Navan……………………………………….23
Edenderry…………………………………..7
(HT: Navan 5 Edenderry 7)
Sunday 25th January | Balreask Old
Bank of Ireland Leinster Provincial Towns Cup – 1st Round
Navan Scorers:
Navan RFC Men’s 2nd (J1) XV kicked off their 2026 Bank of Ireland Leinster Provincial Towns Cup campaign in style, securing a well-earned 23–7 home victory over Edenderry at Balreask Old to book their place in the second round. Edenderry, who compete in Leinster League Division 2A, started with real intent and pace, dominating early possession and territory as they went in search of a potential cup upset.
Navan’s defence, however, stood firm. Despite three significant incursions into the Navan 22, the home side showed excellent organisation and discipline, forcing turnovers at key moments to relieve the pressure.
As the half progressed, Navan began to find their rhythm and created several promising opportunities of their own. While handling errors initially prevented them from capitalising, the breakthrough finally came just before half-time. A sweeping move down the left wing ended with Bernard Smyth finishing strongly to score the opening try of the game. Edenderry responded in the final play of the half, crossing for a try of their own to edge into a 7–5 lead at the interval.
The second half saw a far more controlled and dominant Navan performance. Increasing their tempo and accuracy, Navan retained possession for long periods and applied sustained pressure inside the Edenderry half. That pressure told, with Harry Hester and Mark Russell both crossing the line, while Jeaic Timmons added a conversion and two well-taken penalties to put clear daylight on the scoreboard.
Navan ran in 17 unanswered second-half points, closing out a convincing 23–7 victory and ensuring safe passage into the next round of the competition. A composed, physical and patient performance after the break was the key difference, as Navan showed their quality and game management when it mattered most. Well done to all players and coaches involved as attention now turns to round two of the Towns Cup.
Navan RFC Men’s 2nd/J1 Squad: Ciarmhac Ó Fionnagáin, Eoin O’Reilly, Alessandro Maltese, James Duffy, Rokas Lipinskas, Michael Brady, Stuart Byrne, Harry Hester, Woodley Nicholson, Jeaic Timmons, Cian Quigley, Cillian Farrell, Harry Devlin, Luke Dolan, Cormac Horan, Thomas Kearns, Shane O’Connor, Bernard Smyth, Graham Brennan, Ciaran Beggy, Mark Russell, Ben Macken.
Tries: Bernard Smyth, Harry Hester, Mark Russell Con: Jeaic Timmons Pen: Jeaic Timmons x2
