First Connacht Junior Inter-Pro with 7 Creggs players in the squad

The Connacht Juniors management team have named a 33-man squad for the 2019 Junior Interprovincial Championships which begins this weekend in Castlebar. There are seven Creggs players (see below) in the squad and Creggs head coach Pat Cunningham is one of the assistant coaches along with Henry O’Toole from Connemara RFC. Best of luck to all the players and management for a good start ion Saturday and a strong campaign over the next three weekends.

Head coach Michael Harding has picked players from 10 clubs across Connacht, with J1A League and Junior Cup winners Connemara RFC the most represented with 10 players in the squad. Creggs RFC, who finished as runners-up in both competitions, have 7 players included, while Buccaneers RFC, Sligo Rugby, Ballina RFC and NUIG Rugby Clubs also have multiple inclusions.

The Junior Interpros begin this Saturday 27th April when Connacht host Ulster in Castlebar RFC. That will be followed by a trip to Wicklow to face Leinster on Saturday 4th May before a second home against Munster on Saturday 11th May, this time in Creggs RFC.

Ahead of the series, Michael Harding has praised his squad for their effort and commitment since training began last month.

“Training has been going really well and we’re all looking forward to the next few weeks. We’ve got some really talented players in our squad and they have responded well to taking on a lot of info in a short space of time. We know we have a tough game ahead of us but we’re confident we can perform to the best of our abilities”.

“The buy-in from the players ahead of these games has been incredible. We have had players changing holidays and regularly travelling long distances to attend training which says a lot about their willingness to represent their province”.

CONNACHT RUGBY JUNIORS 2019

Forwards (18):
TJ Berry – Connemara RFC
Maurice Buckley – Creggs RFC
James Brandon – Creggs RFC
Eugene Conroy – Connemara RFC
Brian Diffley – Creggs RFC
Brian Donoghue – Creggs RFC
Alan Finnerty – Tuam RFC
Barry Gibbons – Connemara RFC
Rory Grenham – Buccaneers RFC
Aidan Leech – Creggs RFC
Michael McColgen – NUIG RFC
Conor Mitchell – Sligo RFC
Sean O’Connell – Buccaneers RFC
Conor O’Malley – Connemara RFC
David Robb – NUIG RFC
Niall Staunton – Connemara RFC
Owen Treacy – Buccaneers RFC
Ger Ward – Monivea RFC

Backs (15):
Andrew Callaghan – Creggs RFC
Conor Carter – Castlebar RFC
Marty Conneely – Connemara RFC
Kevin Connell – Sligo RFC
Shane Dowd – Creggs RFC
Robert Enraght-Moony – Buccaneers
Callumn Forde – Buccaneers RFC
David McDonagh – Connemara RFC
Craig McCormack – Ballina RFC
Ronan Molloy – Ballina RFC
Sean Mullin – Sligo RFC
Eoghan O’Toole – Buccaneers RFC
Henry O’Toole – Connemara RFC
Michael O’Toole – Connemara RFC
Joe Keane – Portumna RFC

Player No – Club:

9 – Connemara,
7 – Creggs,
6 – Buccaneers,
3 – Sligo,
2 – Ballina, NUIG,
1 – Castlebar, Monivea, Portumna, Tuam.

2019 JUNIOR INTERPROVINCIAL CHAMPIONSHIP FIXTURES

Saturday 27th April
Connacht Juniors v Ulster Juniors @ Castlebar RFC
Munster Juniors v Leinster Juniors @Skibbereen RFC

Saturday 4th May
Leinster Juniors v Connacht Juniors @ Wicklow RFC
Ulster Juniors v Munster Juniors @ Ballyclare RFC

Saturday 11th May
Connacht Juniors v Munster Juniors @ Creggs RFC
Leinster Juniors v Ulster Juniors @ Dundalk RFC

3 Connacht Finals in 3 Days highlights Creggs Success

With three Connacht Finals in three days from this Wednesday evening to Saturday evening, it will be a lightening end to the Creggs competitive season. And it’s really encouraging that Under-17’s, Under-18’s and Under-20’s are in Finals at the business end of a season that has already delivered so much on and off the field for the club.

While we still have the Connacht v Munster Junior Inter-Provencial in Creggs on Saturday, May 11th. and also the opening of the new pitches and amenity walk also to come, the club will be concentrating on this very busy three days first. The club asks for a big support for the lads at these three big games.

First up are the Creggs Under 18.5’s, who defeated Corrib two weeks ago to win the Connacht League Final. They will play Monivea/Westport RFC’s in the final of the Connacht U18.5 Plate on Wednesday evening.

Next up are Creggs Under-17’s who defeated Corinthians RFC last weekend in the Semi-Final, will play Monivea RFC in the final of the Connacht Under-17 Plate next Saturday (27/04) in Crowley Park, Galway with a kick-off time of 12 Noon. See the Semi-Final match report below…

Creggs Under-18’s celebrating their League Final win recently in the Sportsground.

Then later on Saturday, Creggs Under-20’s will play Ballinrobe RFC in the Connacht Under-20 Plate Final, while the Under-20 Cup Final will be between Corinthians RFC and Ballina RFC. Both games will take place in Creggs, starting at 5pm.
While a lot of the Creggs Under-20 players were unavailable for the Cup Semi-Final v Corinthians RFC, the competition continues to prove to be a very worthwhile competition for the club. It serves to bring back in players who didn’t play this year as they were away at college etc. and it keeps them involved in the club and rugby.

Great performance and win for Creggs Under-17’s

Connacht Under-17 Plate Semi Final:

Creggs RFC 43, Corinthians RFC 22.

Played in glorious conditions on Bank Holiday Monday in Front of a big crowd, Creggs RFC Under-17’s qualified for the final of the Connacht Under-17 Plate with a 43 points to 22 victory over Corinthians RFC.

Creggs Under-17’s after their Semi-Final win over Corinthians RFC on Bank Holiday Monday in Creggs.

A superb attacking first half with the wind saw Creggs run in 6 first half tries. The hard work was being done upfront and some excellent work from Daniel Hill, Conor McNulty, Darragh Kiernan, and Jack Tucker early on led to quick ball and the Creggs backs moved the ball very well in the excellent conditions and tries came from Naoise Coyle, Ben Finnerty, Aaron Lyons, David Gaquin, with three conversions from Mark Purcell. Corinthians however did manage to score 3 tries of their own in the first half, to leave the half time score 33-15.

The second half was much more of an equal contest and with Creggs playing against the wind, there were some excellent defensive displays from Adam Donnelly, Ronan Lambe and Ethan Glennon up front while Mark Dowd and Darren Gately were called upon to defend much more in the second half which they did very well around the fringes and out wide Kyle Kelly, Ciaran Purcell and Daniel O Brien were never found wanting.

Corinthians did get in for a try and convert to reduce the deficit to 14 points with 22 minutes remaining but Creggs held firm and got in for a try of their own with 6 minutes remaining from Luke Divilly which Mark Purcell converted to stretch the lead to 43-22.

Creggs Rugby: Ethan Glennon, Ronan Lambe, Conor McNulty, Darragh Kiernan, Daniel Hill, Shane Connaughton, Adam Donnelly. Jack Tucker, Mark Dowd, Darren Gately, Mark Purcell, David Gaquin, Aaron Lyons, Naoise Coyle, Ben Finnerty, Ciaran Purcell, Kyle Kelly, Daniel O Brien, Luke Divilly

Girls from 10 to 14 years to ‘Give It A Try’ this Summer

Give It A Try Summer 2019 is an 8 week programme run in selected clubs where girls aged from 10 to 14 can attend and learn how to play rugby in a fun environment.

Creggs Rugby Under-12 Girls who conquered the Aviva, pictured with the 6 Nations and Triple Crown trophies.jpg
Some of the Creggs Under-13 girls pictured with the Triple Crown and Six Nation’s trophies on a visit to the Aviva Stadium last year

The ‘Give It A Try programme’ is an ideal way to kick start the participation of girls in our club or to boost existing playing numbers by attracting new young players to the game with a fun introduction to the sport.

This year there is a substantial increase in the number of Connacht clubs hosting the programme with a massive locations taking part. These include seven clubs in Galway, three in Mayo and two in Roscommon.

It all starts in Creggs RFC on the new 4G pitch on Bank Holiday Monday (6th May) evening from 6.30 – 7.30pm. For more information, you can call Dave Purcell at 086 0434263 or email him at: davejpurcell@gmail.com