Navan u-20s look to shoot down the big guns

After claiming the All-Ireland Fraser McMullen Cup last season for the first time in their history Navan u-20s will go hunting for more glory when they take on St Mary's  in the JP Fanagan Premier 1 League at St Mary's on Sunday, 3.0. 

The game marks the first step on a journey everyone at Balreask Old will be hoping will lead to further success for the club's young side which is once again coached by Pat Kenny, who has proved a very successful coach at under-age level.

Last season Navan (guided by Kenny and his assistants Niall Welsh and Kenny Keelan) qualified for the Fraser McMullen Cup by finishing fourth in the Leinster-based JP Fanagan League competition. Kenny's team then started to raise eyebrows with a number of impressive victories including a 28-16 win over UCC in the Mardyke, Cork. This was followed by a 42-31 trouncing of the highly-fancied Dublin University at a jumping Balreask Old. 

In the final at St Mary's Templeville Road ground, Navan recorded a superb 22-9 win over Lansdowne to become the first Leinster club based outside Dublin to win the trophy. 

For the second successive season Navan will perform in Div 1 of the JP Fanagan. Once again they will will compete with the elite of Leinster rugby on a home and away basis with games against St Mary's, UCD, Clontarf, Lansdowne, Dublin University, Blackrock College and Terenure College included in their schedule.  

"The Navan boys will be playing against some Leinster and Ireland u-20 players. It's a great achievement for head coach Pat Kenny and his coaching team to get this new squad of players together and play in the top u-20 league in Ireland," said Navan RFC president Gerry Williamson.