22 Mar Under 18.5 Boys Power Into Darcy Cup Semi-Finals
Leinster Youth Boys Under 18.5 Tom Darcy Cup – Quarter-Final
Tullow 24 Navan 39
Saturday 21st March | Tullow RFC
Navan Scorers:
Tries: Cillian Murphy, Dylan McGuinness, Eoin Burke, Luke Brady, Conor Goodwin, Aiden Lynch.
Conversions: Lorcan Craik ×3
Penalties: Lorcan Craik
Navan secured a crucial Quarter-Final victory in the Darcy Cup with a 39–24 win over a very physical and fast Tullow side, moving them into the Semi-finals. From the opening whistle, both teams played with intensity, exchanging tries, big collisions, and the lead in what proved to be one of the toughest contests of the season.
The game remained tight throughout the first hour, with the difference often coming down to conversions as the score moved from 17–19, then to 24–all. Navan finally gained a narrow edge when Lorcan Craik slotted a vital penalty to push the hosts ahead 27–24.
From there, Navan found another gear. Straight from the restart, they went on the attack, with Captain Conor Goodwin finishing off a powerful team move to extend the lead. Moments later, Aiden Lynch produced one of the standout plays of the match, moments after the kickoff intercepting the ball after Tullow tried playing it wide, and racing through to score, sealing the result in dramatic fashion.
Navan’s victory was built on excellent game management from Lorcan’s boot, clean and aggressive rucking from the forwards, rapid service from Cillian, and dominant carries from Jack Shorten, Conor Goodwin, and Myles Doyle. The decisive difference ultimately came from the backline’s ability to move the ball wide and exploit space with pace and accuracy and scoring when given the opportunity.
A hard‑earned and well‑deserved win that keeps Navan firmly on track in the Darcy Cup. Who now have a semi-final against Kilkenny to prepare for.
Navan RFC Under18.5 Boys Squad:
James Martin, Josh Collins, Oshan Varney, Myles Doyle, Killian McAniff, Tadhg Browne, Conor Goodwin (Capt), Rhian Faherty, Cillian Murphy, Lorcan Craik, Aidan Lynch, Jack Shorten, Eoin Burke, Dylan McGuinness, Luke Brady, Daniel Robinson, Eamon Berwick, Jack Clarke, Sean Curtis, Carrig Traynor Hoey, Antonio Rattigan, David Hanratty, David Farrelly.