photography.
Tullow made sure of their Leinster League Division 1A status again for next year but Carlow RFC are facing into a relegation play-off, at best after an incredible final round of games.
Going into the last game, there were three teams still involved in the battle to avoid finishing in the second from bottom seventh position. That place could yet lead to automatic relegation if Tullamore are relegated from the AIL and the best that the team finishing there can hope for is a play off against the team that finishes second in Division 2A. With the last round of games in the AIL not due to take place until the first weekend in April it would mean a horrible waiting period for whoever finished in that position.
Athy were always expected to get out of trouble as they had bottom of the table Ashbourne to play and they duly obliged with a 64-22 win.
That left the two Carlow rivals to fight it out.
Carlow RFC were in sixth place going into the last game and were away to Suttonians, while seventh placed Tullow had the tough prospect of playing at home against table topping Bective Rangers.
It was in Carlow’s hands as they knew that a win would see them safe but despite a spirited showing, they lost 26-19 away in Dublin.
That meant an anxious wait to hear of news of the final result from Black Gates and when it arrived it wasn’t good as Tullow had recorded a sensational win over a Bective side that had lost just once in their previous 13 games.
Although Tullow led 8-7 at half-time, all looked lost when they fell 27-11 behind with just ten minutes to go before they staged a comeback for the ages.
An Adam Johnson penalty breathed new life into their challenge before old stalwart Scott Caldbeck went over two tries. Johnson converted the first but the pressure on the second was immense with Tullow's place in the top flight literally on the line but he held his nerve to land one of the biggest kicks of his life to snatch victory with the last kick of the game.
Head Coach Maurice Logue was understandably thrilled with the dramatic win.
“We stayed in the fight didn’t we, we hung in there, and showed our character. We won that game in the last 15 minutes against all the odds. We were very committed to what we were doing, in patches we defended really well and I thought you could see the fighting character of this team in that last 15 minutes, we were 16 points down and we came back to win by a point. I have to give credit to Adam [Johnson] for his two pressure kicks, one from the touchline to win us the game and then the penalty as well. They never gave up.”
The downside for Logue was that it came at the expense of their local rivals Carlow, and said that he hopes they can come through a relegation play-off see them back in the top division next season.
“The disappointing thing was that Carlow are in that relegation play-off now and I think they are capable of winning that play-off. It’s really good for the region to have all these teams in here. I know there’s a rivalry on the field, but off the field, I think it’s better for the competition and the area if we have those teams, Athy, Carlow and Tullow playing. It brings huge crowds, real interest and it brings a buzz.”
