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J4’s League Winners 2009-2010

When I sat down to compose the end of season report for the J4’s, I was struck by a powerful surge of sentiment and found myself wandering amongst countless evocative joyful memories and sweet experiences.  It was a titanic season and one, I am quite sure, I will never forget. 

When the J4 groups and League fixtures were announced last September the team knew that we would be facing a new and different challenge.  Like the Spartans at Thermopylae, we would need to surmount great difficulties to achieve glory.  Unlike previous years the Leinster Branch decided to introduce for this year a divisional system whereby the quarter finalists from 2008-09’s J4 League would be placed in a ‘Section A’ for 2010. Each of these eight teams would play one another twice over the season, on a ‘Home’ and ‘Away’ basis. Old Belvedere J4‘s were now pitted against the remaining best: Clontarf, Coolmine, St. Mary’s and Terenure, among others. It is well known that each of these have strong traditions in Junior rugby at club level and had competed well in all the Leagues. The remaining few players from the ‘double’ winning team two years ago quickly realised that the Saturday afternoons of ‘easy matches’ scattered with a couple of tough ones were a thing of the past. Every weekend was going to be a Championship match.

When I saw the new format, and how tough it would be, I thought immediately of the famous American Military Leader George Smith Patton III when he proclaimed: “Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory.”

 After a squad meeting in September, in which I passionately related Patton’s words to all, we saw the the goal of the J4s was clear:  to win the League. With the support and hard work of Jonathan Sharkey as Junior Rugby Coach, Tommy Hynes as Team Manager (and player!), Dec Egan as Co-Manager and Steve O’Leary as Junior President (and staunch supporter!) the squad knew we would be in good hands behind the scenes. All we had to do was beat the other teams- twice!

Our first match against Clontarf in Anglesea Road proved to be a hard fought one with our winning out by 29-22. Such narrow scorelines followed us over the next few matches the way seagulls fallow a trawler of fish at seas.  Wins against the likes of Terenure, Blackrock and Tallaght encouraged us but the away loss to Coolmine was a disappointing result. It could have deterred our focus but after honest team reflection it only served to galvanise us.  After the loss I gathered the lads in the dressing room and tried to cheer them up by saying: “Yes, there is suffering in life, and there are defeats. No one can avoid them. But it's better to lose some of the battles in the struggles for your dreams than to be defeated without ever knowing what you're fighting for.”  I also reminded the boys that defeat is nothing but education; nothing but the first step to something better. It seemed to have the desired effect as straight after we won out against Clondalkin and beat St. Mary’s at home under lights in a truly gladiatorial fight. Going into Christmas the J4s were top of the League with 6 wins out of 7 (‘Dum spiro, spero’’ I thought). 

After the break our first match was away to Clontarf. However, due to weather conditions akin to those experienced by the fighting men of Alexander the Great during his travels over the Khawak Pass, it was postponed until the end of February. The consequence meant playing four consecutive relentless matches against Terenure, Coolmine, St. Marys and Clontarf; each team knowing that any loss would result in their taking a step further away from winning the League. A good win against Tallaght set up for an away match to Blackrock which we sadly lost. Having beaten ‘Rock earlier and seen their pre-Christmas results, perhaps an element of complacency seeped into our team for that day. Or perhaps the appearance of a number of ‘new faces’ on the Blackrock team who had not played against us the previous match also became a deciding factor. Either way, our team knew that we had no choice but to win all the remaining matches in order to win the League. We obviously like to do things the hard way!  Ad astra per aspera.

The matches against Terenure, Mary’s and Coolmine were battles of the body and of the mind with the ebb and flow of each game taking its toll. But the tremendous effort by all involved resulted in being awarded the full points from all three. 

The Clontarf match was our penultimate match and one that we knew would decide how much this J4 Belvo team wanted this League. From having an Away match to ‘Tarf to having to kick off early on a quagmire of a pitch the mental approach to the game was crucial. As always the Clontarf pack enjoyed the physical encounter while the backs counter attacked at every opportunity given. But the Belvo J4 team stood fast and relished the bruising encounter even more. None more so than Gary Keogh who the week before had announced his retirement from competitive rugby due to repeated injury problems. Gary’s knowledge of rugby and his physical approach to the game has been an enormous contribution to not only this J4 team over the last number of years, but to the club as a whole in his nearly twenty years being a member of Old Belvedere. Even that day against Clontarf, his presence alone on the pitch helped the team to raise their heads and their intensity of our game. Belvo won 18-12. 

On Saturday 6^th March our last League game was played away against Clondalkin. To win this would put our team out of reach of the other teams and guarantee the League win. In another physical encounter up front, the Old Belvedere J4s won the match and were presented with the League Cup by Alfie Atcheson of the Leinster Branch and the congratulations by the Clondalkin team and Belvo support was much appreciated by us all. 

A great night in the club was had by all with the Cup being filled with all kinds of concoctions. Thank you Dave Hargaden, Club President, I think some of the team are still recovering! 

This year’s Leinster Junior 4’s League title is a memorable one for Junior Rugby in Old Belvedere and for the club itself. But none more so than for all of us involved in the Junior 4’s. From the time we sat in the President’s Room in the club last September to decide on our season’s goals and strategies to the lifting of the League Cup, one constant thread is evident: that the commitment and desire of this squad is as deep as our passion for the game.

Acta est fabula, plaudite!