Tullow take the in honours in first derby of the season
Tullow's Adam Johnson and County Carlow's Patrick Mackey. Photo: Thomas Nolan Photography.
A bonus point victory over their county rivals gave Tullow their first win and got them out of the bottom two in this Leinster League Division 1 tie in Blackgates on Saturday.
It was a funny kind of game. Both sides made a lot of mistakes and there were frequent turnovers. The home side played a possession game rarely kicking for position while the visitors mixed their approach quite a bit.
A third minute penalty by Adam Johnson Tullow off the mark. Seven minutes later, an attack up the centre away from the dressing room end of the ground saw Joe Waters touch down and Johnson converted. More Tullow pressure allowed Garrett Fitzgerald touch down under the posts.
Carlow dug deep. They opted for a scrum penalty and were rewarded when Sean Quinlan breached the Tullow cover. Ben Crotty converted and now it was a different game. Conor Treacy came up with the ball in hand after the home side were mauled over their own line for Carlow’s second five-pointer. At the break, Tullow led 24-12.
Just before half-time Carlow lost Evan Gordon to a yellow card just as Tullow lost Joe Waters for ten minutes when the players were pinged for high tackles.
Minutes into the second half, more Tullow pressure saw Stephen Smith go over for another converted Tullow try.
Their rivals could have been forgiven if they had thrown in the towel but they brought the game to the home side for quite a while after that. Carlow exploited space out on the wing and Jonathan Crossley skipped over for what looked like an easy try. Crotty added the points. Tullow looked distinctly uncomfortable and it was somewhat of a relief to them when Dara Cosgrave converted a long-range penalty. At the start of the second quarter Tullow’s Fiach O’Byrne saw yellow which brought Carlow on to them even more. Conor Tracey scored his second try and Crotty converted.
The Oak Park side had chances in the final ten minutes. A penalty came off the posts and if Carlow had been a little bit more composed they would almost certainly have scored a try. Instead, Tullow were glad to see the ball hop into the safety of touch.
The home side played a dangerous game with their eight-point lead. Having picked up a bonus point for four tries scored, Carlow came looking for a second. They achieved their aim and it was well-deserved too. This time, substitute, Scott Neale touched down when Carlow mauled the home side over the line. The conversion was off target but two bonus points was not a bad return for the home side on the day.
Tries: J Waters, R Jordon, S Smith, G Fitzgerald Penalties: A Johnson 4 Conversions: A Johnson 2
Tries: C Tracey (2), S Quinlan, J Crossley, S Neale. Penalties: B Crotty 1 Conversions: B Crotty 2
Dara Cosgrave, Will Brien, Jack Hanlon, Adam Johnson, Tadgh Walsh, Ryan Jordan, Garret Fitzgerald, Scott Caldbeck, Corey Leigh Hughes, Tom Cashen, Martin Cole, Joe Waters, Jack McDonald, Fiach O’Byrne, Stephen Smith. Subs: Philip Byrne for Cashen (64), Tadgh McCarthy Griffin for Waters (64), Fiach Kavanagh for Caldbeck (75), Brian Keogh for Caldbeck (75), Ryan O’Neill for Hanlon (75).
Will Casey, Jonathan Crossley, Ian Atkinson, Sean Quinlan, Ben Crotty, Daniel Crotty, Alan Owens; Larry McGrath, Evan Gordon, Ross Byrne, Wes Shirley, John Lyons, John Murphy, Joel Brown, Conor Tracey.Subs: Scott Neale for Gordon (40), Caolan Fitzhenry for McGrath (h/t), Tadgh Ronan for Byrne (h/t), Patrick Mackey for Murphy (55),
Fergal Brislane (MAR).
