Minnows Navan sound a warning

If Navan were using this AIL Senior Cup encounter at Balreask Old on Saturday as something of yardstick to judge how they might fare in this their first season in senior rugby then they should have no fears. Despite having up to 10 players ruled out for one reason or another the home side still managed to defeat a team from a club who were once one of the kingpins of the rugby scene in Ireland. Instonians have supplied a slew of players who went on to become full internationals and Lions players, a fact that underlines their rich tradition in the game. They have also gone through their own lean times and were relegated from the AIL Div 2 at the end of last season. Having played at the higher level they can reasonably expect to start their league campaign next weekend as one of the favourites to win the Div 3 title. Of course one of the teams they are scheduled to meet in their league programme is Navan with the game due to be played next December. As the president of Navan RFC Michael Gavigan pointed out in his programme notes, this was a historic encounter in more ways than one. Not only was it the first time Navan appeared in the AIL Senior Cup, it was the first time Navan and Instonians clashed in the 84 years since pioneers of the oval-ball game set up a club in the Meath town. As if feeding off their tradition the visitors stared this game like an express train, powering over for two tries inside the opening 10 minutes. Navan looked shell-shocked and over-awed, but not for long. By half-time a Kieran Mattson try added to two penalties and a conversion by Karl Manning had edged Navan 13-10 up at the break. New boy Lee Jackson trundled over for a try early in the second-half, which was converted by Manning, and Navan were well on the way to a deserved victory. The conditions were perfect for this contest and while it took some time for Navan to get a foothold on the game they displayed a strong mentality to push on to win and earn a tie against mighty Garryowen in the next round. That game will be played at Balreask Old on Saturday, 17th October. The Balreask Old pitch looked in pristine condition with work carried out on it over the summer clearly evident as the club prepares for a new adventure in the senior ranks. The Ulster side looked intent from the kick-off to show the upstarts from the junior ranks just how harsh life can be in the senior grade. The game wasn't even a minute old when Instonians winger Chris Morgan skipped past a few, despairing tackles before going over in the right corner. A few minutes later Navan were hit with a double whammy when impressive openside flanker David Bradford put the finishing touches to a pushover try for the Ulster side. The conversions were missed. That didn't seem to matter as surely Instonians looked like well capable of carving out a hatful of chances. Among their ranks was Seamus Mallon who played in the Heineken Cup with Ulster last season. Instead, Navan got a foothold on the game, particularly in the set pieces. The line-out yielded a reasonable amount of possession. It was in the scrums that the home side really excelled with the formidable front-row of Eoin King, James McCaghy and Eoin King refusing to be bullied by their opponents. The Navan scrum provided the platform for a series of attacks. Under sustained pressure, Instonians conceded penalties and from one of these Manning slotted the ball between the posts before the home side broke through for their first try in the lead up to the break. All afternoon Mattson was at his impish best, darting in and out of tackles and with the first-half almost over he claimed a try. Navan did well to hold onto the ball through phase after phase, moving to within inches of the Instonians line. Watched by his parents, Lester and Anne, who had flown in from Taranaki in New Zealand, Mattson took the ball from a ruck and darted through startled defenders to get his cherished touchdown. Manning converted. Immediately afterwards Manning again scored from a penalty, arrowing the ball between the posts from just four metres inside the opposition half. The second-half was 21 minutes old when Jackson showed real strength to get a touchdown. Manning did the business from the conversion to send the home side on their way. Navan had to really absorb a lot of pressure in the closing stages with Manning making a few superb clearances. The full-back was one of Navan's best performers although he will have been disappointed to miss from a few penalty attempts. Navan will look forward to taking on Garryowen in round two. Navan - K Manning, T Geraghty, D Geraghty, Mata Fifita, P Lawrence, B Forristal, K Mattson; D King, J McCaghy, E King, S Byrne, D Crinion, F Power, S Dawson, L Jackson. Subs - D Harlin for McCaghy, E Dunne for E King, S Gallagher for Power. Instonians - J Devitt, R Fegan, J Scott, S Mallon, C Morgan, M McKeever, J Dowey; S Millar, J Craig, A Whitten, M McDowell, K Morton, J McCullough, D Bradford, B McDonnell. Referee - Will O'Connor (Munster Branch).