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Mallow RFC topple Kinsale in Top of the Table Clash

Mallow RFC topple Kinsale in Top of the Table Clash

Michael Sweeney23 Oct 2018 - 07:30
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Mallow RFC 1st XV

Kinsale made the journey to Mallow last weekend in what was a clash between the top two sides in the league. Both teams could potentially be promotion contenders at this early stage of the season and this fixture was billed as an opportunity for either side to put themselves out in front of the chasing pack. The away side opted to play with what was a very strong wind in the first half. Right from the off, Mallow began with frightening physicality thanks to strong carries from the back row getting them on the front foot. Kinsale kept them at bay during the opening 15 minutes but once Mallow broke the deadlock, they never looked back. Owing to the wind, Mallow played an intelligent brand of rugby, keeping ball in hand and running everything back at Kinsale. Despite losing their talismanic No. 8 Mike Lenihan, Mallow fronted up and didn't allow this to hinder them. Sean Hannon entered the fray and made an immediate impact, winning a excellent turnover, and another shortly afterwards. Deep in Kinsale's half, Breen found the touchline with a penalty and Timmy Fitzgerald found his man with the resulting line-out. Mallow set up a clinical rolling maul and Tysone Stephens held on at the back before grounding for the first score of the game. Kinsale responded with a penalty before Mallow found the line again. This time, Owen Glynn burst through the defensive line to score a try thanks to fine work from Hugh Barry. Again, Kinsale responded with a penalty, keeping themselves within touching distance. Mallow added a penalty of their own before their third try. Excellent work from the pack put Mallow in the red zone. The ball was whipped out wide to Hugh Barry who drew two defenders on himself before offloading to Jimmy Glynn who dotted down in the corner. Mallow led at the break on a scoreline of 18-6. That was as good as it got for the away side.

Mallow began the second half with ferocious determination to put away this Kinsale outfit. Early on, they secured the bonus point with David Breen capitalising on a gap in the opposition defence. Mallow really kept the foot on the throat and showcased a wide array of skills to run in four more tries. Mike O' Flynn was next on the scoresheet, dotting down for his third of the campaign to date. Mallow emptied the bench, which only added to the performance. Rory Murphy, Peter Cosgrove, Dan McCarthy and David Walsh all contributed significantly to the closing 20 minutes. Mike Sweeney crossed the whitewash on the hour mark. With Kinsale numbers down out wide, Mallow identified this and exploited their weakness with clinical effect. Shortly afterwards, Mallow again managed to get around the Kinsale defence for their penultimate try. Thanks to excellent carries from the tight five, Mallow whipped it wide, using the forwards as a decoy, Breen delivered a magnificent pass over the top to Jimmy Glynn who released Hugh Barry to score in the corner. Mallow, by this stage of the game were enjoying the lions share of possession. The last play of this contest really highlighted Mallow's pride in their defensive line however. With Kinsale searching for a consolation try, the home side defended manfully, refusing to allow them cross for a try. This hard-hitting defensive effort saw Owen Glynn smash his opposite number on Mallow's try line. Sean Glynn ripped the ball in the tackle and released a deft offload to Jimmy Glynn who ran the length of the pitch to score in the corner.

This display demonstrated a great team dynamic with Mallow really laying down a marker to everyone else in the league. Mallow now find themselves top of the league with a 6 point cushion, following three bonus point victories. Support for the home side last weekend was outstanding with huge numbers showing up to watch this rip roaring contest. Up next is a trip to Old Christians in the league on November 4th.

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