History beckons for Ennis/Kilrush RFC

On Saturday afternoon the ladies of Ennis/Kilrush rugby club will square off against Leinster champions Tullow for a place in the All Ireland final where ultimate glory would lead to promotion to the All Ireland League. This is truly fairytale stuff considering up until two years ago there was no adult ladies team. Limerick native Gareth O’Hanlon who resides in Clonlara was approached by representatives and players of both clubs and he openly admits their rise has been nothing short of sensational.
“Both the clubs of Ennis and Kilrush have had great underage structures and success for many a year but once girls turned 18 there was no outlet for them to continue playing rugby at adult level unless they went into Limerick or down to Cork,” he said.
“In terms of numbers, neither club had enough to set up their own team never mind being anyway competitive so an amalgamation of both clubs seemed to be the way forward. I met with representatives of both and some players and there was a fierce desire and determination there so I was only too delighted at the opportunity to coach them.”
What a decision this has turned out to be and success followed immediately but the recently retired player with Richmond Rugby club is keen to lay praise at the feet of his players.
“ These are phenomenal girls, their commitment to training is second to none. We use Lee’s Road as our training base but there’s so much gym work, so much strength and conditioning programs involved and when you factor in video analysis it’s extremely time consuming but they have embraced it from the moment I met them and their commitment has led to huge success,” he said.
That success saw them claim Division 2 honours in their first year and incredibly dismantle Division 1 opponents in year two which now sees them represent Munster but as team manager Caroline Purcell says success is great, but it’s not the primary reason for the setting up of the team.
“Our first year was surreal really. We absolutely tore up the league and we also won the Munster Bowl which is the secondary cup competition in the province. It was great to see forty three girls rewarded for their hard work,” she said.
“I’ve been involved since 2017 as my daughter Anna is part of the team and although we naturally want to win our primary aim is to provide a platform for girls to play rugby and this squad of players is a whole county team from places like Miltown and Quilty to Tulla and Shannon.
“We also welcome newcomers with enthusiasm and yes 32 of the girls played underage with either Ennis or Kilrush but eleven didn’t. We’ve had players go on and represent the province and Ireland with such well known names as Lyndsay Clarke, Chisom Uguerru and Grainne Burke to make just a few. Almost every year we’ve had on average ten girls or so represent the province at underage level so the talent is definitely there.”
If year one was successful year two has been off the charts with secondary school teacher O’Hanlon just in awe of their achievements.
“ These are unbelievable girls and they just absolutely dominated the division one. Facing into such famed clubs as Shannon RFC, Tralee and UL Bohemians just seemed to inspire them and they went out and played incredible attractive rugby,” he said.
“Every game we got better and better and to be crowned champions in only our second year in existence is truly remarkable.”
Scoring 46 tries in eight matches which is an average of six per game highlights their potency but when you factor in that the nearest team in scoring to them managed 21 tries it really highlights what a success this merger has been. Head coach Gareth is hopeful that this continues at the weekend and the ultimate aim is to take on the professionals in the AIL.
“We know that Tullow will be strong, you don’t become provincial champions otherwise but our girls are relentless,” he said.
“We have been on an unbelievable journey. We will play for the Munster Cup at the end of April but to think we could be playing Blackrock, Railway Union and Galwegians next year is just amazing. I mean all those teams I mentioned are paid professionals who represent Ireland in the six nations. We are an amalgamated side in only our second year in existence. It truly is magical.”
Kick off will be at 2.30 pm in Ennis RFC and it should be quite the occasion indeed with a packed attendance expected.
Meanwhile, it has been a very successful week on the pitch for the club with a number of good victories. The senior women’s team Ennis/Kilrush RFC had a 29 to 15 win over Shannon RFC. Needing just a single league point from the game to guarantee their position atop the league table, Ennis/Kilrush saw an early challenge when Shannon opened the scoring early on as Shannon managing to touch down in the corner after a series of big gains.
The Banner women responded strongly and levelled the score when hooker , Meadbh O’Driscoll, touched down in the corner after a number of hard carries, pinning Shannon in their own 22.
A good carry by Caoilfhionn Morrissey led to Grainne Burke finding the space to place a grubber kick in behind the Shannon defence. Then, the ball was collected by centre Aoibhinn O’Loughlin and touched down for the away sides second score.
Shannon, however, were able to touch down in the corner just before the half time whistle to leave the halftime score 10 points each.
The Clare women opened the second half’s scoring earlier with a try from Burke, who converted her own try, after a series of high booming kicks from Burke and captain Michaela Glynn caused havoc for the Shannon back three.
Ennis/Kilrush combined their kicking game with an excellent performance from scrum half Aisling
Browne to control the game. Centre Aoibhinn O’Loughlin added another two scores, showcasing some top level speed. The final try of her hat- trick was converted by Burke. Shannon added a late consolation try to end the game as 29 point to 15 winner.
The Ennis U18 girls team had a great victory in the Munster Plate Final, beating Shannon by 43 points to 10.
The Ennis girls started off determined by crossing the line with a try from Annie Lynch. Soon after, good offloading from forward Ellis Flaherty and a race down the line allowed her to score her first of three tries, converted by Emma Keane. Shannon fought back and managed to get inside Ennis’
22. A turnover resulted in the Ennis forwards getting the ball wide and number 10, Niamh McManus, got on the end of an inside ball and raced half the length of the pitch to score under the sticks, converted by Emma Keane.
Shannon were awarded another converted try and Ellis O’Flaherty crossed for her second try, converted by Keane. The score at halftime was 26 to 5.
Not long after the second half started, the Ennis girls extended their lead when Ellis O’Flaherty crossed for her hat trick. This was closely followed by a try from Lyndsay Clarke, converted by Keane. Captain Keane displayed her trademark footwork to break past Shannon’s defence,
bringing the final score to 43 – 10.
The Ennis team were Annie Lynch, Kiera O’Neill, Ciara Reidy, Nell Walsh, Ava Walsh, Aisling Heapes, Maggie Murphy, Sally Kelly, Amy Butler, Niamh McManus, Ellis O’Flaherty, Emma Keane, Lyndsay Clarke, Sadbh Faughey, Eileen Keane, Rachel Murphy, Kayla Considine, Jennifer Weston, Ella Courtney, Saoirse Colleman, and Fay Lynch. Injured players include Caoilinn Cahill, Fiadh O’Shea, and Emily Kelly.
The Ennis U14 team played five, 12-minute games against seven other teams including Naas, Old
Crescent, Garryowen, and Shannon. They managed to beat Old Crescent, Tralee, and Garryowen in the group stages and then narrowly beat Naas by one try in the semi-final, earning Ennis a place against Shannon in the final.
They defended well against Shannon and kept the opposition scoreless. The game appeared to be up for a penalty shoot-out but on the last play of the game, Saoirse Quinn ran in under the sticks to win the blitz for the Ennis girls.
Ennis’ team included Sadbh McMahon, Emma Browne, Rebecca Todd, Emma Hanrahan, Amy Martin, Saoirse Quinn, Sally Crowe, Rachel Clarke, Lauren Reidy, Biborka Benko, Eve Tiernan, Rachel Hanrahan, Jessica Kennedy, Grace Kelly, Shannon Martin, Evie Ryan, and Blaithinn O’Malley.