06 Apr Navan U20s Just Short in Purcell Cup Thriller
Leinster Purcell Cup (U20 Men’s) – Quarter-Final
Navan 22 Greystones 24
Sunday 5th April | Balreask Old, Navan.
(Half-Time: Navan 10 Greystones 21)
Navan Scorers
TRY: Robin Hamill (15′), Fionn Craik (58′), Declan O’Connor (62′)
CON: Philip Smyth (15′, 62′)
PEN: Philip Smyth (30′, 72′)
Navan RFC’s Under-20 Men suffered a narrow 24–22 defeat to Greystones RFC in a dramatic quarter-final of the Leinster Purcell Cup at Balreask Old on Sunday.
Trailing 21–10 at half-time, Navan produced a spirited second-half comeback but were ultimately left just short in a contest that went down to the final moments.
Greystones made a strong start to build an early advantage, but Navan responded through a well-taken try from Robin Hamill, converted by Philip Smyth, before Smyth also added a penalty to keep the hosts within touching distance at the break.
Navan came out with renewed energy in the second half and began to turn the momentum in their favour. Tries from Fionn Craik and Declan O’Connor, along with a second conversion and a late penalty from Smyth, brought Navan right back into contention and set up a tense finish.
Despite their efforts, Navan were unable to find the decisive score, falling just two points short in an agonising end to their cup campaign.
Noah Kavanagh was named Navan RFC Player of the Match, sponsored by “The Central”, for an outstanding individual performance.
While the result marked the end of their Purcell Cup run, the performance highlighted the resilience and quality within this Navan U20 squad, who pushed their opponents all the way in a highly competitive encounter.
Navan RFC Player of the Match Sponsored by “The Central”: Noah Kavanagh
Navan RFC Men’s Under-20 XV Sponsored by “JJ Duffy Demolition“:
Jack Smith, Caolan Duffy, Thomas Kearns, Alexander Iljin, Ben McCreary, Ben O’Hare, Cian Egan, Robin Hamill, Noah Kavanagh, Philip Smyth, Ciall Flynn, Declan O’Connor, Michael Callaghan, Lachlan Maguire, Evan Whyte, Fionn Craik, Cormac Kenny, Conor Browne, Keelan McKenna, Simon Dizon, Sean Morris, Lorcan Caffrey.
Noah Kavanagh & Bryan Russell