Newbridge sparkle on first home game of new season
Max McLoughlin charges towards the Balbriggan line Photo: Michael Anderson
After a narrow defeat in the opening league fixture away to Longford, Newbridge RFC had the chance to kick-start their season as Balbriggan visited Rosetown for the first home league game of the campaign.
The visitors made the brighter start, taking an early 3-0 lead through a well-struck penalty. Newbridge took some time to settle but eventually found their rhythm, moving the ball wide for Zack Meehan to finish in the corner and put the hosts ahead 5-3.
A key moment followed when a loose Balbriggan pass inside the Newbridge 22 was snapped up by Darragh Whyte, who raced the length of the field to score under the posts. With the conversion added, Newbridge moved into a 12-3 lead.
Balbriggan stayed in touch through two long-range penalties, narrowing the margin to 12-9 at the break.
The second half, however, was all Newbridge. Playing an expansive brand of rugby, the home side dominated territory and possession, running in tries from all angles. Riain Murphy, impressive throughout, grabbed the first of his two scores, quickly followed by the bonus-point try from Gavin Houlihan. Tom Treacy then crossed to make it 31-9, effectively sealing the contest.
Further tries from Cameron English, Murphy’s second, and Jack Moore added the gloss to a superb team performance, leaving the final score at 50-9 in favour of Newbridge.
It capped off a great day for the club, with the J2 side claiming a comprehensive 40-0 win earlier in the day, highlighted by a senior debut and try for Jack O’Donogue.
Newbridge now have a break next weekend before travelling to table-toppers Coolmine the following Sunday.
