Second AIL defeat for Balreask Old boys

Trailing all the way Navan tumbled to their second defeat from three outings in the AIL Div 2C this evening when they lost 10-17 to Tullamore at Balreask Old.

Both teams went into the game with one win and one defeat from their opening two tests however it was the visitors who prevailed on this occasion. 

Tullamore have shown themselves to be gritty, difficult opponents for Navan in the past and so it proved again as they built on a solid display by their forwards to record a deserved victory. 

The home side at times struggled in the scrums and the line-outs and they paid the price. 

Navan's cause wasn't helped when, in trying to exert pressure near the opposition posts, a pass was intercepted and from inside his own 22, Tullamore player Tom Gilligan raced the length of the field to get a try under the posts, easily converted by Karl Dunne. 

Tullamore scored a second try in the lead up to the interval, this time from a rolling maul. Dunne again converted. 

Navan's only score in the opening half was a Colm O'Reilly penalty. It was well-taken but down 3-14 at the interval the home side knew they were in a real battle. 

Alan Kingsley's men did give themselves some grounds for optimism early in the second-half when Conor Hand made the most of a mistake in the Tullamore defence to score a try, converted by O'Reilly. 

Then it all fell apart for Navan who had Bryan McKeever and Sean Healy sinbinned. Tullamore's Colm Heffernan also spent some time in the sinbin but his side finished stronger to register a deserved victory. 

'We asked lads to play with emotion today but we didn't start well. Lads have to turn up with the mindset that they are going to put their bodies on the line for Navan Rugby Club, that's what we have to do,' said a disappointed Kingsley afterwards. 

'We played for 50 minutes but we have to play for 80 plus minutes and we didn't do that tonight.'