Sunday was a historic occasion for this group of young men as Portarlington RFC hosted their first ever semi-final as U14 rugby players. What a day it proved to be. From the first whistle, these boys did the jersey and the club proud, stepping up to the challenge with everything they had — composure, physicality, and a real understanding of the game.
Port took a few minutes to find their feet — five minutes, to be precise — but once the scoring started, it simply didn't stop. The team dominated throughout, controlling the scrums and set pieces from the outset and putting on what was arguably their finest display of rugby to date. Everything fell into place, and the result was a performance that was a genuine pleasure to watch.
Ratoath contested the game well and should be commended for their effort, but on the day, things simply didn't fall into place for them. Port were relentless, clinical, and cohesive from start to finish.
FIRST HALF SCORES
Min Score
5' Try – Tom Coen
6' Conversion – Bradley Cooper (C)
13' Try – Tom Coen
14' Conversion – Bradley Cooper (C)
18' Conversion – Bradley Cooper (C)
23' Try – Sam Petriw
25' Try – Tom Coen
SECOND HALF SCORES
Min Score
1' Try – Tom Coen
2' Conversion – Bradley Cooper (C)
7' Try – Sam Petriw
8' Conversion – Bradley Cooper (C)
9' Try – Michael Owens
10' Conversion – Bradley Cooper (C)
19' Try – Tommy Walker ⭐ First Try of the Season!
20' Conversion – Bradley Cooper (C)
21' Try – Thoma McGrath
22' Conversion – Bradley Cooper (C)
23' Try – Michael McCallum
24' Conversion – Bradley Cooper (C)
25' Try – Seán Fitzpatrick
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
~ Men of the Match
Sam Petriw | Tom Coen | Michael Owens
⭐ Super Performances
Owen O'Connell · Finn Costello · Luca Hynes · Sam Lyons · Seán Fitzpatrick · Jack McDonald · Ciarán Moore · Oisín Geoghegan · Tadgh O'Connor · Jack Turley · Thoma McGrath
? Brilliant Support Play
Harry Robinson · Charlie Merriman · Mark Finlay · Tommy Walker · Aidan Scully · Dan Carroll · Arran Dunne · Seán Kiernan
? First Try of the Season
Tommy Walker — a landmark moment and thoroughly deserved!
? Captain's Special Mention
Bradley Cooper (C) led from the front today. He held his composure throughout, captained the side with real authority, and delivered consistently from the kicking tee — many of those conversions were far from straightforward. A captain's performance in every sense of the word.
MATCH DAY SQUAD
Jack McDonald · Ciarán Moore · Harry Robinson · Finn Costello · Oisín Geoghegan · Luca Hynes · Charlie Merriman · Tom Coen · Tadgh O'Connor · Eoin O'Connell · Sam Petriw · Seán Fitzpatrick · Sam Lyons · Michael Owens · Bradley Cooper · Mark Finlay · Tommy Walker · Aidan Scully · Thoma Mc Grath · Dan Carroll · Jack Turley · Arran Dunne · Seán Kiernan · Pierce Milner · Michael McCallum