Coolmine’s 1st XV secured their second piece of silverware this year in their last competitive game of the season when they faced Greystones 13-7 in the Metro Plate Final in Donnybrook recently…
A large crowd turned up to cheer on the Dublin 15 unit who were keen to finish off the season on a high after already winning Leinster Division 1B and gaining promotion for the second year in a row. Coolmine got off to a great start with a converted penalty from Donal Crotty after 5 minutes. But this was to be the only score of the half with both sides creating few scoring chances.
Coolmine upped the pace in the second period; Willie Anderson’s half time chat certainly seemed to make a difference. The Greystones defence found itself stretched and Coolmine eventually secured another penalty and another 3 points. Coolmine were now on a roll and it wasn’t long before they crossed the whitewash for the first try of the game, prop Martin Hayes barging over the line after taking a well timed pop pass.
With 13 minutes gone and 11 points separating the sides it looked like Coolmine were cruising.
But Greystones replied within minutes with a fine try of their own under the posts to close the gap and keep the game alive. This was the final score of the game and Coolmine spent the last 10 minutes keeping the ball tight in the Greystones half winding down the clock. With the last seconds ticking away Greystones desperately tried to run the ball from their own 22 and managed to find a gap, quickly gaining ground.
Good handling kept the ball alive and it took a late tap tackle to bring the defender down just short of the posts to the relief of the Coolmine supporters. The Dublin 15 side eventually managed to turn the ball over and kick for touch followed by the ref’s final whistle. After a well deserved summer break the lads will be looking forward to competing at the highest level in Leinster Rugby and being one step closer to their desired goal of AIL status.
