With Irish Rugby at an all time high following the recent Six Nations Grand Slam double on St. Patrick’s Weekend, their will no doubt be increased interest in Kilkenny’s pursuit of attempting to defend The Provincial Towns Cup.
St. Patrick’s Weekend was also a positive one for Kilkenny Rugby Club as they secured a last gasp victory away to Gorey in the Quarter-Final to keep their Towns Cup hopes alive.
This coming Easter Sunday, Kilkenny play Cill Dara in Portlaoise from 3pm, while the other Semi-Final is an all Carlow contest between County Carlow and Tullow.
Easter Sunday was a memorable day for Kilkenny Rugby last year as they won The Towns Cup for the first time in 20 years following an emphatic 32-6 win against Ashbourne.
It was their 6th Towns Cup triumph with the first coming back in 1955.
Kilkenny had a tough path on their way to last years Cup Final as they defeated Edenderry, Dundalk and Carlow, and in this years Quarter-Final they had to do it the hard way against Gorey.
At one stage they were 12-0 down and facing defeat, but they displayed admirable composure and resilience to fightback with tries from Rory McInerney and Lyndon Brannigan along with a Hugh Corkery Conversion bringing them level. 12-12.
Gorey fought back with another try and they held a slender advantage with time almost up. 17-15.
However, Kilkenny pulled it out of the bag and a last gasp try deep into stoppage time from Abel Viana saw them secure victory in the most dramatic circumstances to keep the defence of their Towns Cup alive with a 20-17 win.
The Towns Cup has become a saving grace for Kilkenny particularly after the disappointment of suffering relegation from Division 1A of The Leinster League.
Kilkenny’s place in The Top Tier of The Leinster League next season will be taken by fellow Towns Cup Semi-Finalists Tullow.
Tullow defeated Kilkenny’s Semi-Final opponents Cill Dara comprehensively two weeks ago to gain Promotion to Division 1A next season.
The Towns Cup brought out the best in Kilkenny last season, and no doubt they will be more than hopeful of getting back into the final once again.
Overall, it’s been a very positive season for Kilkenny Rugby Club with the various Teams doing very well.
The 2nds are also progressing nicely in The Cup recently and they qualified for the Quarter-Final following a dramatic victory last Sunday.
They produced a late rally to win 29-27 away to Wicklow as they ground out a victory after a Wicklow try put them out front with time running out. 27-26.
However, Kilkenny dug deep and a late three pointer saw them snatch victory as they secured a priceless victory.
Elsewhere, The U-15s won their Leinster League Final recently with a 21-10 win against Naas, The U14s have a Cup Semi-Final to play also, while The Ladies had an excellent Season in The League as they just lost out on automatic promotion.
Meanwhile, The Kilkenny Rugby Club venue in Foulkestown is one of several venues within the province that are hosting a Summer Camp organized by Leinster Rugby.
The Camp takes place from Monday 31st July to Friday 4th August, and it’s best book as quickly as possible with places filling up.
