ENNISCORTHY……………………..45

NAVAN……………………………………5
Navan Men’s 1st XV’s  endured a difficult afternoon last Saturday on the road as they fell to a 45–5 defeat to a powerful Enniscorthy side in Round Two of the Energia All-Ireland League Men’s Division 2B. It leaves a slow start to the season with two defeats back to back the the first two round of games in the Energia All-Ireland League Men’s Division 2B – Round Two
The home team adapted best to the blustery post-Storm Amy conditions, using the strong first-half wind to their advantage to play dynamic, high-tempo rugby that kept Navan pinned deep in their own half. Sustained pressure and clever offloading saw Enniscorthy cross the line six times before the break, building a commanding 40–0 half-time lead.
Following a frank team talk from Head Coach Ryan Roberts, Navan emerged for the second half with renewed focus and intent. With the wind now at their backs, the visitors began to find territory and rhythm, eventually being rewarded thirteen minutes into the half when
captain Conor Hand powered over to score to the left of the posts.
However, hopes of a comeback were short-lived, as Enniscorthy hit back immediately from the restart to notch their seventh and final try of the afternoon. While Navan were able to string together some promising multi-phase attacks late on, errors at crucial moments prevented further points. Despite the scoreline, there were positive performances across the park, with Jordan Finney best for the visitors, for his tireless work rate and defensive effort throughout the eighty minutes.
Navan will now look to regroup and reset ahead of next weekend’s trip to Belfast, where they face Malone RFC in their final fixture of the opening block of league games.

NAVAN Men’s 1st XV Squad “Sponsored by Hannon Travel”: Shane Walshe; Cormac Horan, Ben McEntagart, Drew Hamilton, Harry Devlin; Harrison Astley, Noah Kavanagh; James Wyse, Gary Faulkner, Jordan Finney, Rokas Lipinskas, Karolis Navickas, Kade Su’a, Michael Brady, Conor Hand (capt). Replacements: Fionn Craik, Liam Carroll, Andrew Keating, Johnny McKeown, Mark Farrell.

ENNISCORTHY: Ben Kidd; Ivan Jacob, Rhyan Whelan, Fiachra Hourihane, Miguel Byrne; Conal Kervick, Graham Barry; Ore Lasisi, Davie Murphy, MJ Doyle, Marco Byrne, Tomas Stamp, Laurence Power, Lee Treacy, Tony Ryan (capt). Replacements: Andrew Redmond, Sean McCarthy, Senan Fallon, Ryan Bailey, Mikey Nolan.
Scorers: Enniscorthy: Tries: Ivan Jacob, Ben Kidd, Graham Barry, Davie Murphy 2, Fiachra Hourihane, Rhyan Whelan; Cons: Ben Kidd 5
Navan: Try: Conor Hand

Navan Player of the Match “Sponsored by The Central”: Jordan Finney.
Referee: Paul Haycock (IRFU)
Energia All-Ireland League Men’s Division 2B – Round Two Results: (Sat 4th Oct)
● Clogher Valley 19 Malone 21, The Cran, Fivemiletown.
● Enniscorthy 45 Navan 5, Alcast Park, Enniscorthy.
● Galwegians 40 Rainey 12, Crowley Park, Galway.
● Sligo 29 Buccaneers 12, Hamilton Park, Sligo.
● UL Bohemian 24 Skerries 17, University of Limerick 4G pitch.

Above pic; Navan Men’s 1st Captain Conor Hand takes the ball in the lineout V’s Enniscorthy on Saturday (Credit: Craig Williamson).