January 27th, 2013 
Rob 
Provincial Towns Cup (sponsored by Contract Cleaners)
Ten teams booked a place in the last 16 of the Provincial Towns Cup on Sunday with just three games falling foul of the bad weather.
The upset of the day belongs to Gorey after they ousted Division 1a side Dundalk 22-17 at their home in the south east to set up a second round tie away to Cill Dara.
Two games went to extra time, the aforementioned Cill Dara fought back to edge Clondalkin while Naas secured a solid away win at Portarlington and now face fourth tier Edenderry.
The tie of the round from the draw – which was made at North Kildare RFC where them home side just missed out on a big upset – could well be the meeting of Longford and Enniscorthy.
Wicklow’s home tie with Newbridge is another to watch out for in round 2. Full draw and results here.
Round 2 Draw (Ties to be played on Sunday 17th February, KO: 3pm):
Cill Dara v Gorey
Mullingar / New Ross v Tullamore
Co. Carlow / Navan v Ashbourne
Naas v Edenderry
Wicklow v Newbridge
Longford v Enniscorthy
Athy v Roscrea / Boyne
Tullow v Kilkenny
1st Round Results:
Kilkenny 32 v 15 Portlaoise
Skerries 8 v 39 Wicklow
Athy 35 v 10 Wexford Wanderers
Clane 5 v 27 Ashbourne
Cill Dara 16 v 13 Clondalkin (after extra time)
North Kildare 6 v 9 Longford
Gorey 22 v 17 Dundalk
Portarlington 5 v 13 Naas (after extra time)
Arklow 0 v 3 Edenderry
Rathdrum 0 v 38 Tullow
The following fixtures were postponed: Mullingar v New Ross and Roscrea v Boyne
Posted in
Tullow v Kilkenny could be tasty too! Great result for Gorey today…
Well done to the lads who called the gorey result in a previous posting. Must be some good things happening in the south east. Well done lads
Looks like Skerries seconds lived up to their hype…NAAAAAT!
What was the score in the carlow match?
My bad
Don’t think we will be hearing too much noise from the Skerries boys from the previous post,good win for Wicklow,tough draw against Newbridge though! Great to see Gorey get a win against Dundalk, nothing like a good upset! Longford v Enniscorthy should be a craicing game, Longford are so hard to beat at home, but with Enniscorthy winning in the all Ireland cup yesterday maybe they have rediscovered some good form? Also a good performance for Naas 2nds against Portarlington who are 3rd in 1B
Well done gorey not surprised with that result Kilkenny v tullow has to be one of the picks from the draw local rivals both goin well in their respective leagues! Shud be a cracking game!
well done to gorey, i knew they would win. they will beat cill dara too and like i said before are a serious dark horse for the cup this year.
when will the mullingar match be replayed jb?
I’m hearin it’s the 9th of feb special k
cheers jb, hope ye win to set up a battle of the midlands with tullamore!
So do I!!! Thanks very much hopefully we will!!! I hope we draw a big crown club needs it!!!
Interesting to see how gorey will perform vs Cill data , I wouldn’t be surprised to see them make it to the quarter final. Once there who knows.
I thought mullingar entered only in the seconds cup like what ferbane did.
No were not struggling that bad just yet!!! Stern test ahead if we beat new Ross though!!!
Who did the mighty skerries 2nds draw in the next round … oh wait !
Johnny, anyone with a brain from skerries knew it was going to be very hard to beat wicklow. the people on here talkin skerries 2nds up are obviously just stirring. sure last year we could barely field a team, never mind compete. were better this year but still very hard for us to compete with a 1B team.
yeah fair enough it was obviously a wind up, but if theyre on here talking trash to other sides and other rubbish about the leagues being a “joke” they deserve to be slagged off. J2 metro is a fair bit off the better standards within the Leinster Leagues. Particularly in forward play, they dont even have proper scrums.
Skerries 2s were too sore-headed after the session after the 1sts went and rinsed Barnhall in the second half of the AIL game on Saturday. 29-8 became 30-29. Bonus point. Cha ching.
< < < < < Comment Deleted > > > > See our Charter for guidelines as to why.
odd shaped balls. Sounds like sours grapes. 10min to go Clondalkin were 10 points ahead. your team got 2 players sent off. you all said Cill Dara robbed you, please. Man up, its cup rugby, play for the full 80. it was a draw a the end of 80. Clondalkin still had ET to win it but they didnt end of.
< < < < < Comment Deleted > > > > See our Charter for guidelines as to why.
3 weeks away but for the craic
Cill Dara v Gorey – Any team that can beat Tullamore should beat Gorey at home – home by 8
Mullingar / New Ross v Tullamore – Tullamore to beat Mullingar by 12
Co. Carlow / Navan v Ashbourne – This this will be Carlow away to Ash and I’d fancy them by 3
Naas v Edenderry – Naas J1s to win this by 10
Wicklow v Newbridge – Wicklow to win this by 6
Longford v Enniscorthy – Longford for the shock and a win by 2
Athy v Roscrea / Boyne
Roscrea by 6
Tullow v Kilkenny
Interesting – home advantage to swing it Tullow’s way by 5 points.
No Country, Man up?….You need to take a hard luck at yourselfs, the behaviour of your team and club yeasterday was nothing short of a disgrace.
OB1 use the force. It might help with your spelling and those sour grapes.
Thanks for that Yoda,but the deslexia is a bartord.
Hmm team winning by 10 points in horrendous conditions with 10mins to go and they lose. Long hard look in the mirror is required there. Lashing out annonymously on an internet forum is counterproductive and not mention immature.
Ok thanks Bilbo, what position did you play yesterday?Maybe before lecturing others, maybe provide us with your name.
As I certianly havent heard of any baggins in the cill dara set up.
I think lashing out is a little strong, Bilbo, my own view , was your team , are a team that looked old yesterday, frustrated, desperate, and that all boiled over in the behaviour in the last 10 mins.From your supporters and its players.
Which had our team won under those circumstances, would have left me feeling a little shallow this morning.
One thing is for certain the best is past a number of your players, when your reponse to being beaten is to punch head of young lad half your age its time to hang up the boots.
As always a great scrum but very little behind the ears.No Towns Cup for cill Dara This year I think.
I wasn’t at the game just what is written here and what was on Twitter. And for the record I’m not from Cill Dara I’m anonymous but then I’m not making childish statements against a club after losing a game by all accounts you should have won. Take your bitter pill and move on. This forum can be great when the talk is constructive alas comments like yours just leads to the tit for tat crap like the skerries Wicklow comments.
SKERRIES 2nds !
I will admit wicklow got there act together but 10-8 in the first half shows what skerries 2xv potential is.
They had no second rows and two hungover probs.
It came down to the scrum in which wicklow had men against teenagers.
In the backs wicklow found it hard to compete.
Congrats to wicklow though.
Btw that Skerries fight back against barnhall!!! WOOOOW
wicklow try scores v skerries
14 x 3
11 x 2
12 x 1
how did the wicklow backs struggle to compete? if your props want to go on the piss before a match id suggest your club has issues. also the wicklow loosehead and hooker are both 20 hardly what you’d call old men.
Well done Gorey.Cill Dara should count their lucky stars that they got them at home.It will be the difference.But it will be close.
Tullow will be hard to beat at the Black Gates.Kilkenny are on a winning streak and have some good individual talent but the Top of 2A is a far cry from the Top of 1B.It will be close.Tullow to win by a score
Longford v ‘Scorthy will be a tough encounter.Players coming back from injury has steadied the ‘Scorthy slide.’Scorthy to win because of their experience.
Teams that will be in the draw for the Q/Final:Cill Dara,Tullamore,Navan,Naas,Newbridge,’Scorthy,Roscrea and Tullow
What happened in the clondalkin game that they threw away a ten point lead? Did they concede poor tries or was it a result of poor discipline? Well done to cill dara on the comeback, I heard conditions were awful around Leinster yesterday. Wicklow and newbridge will be a mouth watering game in the next round.
think they suffered a collective medical condition – filed under choking
Nah they didn’t choke, you should show a little more respect and be a bit more gracious. Clondalkin definitely suffered from a few poor tactical decisions in the second half when they really could have put Cill Dara away.There were also a few 50/50 decisions that went against them which had a huge influence on the result.They played all the rugby and will take a lot of positives out of their performance.
At the end of the day Cill Dara march on but hopefully we will meet again this year and from what I saw yesterday I have no doubt what the result will be.
For years the paradox of choking seemed incomprehensible to psychologists and sportsmen alike. It is only in recent years that neuroscientists have glimpsed the answers, and they are both intriguing and revelatory. Consider what happens when you are learning a task, say cleaning out a ruck. When you start out, you have to focus intently on staying low, while trying to move past the ball and drive up. Indeed, at the beginning these tasks are so difficult to execute that the coach starts off using rucking bags and tackle tubes.
But now consider what happens after hundreds of hours of practice. Now, you can perform these skills effortlessly, without any conscious control, so that you are able to clean out a ruck without even being aware of how you did it. In effect, experts and novices use two completely different brain systems. Long practice enables experienced performers to encode a skill in implicit memory, and they perform almost without thinking about it.
This is called expert-induced amnesia. Novices, on the other hand, wield the explicit system, consciously monitoring what they are doing as they build the neural framework supporting the task. But now suppose an expert were to suddenly find himself using the “wrong” system. It wouldn’t matter how good he was because he would now be at the mercy of the explicit system.
The highly sophisticated skills encoded in the subconscious part of his brain would count for nothing. He would find himself striving for victory using neural pathways he last used as a novice. This is the neurophysiology of choking. It is triggered when we get so anxious that we seize conscious control over a task that should be executed automatically.
Clondalkin found themsleves in postion to win a game and their systems all failed. To me that is a collective choke but I am an 874 year old fictional character. What would I know? It’s an observation and comment not designed to insult by the way.
They clearly did choke!!!!! Will be interesting to see what happens in relegation play off match if Clon finished 2nd…..
Copying some of the content from an article that was written about England at Euro 2012 to try and make yourself look intelligent is rather sad even if you are an 874 year old fictional character.
You have however conveniently ignored factors that had a big influence on the result which were 100% out of Clondalkin’s
control. These factors lead me to the conclusion that choking was not a reason for the loss.
Yoda paraphrased to explain choking, a technique often used in debate and discussion, Yoda should have referenced but you can’t link articles in this comment software. Again failure to recognise the choke and trying to deflect will only lead to further chokes. Release the anxiety my young padawan.
plagiarism, not paraphrasing.
Yoda , your a bloody disgrace to the Jedi Order,and a discgrace to the code of morality and justice, which you a sworn to uphold.
Clearly you have been in your cave for way too long.
This has affected your jedi skills, your sight and hearing , me thinks you not see the same game me does.
cill dara did get out of jail yesterday but for sheer drive and will to win deserved it in the end, their never say die attitude was key.
Cill dara will be very very hard beaten now. they are on a roll and i think will get to the final this year and then who knows what can happen?
with dundalk gone and kilkenny to more than likely lose next round its going to come down to five teams that can win it realistically: tullamore, enniscorthy, newbridge, tullow and cill dara.
if i was a bookie at the minute i would have the teams in the following order as favourites:
1) Tullow. Form team in leinster. league won and no involement in ther comps so no distractions and can rest key players in league games if needs be.
have already beaten scorthyo wont be afraid of drawing anyone in 1a. tough pack with decent kicker. also last seasons final will stand to them.
2) cill dara. poor season but have hit form at the right time. winning tight games to tullamore and clondalkin will stand to them further down the line. probably the best scrummaging pack in leinster junior and hard to break down. if their backs click and their kicker can find form they will be very hard to beat.
3) enniscorthy. poor season but again have hit form. a lot will depend on keeping players fit as they have a small panel. they probably have the most attacking talent but their pack struggles at set piece. current holders so wont give it up without a hell of a fight.
4) tullamore. many peoples favourites but for me they will just have played too many games by the time the latter stages come around. injuries to key players and one eye on the ail round robin will probably end up costing them a historic double. historically few teams have been able to keep momnentum going all season and compete on 4 fronts.
5) newbridge. have stuttered all season but on their day can beat anyone. pack still an issue at set piece but have improved on last year. wicklow away will be really tough. if they can win this and get a good draw they could surprise everyone.
as a realistic outside bet im going to go to the bookies and throw €10 on gorey. they have made real progress this year and play attractive rugby. if they beat cill dara they will have momentum. realistically they will need a kind draw after this and avoid the heavy hitters but you never know!
also roscrea could be worth a small bet, i think they will beat athy and boyne in the next round so that would leave them in the last 8 and from ten on anything can happen depending on the draw.
Nice piece me bojangles, think tullow vs Kilkenny is tie of the round definitely
you played against both teams jb, whats your verdict? can kilkenny topple tullow at the mighty black gates?
I think they can, Kilkenny have a strong pack and a very good 10,12,13 back three is suspect. I think out of all the teams left in it kilkenny will be the one to do it, it would be a huge upset if they do. I think Gorey will beat cill dara too! Goreys number 7 is a machine, Ben horan he just has a huge engine! There strong defensively and play a good brand going forward. Hard to look past Tullamore though even though we drew them!!!
ive seen tullamore three times this year and they are an outstanding team and worthy champions. i still think they will find it difficult to compete in the ptc. they have a tough ail cup final vs enniscorthy in two weeks, then a tricky tie away against mullingar in the ptc, then another tough game away to scorthy in the league, then newbridge at home in the league. they wont want to lose either league match, especially the home game to newbridge when they get the trophy. so thats 5 really tough games in a row and they are bound to ship another few injuries in these games. they may even rest key players so they are fresh for the round robin.
cill dara worked out how to beat them and will do it again if they draw them.
i just cant see them being able to keep their fine season going forever. if they do and win the ptc and junior cup and get promoted they will be the greatest junior side of all time.
I agree to a degree, the way I see it is that they have delivered week in week out since September, literally putting more than 30 points on most team they have played. They can only be growing in confidence now since winning the league. I can see them beating Enniscorthy in the final. But I can see Enniscorthy beating them down there.
I would like to see it happening that they win all the cups because people on this have been saying its a weak 1a this year when I think its very evenly matched apart from one outstanding team. If tullamore go senior it will put some pressure on buccs.
If you were to pick a winner right now who would you pick? thats the way I look at it, as long as there in it they will be favourites.
A little bias, Mr Bojangles,.
Newbridge have beaten Cill Dara,3 times this season,as to how you would rank Cill Dara over Newbridge, makes little if any sense.
Cill Dara Should beat Gorey, on paper.
A serious scrum, and a hard running 8 very little outside of that, and ive watched you a few times.But an old team, crying out for new ideas, and some youth.
Tullow still ones to beat.
Question I’d ask do Tullamore really want to go senior?They are deifinitely good enough.If they do they will have little option but to pass on towns cup this year.On that basis
1) Tullow
2) Newbridge
3) Enniscorthy
4) Wicklow
5) Longford
6) Cill Dara/Kilkenny
well for one reason OB1, newbridge have the tougher tie in the next round and could well be out after this while cill dara will most likely be through! Your logic of having wicklow 4th favourites and newbridge 2nd favourites makes no sense seeing as they play each other! ditto longford vs enniscorthy!
cill dara have the better scrum and kicker so are more suited to cup rugby. also newbridge choked last year and have been found wanting for the last two years every time they get built up.
Cill Daras scrum and kicker, have counted for little this season, and play a very predictable style of rugby.
Hosie Cup final both where exposed.Despite the rain and poor weather.
I think you are at best an outside bet.
Its a few seasons since any fast flowing rugby has graced beechpark,and as the ground drys up this will suit the quicker more fluid teams.
well predictable and all it worked against tullamore and if memory serves me correctly tullamore beat newbridge in newbridge!
how about a cill dara vs newbridge final, played in naas! now that would be a spectactle, id say there would be over 3000 at that final!!
One Swallow and all !Certainly a lot of blood and guts!Newbridge by 6 though!!
That would be a serious final, Naas would be the only place for it!!!
Ill have any money that wicklow will beat newbridge. FACT
Some tight ones to call in the first round and some great upsets!! Tullamore will want to win it really isnt that easy..Im sure they know that!!
Cill Dara v Gorey- Cill Dara to win here, Gorey are a decent side but cant see them going to kildare and winning here.
Mullingar / New Ross v Tullamore- Tullamore to walk this if they are in good form.
Co. Carlow / Navan v Ashbourne Tough to call but I think Carlow are good here.
Naas v Edenderry- close to call but naas should be ok here if they have a good sqaud, edenderry arent at much.
Wicklow v Newbridge- Upset on the cards? two good front rows going to battle here..on paper its got to be newbridge but I can see Wicklow edging it.
Longford v Enniscorthy- Scorthy to cement themselves here against a decent longford side..
Athy v Roscrea / Boyne0 roscrea should be too good for both teams.
Tullow v Kilkenny- Tie of the round, Tullow to carry on well here though.
hound, tie of the round it is, but i wouldve backed KK if the tie was at their ground.. thats how good i rate them. You see what Gorey did to Dundalk, KK bet them, a really good side, twice this year already, theyre a quality outfit. The top 4 in 2a are all very good sides and there was only fractions between em all in all their games, so the league position is a bit of a misnomer.. It’ll be close. Very close.