It’s a funny old game, rugby.
With ten minutes to go, this article’s headline read ‘Kilkenny given relegation lifeline with bonus point win over Ashbourne’.
How, I thought, could they let a 19 point lead at one stage of the first half slip from their fingers? Even when they went into the second half 19-7 clear it looked like they would power through the second half like they did the first.
Slow start from the home team here. @AshbourneRFC 7 Kilkenny 19. Just 20 mins gone. pic.twitter.com/wEUs2Raq8E
— Brendan Hurley (@brendanhurley) March 4, 2017
Kilkenny picked up their bonus point try early in the second half, before Colreavy crossed the line for Ashbourne to keep them within touching distance.
A third try for the home side and all of a sudden it’s 24-19 heading down the stretch and leaving Ashbourne with at least a losing bonus point. At full time, it’s 24 apiece. A bonus point try for both sides, and extra points each for the draw and keeping touch.
As I said, it’s a funny old game.
The drawn game and added three points for both sides leaves Kilkenny stuck to the bottom of Division 1A, level on points with Monkstown, though the Dubliner’s fixture with Enniscorthy was called off giving them a game in hand.
The result also means the Foulkstown men will finish the season without an away win.
Elsewhere, Malahide put themselves within touching distances of taking the Division 1A crown with a well fought 53-12 win over Gorey at Estuary Road. Mathematically, Enniscorthy could still take the division but will need at least a bonus point victory against Monkstown to do just that heading into the final round of fixtures next weekend.
De La Salle Palmerston also picked up an 18-14 win over Dundalk, the Louth side already assured of spending another season in 1A.
Kilkenny’s fate will be decided next weekend with a home fixture against DLSP. They’ll be hoping Enniscorthy get the better of Monkstown in the rescheduled game and Dundalk do them a favour on the final day of the season to stand a chance of avoiding the guaranteed drop back to Division 1B.
Their first of two home wins – and only wins of the season – came on the opening day of the season, getting the better of Monkstown 28-22 – can they make it a third home win and hang on to playing in the top tier of the Leinster League?
Or, as or rugby chats on Friday night in Carlow proposed (video interviews to follow this Sunday), is it better to be in a lower division winning matches than in an upper division and not?
