We’re not a hundred perecent on it, but general New Years Eve/Day partying for Kilkenny RFC may have been quieter than normal to kick off 2016 as the club are on the road tomorrow (Sunday) against Suttonians in the second of their rescheduled fixtures owing to December’s miserable weather.
See also: Kilkenny secure first win of the season against Suttonians
For their opponents, 2015’s Division 1A experience is one that they’ll want to erase from the books.
Suttonians are now eight games without a win – having played eight games and the four points that they do have on the board have all come as losing bonus points. On their visit to Foulkstown in October, the Dubliners started strong but were brushed aside with ease in the second half by Kilkenny who turned things around from 18-15 at the break to run out 53-23 winners.
When we previewed this fixture in early December, Kilkenny manager Pakie Hennebry at the time said
Suttonians are now eight games without a win – having played eight games and the four points that they do have on the board have all come as losing bonus points. On their visit to Foulkstown in October, the Dubliners started strong but were brushed aside with ease in the second half by Kilkenny who
While nothing has changed for Suttonians since then, Kilkenny did have a turnaround in fortunes picking up a vital 11-10 win over Monkstown on 19 December, the win coming off a second half comeback – something the club have been missing all season long.
See also: Photos of Kilkenny RFC v Suttonians, October 2015
The victory over Monkstown is only Kilkenny’s third in eight fixtures and they’ll head to Dublin on Sunday looking for their first road victory of the campaign. Recording back-to-back victories would also be a first for Kilkenny for the season and would be a huge help as the host runaway leaders Enniscorthy on Saturday 9 January at Foulkstown.
With Steve Ashmore’s charges currently lying in sixth place, a win against bottom side Suttonians would jump them into fifth, just ahead of Monkstown who take on second placed Gorey next weekend.
Kick-off at John J McDowell Memorial Grounds (Strand Road) is at 2.30pm Sunday with John Montayne referee. Carlow and Tullow resume their Leinster League campaigns next weekend.
