1st XV - Kilkenny Suffers Defeat in Season Opener Against Mullingar

Written by Órla Henebry

Kilkenny 1st XV 20-32 Mullingar 1st XV – Leinster League 1B

Kilkenny’s first Leinster League game of the season didn’t go as planned, as they fell 32-20 to Mullingar in a tough away fixture. Mullingar struck early, scoring a try just eight minutes into the game and converting it to take a 7-0 lead. Kilkenny managed to narrow the gap with a penalty kick, making it 7-3, but their momentum was soon halted when Joey Manuel received a yellow card, a significant blow to the backline. Mullingar capitalized on Kilkenny’s mistakes, slotting two penalties to extend their lead to 13-3 at halftime.

At the break, Kilkenny supporters were hopeful for fewer penalties and better handling in the second half.

Kilkenny opened the scoring after the break with another penalty from Axel Montgomery, one of six players making their Leinster League debut. However, the second half saw further discipline issues as Kilkenny conceded two more yellow cards, with Conan Dunne and Dan O’Neill both sent to the sin bin. Mullingar took full advantage, crossing for three more tries. Their fly-half, Matias Pfaff, had an impressive day, converting all but one of those tries and pulling the strings for the hosts.

At 32-6 down, Kilkenny’s chances looked slim as Mullingar secured the four try bonus point. However, Kilkenny refused to give up, with substitute hooker Donal Kealy scoring from a quick tap penalty to bring the score to 32-13. Axel Montgomery then added a second try to make the final score a more respectable 32-20.

Though Kilkenny will be disappointed with the result, there were positives to take away. The lineout functioned smoothly, even in the absence of Wes Carter, and the team showed character in the final 15 minutes. Reflecting on the match, Kilkenny captain Garry Dunne remained optimistic: “In this league, you either win or you learn. Not the result we wanted, but we’ll regroup, hit the training ground, and focus on our upcoming clash with Southeast rivals Gorey. The effort shown at the end gives us something to build on.”

In brighter news for the club, Kilkenny’s 2nd team kicked off their season with a comprehensive 25-5 win over Mullingar 2nds. The match even saw a cameo appearance from retired player and current manager, Mark Coughlan.

Kilkenny’s next Leinster League game is on Sunday, September 29th, at home in Foulkstown, where they’ll face Gorey.