Clondalkin rugby moving in the right direction
THE seasonal festive celebrations began in earnest at Clondalkin Rugby Club with a Christmas cracker of a weekend for all ages.
The women’s first XV led the charge with an excellent 27-19 away win at UCD for their fifth win in a row in what is proving to be a great season for the ‘Clonettes’.
They have flown the flag for the Baldonnel-based club this year and, along with the men’s senior team, they are setting high standards for the youngsters coming up behind.
The emphasis on fun and skills right through the youth set up continues to reap rewards and the girls’ U16 ‘Wolves’ team followed their adult counterparts with a 5-try away win, 27-10, this time in New Ross.
The Wolves are a collaboration between Clondalkin, Clane and Newbridge and they have been making huge strides this season.
Not to be outdone, the U16 boys had a big victory at home against Westmanstown with no. 8 Gavin Browne bagging a five-try haul in a 27-15 success.
Daniel Fanning, Franklin Onwuzulumba and Ross Carberry had terrific games but there were outstanding performances all over the field, including from debutants Seán Harris and Jack Horan.
There were more happy faces as the ever-expanding U7s hosted Malahide and Barnhall in a high-quality and enjoyable blitz in windy but sunny conditions and the U13s followed that with a superb 10-7 win over Boyne RFC.
In a well-contested game, Clon gave debuts to Darragh Cleary, Micheál Keane and Callan Staunton who all performed brilliantly and they took the lead through a John Sheehan try in the corner before Boyne hit back with a converted try of their own to lead 7-5 at the break.
Clondalkin had the upper hand at set pieces, and it was a solid scrum that led to the winning try, Tom Gahan barrelling over from close range.
Captain for the day, Sam Purdy, made a strong contribution and it was an all-round team performance that secured the victory for Clon who had a big squad of players of all levels of experience.
Meanwhile, the Clon Toddler Rugby programme is going from strength to strength and has had huge success at introducing kids to team environments and helping to develop motor and social skills.
If you would like to know more about this innovative and fun set-up for kids or know someone of any age who would like to ‘give rugby a try’ simply email newplayers@clondalkinrugby.com.
The future is yellow and blue!
