21 Sep Men’s U20’s Earn Win Over Naas in Pre-Season Finale
Men’s Under 20 Friendly – Sunday 20th September
Navan 26 Naas 19 – Balreask Old, Navan.
(Half-Time: 7-5)
Navan Scorers:
Tries: Tommy Kearns, Alex Carter, Cillian Murphy, Luke Kennedy.
Conversions: Eoin Burke, Philip Smyth (2).
Navan RFC Men’s Under-20s rounded off their pre-season preparations in style on Sunday afternoon, September 20th, claiming a hard-fought 26-19 victory over Naas RFC in a high-intensity, physical clash at Balreask Old.
In a contest that carried all the physicality and pace of a competitive league fixture, a dominant second-half surge proved decisive as Navan generated scoreboard pressure to seal a confidence-boosting win ahead of their upcoming Leinster JP Fanagan Premier 2 campaign.
Navan enjoyed a dream start when captain Tommy Kearns crashed over after just three minutes to open the scoring. Naas responded promptly with a 7th-minute try of their own to level the match, setting up a fierce battle for territory and possession. Both sides tested each other with direct carries and committed breakdown work, with Navan taking a narrow 7-5 lead into half-time courtesy of an Eoin Burke conversion.
Navan raised the tempo immediately after the restart. Upping the intensity in contact, the home side combined sharp backline distribution with direct forward carrying to gain a firm upper hand. Tries from Alex Carter, Cillian Murphy and Luke Kennedy, along with two conversions from Philip Smyth, saw Navan build a comfortable lead in the final quarter.
Naas kept fighting until the final whistle and were rewarded with a late score deep in stoppage time, but Navan’s second-half control secured a well-deserved seven-point victory.
Congratulations to Ben O’Hare, who delivered a sensational performance in the midfield to earn the Player of the Match honor!
With their pre-season fixtures now complete, the U20s will carry great momentum into the opening round of the Leinster JP Fanagan Premier 2 campaign, which kicks off away to Wanderers FC on Sunday, 4th October.
A big thank you to Naas RFC for travelling down to Balreask Old for an outstanding contest!
Navan RFC Men’s Under-20 XV Matchday Squad
Starting XV:
1. Antonio Rattigan, 2. Adam Mathews, 3. Thomas Kearns (Capt), 4. Jack Smith, 5. David Hanratty, 6. Rhian Faherty, 7. Caolan Duffy, 8. Ruairi O’Neill, 9. Cillian Murphy, 10. Evan Whyte, 11. Luke Kennedy, 12. Ben O’Hare, 13. Aaron McAteer, 14. Ciall Flynn, 15. Eoin Burke.
Replacements:
16. Cormac Horan, 17. Fionn Craik, 18. Saul Harris, 19. Robin Hamill, 20. Alex Carter, 21. Philip Smyth, 22. Lorcan Caffrey.
Men’s U20’s Player of the Match: Ben O’Hare