Four in a row

Lansdowne land Moran Cup again beating Terenure 20-7

The Legendary Lansdowne 3A's saved their best 'til last in an epic encounter which salvaged the season from the ruins and ashes created by a secretarial blunder! Robbed of the chance to defend their League title, Phoenix-like they re-emerged to show their team spirit and loyalty to each other and to Lansdowne.

The momentum of the season was released from the team like a punctured tyre following the Branch decision to deduct crucial points from a thumping victory over Monkstown 38 : 10. Rather than lynching their captain for the transgression, the team refocussed their energies into the solace that a Cup victory would exorcise the Branch daemons and prove the error in the decision!

Following the narrowest of victories in a tough opener against an excellent Barnhall, the team overcame the League Champions, Stillorgan who had gone unbeaten in the season. In a thriller that went to extra time, the team saw Quiggsie calmly slot the penalty that secured the win 19 : 16. Battle hardened and well prepared for the Final the Panel of 22 gathered in Donnybrook on a sunny April evening to take on arch nemesis Terenure in a repeat of the 2008 League Final.

Starting well, the young Terenure team posed serious problems for the Downe playing against a stiff breeze. A solid scrum and lineout gave them an early platform to threaten out wide but fantastic drift and cover defence from the dervish-like Downe and in particular Robbie the Whizz Becker, Dunnetemak and Nuzzy, saw their early dominance snuffed out. The momentum shift was seismic as Lansdowne started to build through the phases and with dangerous ball carriers from 1 - 14(!!) the Gick defence was under pressure. A mazy run from the Whizz saw it finish with a dangerous spear tackle which did not go unpunished. Unfortunately it was a vigilante response as Robbie unleashed a volley which saw him see yellow! Not to be out flanked the Downe attack upped their work rate and massive dense from JD Dowling and Bobby G terrorised their back line. The pack, outnumbered as Nuzzy was on the wing instead of Robbie, showed their prowess with a concerted pick and drive phase play. We marched into the opposition 22 where the pressure tempted their no 8 to give away a penalty. Practice makes perfect and Quiggsie slotted the tricky opener to lead 3 : 0!

From the resulting kick off which was dropping dangerously, like a salmon fly fisher onto the 10 metre line, the explosion that greeted the on-rushing Terenure players blew them aside like chaff in the wind. Stevie "Achmed el al" Keating sprung from the traps like the swiftest of Arabian chasers and blitzed through three defenders before being brought to ground 20 metres on by the second wave of defenders. The ball was quickly recycled and was spread wide through the hands before being bundled into touch on their 22! Unfortunately shouts for help alerted all in the ground that Stevie had been hurt in the tackle. A very nasty broken leg saw him stretchered off in pain that hit hard on all of his concerned team mates and supporters. (Rather than taking the injury badly, anybody who knows Stevie, now self nick-named Achmed Von bendi Legg, recognises the true legend he is and has taken the terrible accident in true Stevie fashion. He is thankfully on the road to recovery and is back in his good self depreciating humour which is an inspiration to all on the squad and his friend. Keep the zimmer frame well oiled Achmed!!!)

Stevie's injury galvanised the team and rather than shrinking from the challenge each player examined their own performance in the light of Achmed's awesome commitment! Gavie Lee and Mikey Sheehy were sprung from the bench and with the numbers eventually restored to parity we continued to mount pressure on the Terenure defence. Shano Whelan was barking orders and the pack responded brilliantly. Phase after phase was making inches, feet and yards before a sweet pass from Quiggsie unleashed An Ard Rí Geraghty. Having kept them guessing by kicks and wide skip balls, his reverse pass caught their drift defence cold. The dance steps learned in the ballrooms of Navan and Meath saw Bobby evade one, two, three, four tackles as he side stepped toward the line. Surging through the last gap the desperate defence could only haul him down as he crashed over the whitewash for a superb individual try to which Quiggsie added the bonus. Score 10 : 0.

From the secure take off they vented their frustration on the Ulster Beef! Now a slimmer version of the Dungannon Duke, Tweedie was taken out in mid air to a squawk much like that given by Winslet in her Oscar Speech!! The ref gave the penalty and further pressure was mounted on Terenure. Quiggsie and Shano were keeping their defence guessing and the pack lead by Schlugger was causing panic in their ranks as wave after wave of yards were made by Sebbie, Juggernaut Joey, Angry Lee and The Blue Max Dillon. The close defence was savage and if the leather saw a sniff of light Nuzzy Beag and Crembo were there to pounce as turnover ball and slow possession strangled the Gick.

Tweedie stepped up to the mark as our primary ball winner out of touch and a quick lineout saw Terenure caught cold on their heels. With their line rushing forward to close down the space, Quiggsie deftly chipped and regathered the ball. Drawing the full back, the Q popped to Nuzzy Beag steaming forward on his outside shoulder. Attracting all of their defenders in the race towards the line, Nuzzy deftly slipped the ball to An Ard Rí who sliced through under the sticks for a score that would grace any arena! The crowd went wild as even the opposition could appreciate the artistry and skill on show! Their heads in their boots, Terenure could only watch as the match went 17 : 0. In his heroic dash, Nuzzy Beag pulled a hammie which was the second one that was twinged as the Whizz was also in some bother with the true athletes injury. Stevie Cooney dashed on like a man possessed and the game was battled out to a standstill at half time.

Experience is worth nothing if not applied and the 3A's legends brought all of their talents to bear in closing out the game .... but not without a touch of drama - the crowd had paid €5 afterall. The half time talk given by Shano and Charlie Q warned of the back lash and ferocity of the Terenure response. In true Cup rugby guts and glory, they threw the kitchen sink at us. Withstanding most of the pressure a break through the centres was hauled down close to our line by an awesome tackle by Shano. The pressure building, the Blue Max took one for the team and saw yellow for killing the ball. Withstanding the pressure, Lansdowne unleashed Aggie McKeen to bolster the front row in this crucial stage. Also succumbing to his hamstring strain, the Whizz was replaced by Lansdowne's latest "grandson to Drum-munster", Mikey "Sledgendary" Sheehy, who came on for some of his aggressive in your face running and tackling.

Their cynical game plan to continually wind up the "auld fellas" was much in evidence as constant niggle, chat and digs kept the match on a tender hook. Following a bit of divilment by their 15 who threw the ball "undetected" in front of the assistant ref, Dunnetemak pushed him but not being content with venting his anger in such a benign and "girlie way" saw him puck the young pretender who collapsed like a flambé gone wrong. The eagle eyed assistant didn't miss this one and Downe went down to 13 for the second time in the season! Whether it was maligned courage or skill, the dog for the fight was awoken and Lansdowne fought ferociously repelling their surge and turnover ball from the mighty Schlugger and Joey cleared our lines. The scrums were bolstered by the bulk and might of Aggie, Crembo and Sebbie and gave clean ball to Quiggsie who gave a master class in line kicking as we slowly ate into their confidence and fight. Pinned down by 13 men in their own half, brief forays through the mid field were snuffed out by Mikey, Gavie, JD and Bobby.

The redundant Downe 15 was hobbled from a niggling calf strain to be replaced by Stevie Collier. The depth of the team to be able to replace a geriatric with a legend of 5 campaigns is amazing and he took over the reins of the unruly 8 as Shano moved to 12 and Bobby to 15 in a reshuffle of the backline. Stevie fitted back into the pivotal 9 and fed the back line who continued to probe for space either inside, through over or around their defence. Persistent foul play saw their 8 yellow carded and Lansdowne had the advantage of numbers and the score line. Quiggsie stepped up and slotted the 50 metre kick with the aid of the slight breeze to make it 20 : 0 and 12 minutes on the clock.

To their credit the Gick continued to fight and a break from their always dangerous 13 brought play to within yards of the Downe line. Repelling numerous pick and drives Lansdowne looked to have withstood the assault only for a final heave by their replacement prop which saw them score their only score 20 : 7 with 4 minutes remaining.

Realising this consolation was all the reward they would get the game was played out between the 22's with only some niggle to keep the tempers hot! The ref looked at his watch and blew time on a season which saw more peaks and troughs than the stock market over the last year. The disappointment of not defending our league title was somewhat abated by the Cup win but it also highlighted the severity of our punishment!

Being a successful team can only be achieved from the dedication of all players involved during the year. It is the cold and dark moments of the year rather than the glorious moments of the Finals that form the basis of any season. More than any Drum-munster and MarcO epitomise the spirit of this team who have fought through injury to push for theie place on the Squad of 20. This Cup win is as much theirs as it is those named and this team selection was the hardest and most personal that I have ever had to make in 15 years with Lansdowne.

An emotional day as revenge and justice was done, this was the sweetest of victories against a very strong Terenure Team. It is a reward for all involved but could not have been done without the efforts of Charlie Quinn and Lardo who tweaked the rusty machine when necessary and also Mark Casserly who conditioned the unconditionable in the Monkstown gym on dark Tuesday nights.

The ungrateful task of managing the strong will and passion in the Squad is massive and once again Winky stood up to take the responsibility for fielding the team again and again and again. His enthusiasm for the team remains as bright as it did in 2005! My most massive thanks must go to Starry who has proven to be the most solid of advisors, friend, support and indeed back up wing, wing-forward, second row or wherever the need arose. A true giant of emotion and solid reason when all around were losing theirs! Thank you lads!

Lansdowne Abú

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