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Brief Reflections on Relegation from the President
31st of March 2008

Saturday March 29 th 2008 was a dark day for Barnhall. We felt the pain of relegation for the first time. We will not be feeling it again.
Great effort, lead from the front by our Captain Jim Nolan fell short in keeping intact our Division 2 status.
The commitment of Eddie Fitzgerald, Ian Morgan, Denis Bowes and all of the 1st team squad in battling to maintain this status has been herculean. We can take nothing but pride from this commitment. I feel privileged to have seen it at close quarters.

"We felt the pain of relegation for the first time. We will not be feeling it again."

There should be no underestimation of the task now at hand. The 3rd division will be a harsh environment for the unprepared. We will not be numbered among those. It will take youth, heart and head to chart our way back. No-one should doubt our endowment of all three.
Nothing goes in a permanent straight line. Six promotions in a dozen seasons suggested an inevitable setback at some point. That point is now here. Our response will tell us as much, if not more about our club than the great successes of the past. We will not be found wanting.

I know this, because I know you all.
Let us look forward in renewed expectation,

Yours in Barnhall,

Jack Looby
President: 2007/2008

Harlequins change colour and brush Barnhall aside
Belfast Harlequins 38 Barnhall 3
31st of March 2008

A brave performance was never going to be enough for Barnhall to topple Belfast Harlequins in Dearamore Belfast on Saturday. Indeed gaining five points from the game would still require others to play a part for Barnhall to stay in Division two of the AIL. Knowing the odds were stacked against them and facing one of the strongest teams in the division Barnhall still gave it their all in an entertaining and bruising encounter ...more

Students in a class of their own.
University College Cork 36 Barnhall RFC 21
25th of March 2008

Barnhall suffered another Division 2 defeat in the Mardyke grounds on Saturday. This latest loss and the inability to secure a bonus point makes rugby in AIL division 3. next year all the more likely for the Parsonstown Blue Bulls.
Barnhall started brightly with the tight forward unit having much the better of the early exchanges. Whether it was inexperience or the pressure of the occasion the Backline made a series of unforced errors which negated the hard work of the powerful Barnhall pack. On eight minutes the home side made a break, somewhat against the run of play. Gavin Dunne appeared to knock the ball on following a tap tackle just inside the Barnhall half. The ref didn't call the infringement and an excellent pick up by Scott Deasey saw him break the cover and score close to the posts. Dunne converted to establish a seven point lead. This was followed six minutes later by well worked try for Peter Shallow the first of his three try's on the day. At 12 points to nil Barnhall were left wondering how they could dominate the forward encounter and end up so far behind after only seventeen minutes ...more

Under 16s McAuley Cup. Boyne 17 – Barnhall 12 Under 16s 18th of March 2008

In a rain drenched day in Drogheda the young bulls lost out to a very good Boyne team in the closest of matches. At the end of the day the difference between the teams was an intercept try that put Boyne under the posts for a gifted try.
The Boyne pack started strong as expected and bullied their way forward till they got a score from persistent drives in the pack. However the Bulls defended with gusto and kept themselves in the game. A lifeline came before half time with a well taken try came with Joe Taylor breaking a tackle out wide to score in the corner. A half time score of 5-5 gave Barnhall an edge with the wind to their backs in the second half. Persistent forward pressure from Boyne saw them get another try in the corner which they could not convert ...more

Under 16s EASTER schedule click here

Good start to the Leinster Schools-Youth Cup for Under 16s 11th of March 2008

Barnhall got through the first round of the Schools-Youth Cup this week end with a sound victory over Guinness. Having met earlier in the league where the spoils went Barnhall's way, the young bulls knew they would meet a determined and hardy Guinness pack ...more

Barnhall 3 Wicklow 9 10th of March 2008

Barnhall will remember this as the one that got away! If the stats were reviewed they would show 70% possession, 70% territory and dominating each phase of play in Barnhalls favour but it was Wicklow, to their great credit that took the spoils. Having never threatened the Barnhall try line it was 3 occasions of ill discipline from the young bulls ...more

Barnhall Under 16s to play in the world's oldest sevens rugby tournament 5th of March 2008

This April sees the 125 th anniversary of the MELROSE SEVENS. Held in the Melrose club in Scotland where sevens rugby was invented, Barnhall will be the only Irish team in the youth tournament.
This year for the first time, as part of the 125 th anniversary celebrations, the tournament will have a youth section. Competing against 15 other youth teams from Scotland, England & Wales, Barnhall will be trying for a place in the prestigious final. The youth final will be held in the main stadium immediately before the main final and 18,000 spectators are expected to attend the event so this is no small thing.
The main event attracts teams from around the world and this year the big names are the Shimlas from South Africa, Leicester Tigers, Ulster and Roma from Italy and the Gold Coast Breakers from Australia. The tournament has a history of displaying top class talent such as the Australian David Campese, South African Percy Montgomery, French legends Serge Blanco and Jean Baptiste Ellisalde, England's Will Carling, Ireland's Tony O'Reilly, as well as Scottish heroes Andy Irvine and Chris Patterson. Perhaps some of the Barnhall players will become the big names of rugby in years to come.
Following trials in the club last week-end the Barnhall U16s sevens squad has been selected and is as follows:
Andy Birchall, Luke Bray, Conor Cribben, Niall Cullen, Colm Finegan, Darren Higgins, Niall Kernan, Thomas McGuirk, Colin O'Reilly, Joe Taylor.

Seapoint 10 Barnhall 24 4th of March 2008

Barnhall U18's travelled to play Seapoint on Sunday the 2nd March in a friendly fixture. Seapoint presented a big challenge to the young Bulls by putting out a big burly pack of forwards and a lightening quick backline consisting of mainly CBC Monkstown senior cup squad players. Barnhall were also missing a few regular players through slight knocks and a late call up to the Irish Youth's for Eamon Daly. The Seapoint side got straight into their stride by winning possession from the kick off and catching the Blues cold and scoring a great try out wide which was not converted. The young Bulls soon got their act together and started to use their greater forward power to take the ball up the park ...more

Barnhall Unhinged by late surge from Ballinahinch of 4th of March 2008

Barnhall RFC fought the brave fight with one of the best showings this year only to come up short in the final ten minutes of this entertaining game at Parsonstown on Saturday. After eight minutes it looked like the northern visitors were going to dish out a thrashing as the pushed hard from the kick off. Barnhall could not manage to get a hand on the ball in this opening phase and the Hinch no8 Stuart Lamb failed with two attempts to open the scoring once via a knock on and the second via a try saving tackle by Brian Hennebry ...more