Wanderers win Towns Plate Derby against New Ross.
The largest crowd of the season gathered at Park Lane on Sunday last to see Wexford Wanderers play neighbouring side New Ross in the opening round of the Provincial Towns Plate. With the bitterness of first round exits from the Towns Cup, and the knowledge of an early season end in the event of a loss, both teams were not short on motivation for the fixture which was played in excellent conditions.
The game started well with both sides competing well at the breakdown. After 5 minutes New Ross were awarded a penalty for an infringement at a ruck in front of the Wexford posts which the visitors duly converted to gain a 0-3 lead. The lead was short lived however as from the restart Wanderers forced New Ross back towards there own line and after a number of phases of picking and driving No. 8 Mark Whelan crossed close to the posts for the opening try of the contest in the 12th minute. The unconverted try gave the home side a 5-3 lead. New Ross kept the pressure on Wexford and were awarded a penalty on 20 minutes which they converted to re-take the lead by 5-6. The next score came 10 minutes later when New Ross again converted a penalty to push the score to 5-9 and punish Wexford infringements at the breakdown. Despite trailing by 4 the home side competed throughtout with the visitiors in all areas of the game. Worryingly for Wanderers, centre Sean O'Corcora had to be replaced 2 minutes before the break as a result of a bad clash of heads. However the lightning quick Cillian Gowan was available on the bench.
At the break Wanderers made a number of changes with Alan Kinsella, Barry Walsh and Mikey Hanrahan coming in for R. Morris, Gannon and Cousins. The effect of the changes were instant after the break, when in the 45th minute Barry Walsh took a superb drop goal to reduce New Ross's lead to 1 at 8-9. Wanderers at this stage sensed a win could be on the cards and the side looked to have a renewed mental strength for the contest. While New Ross pressed hard for a break through the defence of the Wexford side particularly the backs was impressive with important tackles coming at critical stages from particularly Hanrahan, Ryan and Carty. Midway throught the second half Wanderers emptied there bench and added Willie Morris and Rory "Chopper" O'Leary to the fray for Stenning and McConville giving the scrum 2 fresh players for the final quarter. The final score of the contest came on the 60th minute when following a series of rucks which had sucked the Ross backs in-field the Wexford backline moved the ball quickly to allow Hanrahan get the all important try 2 meters in from the touchline. Unfortunately Walsh was unable to add the conversion and the game remained on a knife edge for the remaining minutes with Wanderers leading by 13-9. Despite the best efforts of the New Ross team the Wexford side was able to hold a firm line of defence through the final minutes of the game and more importantly were able to make brillant turnovers at critical times to blunt the New Ross attack. The final whistle signalled the commencement of celebrations among the home support and players who have had a difficult season to date.

Wexford Wanderers: Niall Stenning, Richie Morris, John Rowe, Killian McConville, Chris Walsh (Capt), Wayne O'Connor, Anthony Walsh, Mark Whelan, Stuart Ryan, Paul Gannon, John Browne, Sean O'Corora, Corey Carthy, Padraig Cousins, Robbie Casey. Subs: Willie Morris, Alan Kinsella, Cillian Gowan, Rory O'Leary, Barry Walsh.

New Ross: Conor Lyng, Shane Roche, Brian Wilkinson (Capt), Eoin Barden, Brian Bolger, Tom Healy, Slawek Jastrzeaski, James Ryan, Aaron Prendergast, Gordon Doyle, Kevin Burke, Sean Furlong, Jamie Cullen, John Scully, Paddy Delaney.

The next game for Wanderers is the final home league game of the season which will see Edenderry visiting Park Lane on Sunday next 26th February.
The day will also see Wanderers Seconds XV in there final home league game against the same opposition with the action kicking off around 1pm. Hopefully the bounce from this weekends win will continue for next weekends game. As ever support for both sides at Park Lane is appreciated by both the club and more particularly the players on both teams.

Under 17A
In other news Wexfords Under 17A side lost out to a very strong Mullingar side in their Leinster League Semi-Final Clash. Mullingar lead 17-0 at the break but immediately after the re-start Wexford hit back with two tries. The first from Collie Joyce Aherne and the second five minutes later from Owen Roche. The second try was converted by Tom Hudson to cut the difference to 17-12. However Mullingar strenghtened their forwards from the bench and added two further tries to leave the final score 29-12. The Under 15A side were in Cup action over the weekend where they scored a over a century against neighbours Enniscorthy in a very mismatched encounter.

Under 13's
Finally the Under 13's also made it a winning weekend by beating Longford in the first round of the cup by 10-5.

Wanderers Towns Cup exit sets up Local Derby with New Ross in Towns Plate opener.

Wexford Wanderers First XV travelled to Naas on Saturday last the 11th February to play Naas in the opening round of the Provincial Towns Cup. The game which had been postponed two weeks earlier due to bad weather was played in excellent conditions on the day. The task for the visiting side was difficult to say the least, considering the success of the home side in this competion in recent years. The game started well for the Wexford side with the sides evenly matched for most of the first half. The Wexford lads competed well and at the break the home side lead the contest by just 10-0. However in the second half the experience and relative league position of the home side came to the fore when they increased the scoreline to finish the game 34-0. It must be said however that the scoreline does not reflect the passion and "give it a lash" attitude of the side on the day, where a belief was definately in evidence with the side. Noteable performances on the day were provided by two players returning to the Wexford setup. Former youths international player John Rowe played out of position at flanker while Mark Whelan was in his usual position in the middle of the backrow. Anthony Walsh also made a big impact when he came on during the game initially for McConville. One can only feel that if the visitors had a few more wins under there belt this season that the final result may have been much tighter. Rowe is unfortunately unavailable for the balance of the league campaign but will be a huge bonus to the side next season where it is hoped his experience with other clubs over the past few seasons will provide fresh impetus to the side.
While the Towns Cup campaign is over for another season the Wexford side have an equally challanging home game next weekend. The visitors to Park Lane on Sunday next the 19th February at 3pm are near neighbours New Ross and the game is the opening fixture of both sides Provincial Towns Plate campaign for 2012. The game promises to be a real heavy weight clash between two local sides with a chance for one side to overcome their disappointment at exiting the Towns Cup at such an early stage. New Ross must feel particulary grieved at such a narrow loss to Wicklow in the first round of the Towns Cup, while Wexford will want to put this weekends defeat behind them with a win in the opening round of the Plate. Supporters of the team are asked to come out to Park Lane for 3pm next Sunday to give the side a boost from the sidelines.

Team: Richie Morris, Alan Kinsella, Willie Morris, Niall Stenning, Wayne O'Connor, John Rowe, Mark Whelan, Killian McConville, Stuart Ryan, Paul Gannon, Padraig Cousins, Corey Carthy, Cillian Gowan, Robbie Casey, Sean O'Corora. Subs: Anthony Walsh, Rory O'Leary, James O'Connor, Barry Walsh, John Brown, Gavin Doyle, Neil MacAogain
For the latest information on Wexford Wanderers events and fixtures check out the club website www.wexfordwanderersrfc.com or the Club Facebook page "Wexford Wanderers RFC" for details.

 

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Wexford Wanderers vs Ratoath RFC Leinster u-19 Division 1 Semi final 4/2/2012

Venue Wicklow RFC - 2.00pm
On what can only be described as miserable conditions last Saturday lunchtime Wexford Wanderers & Ratoath met in Wicklow rugby club to decide who would get to the Leinster Final. Notwithstanding the heavy rain the pitch was in good condition and Wicklow were great hosts.
Ratoath were by far the bigger side and impressed in the early exchanges with some quality rucking which starved Wexford of possession. Wexford got into the game slowly and worked their way into Ratoath's 22 after 17 minutes. However Ratoath's defence held strong for the moment. In the 20th minute Wexford's tight head prop Ciaran Kavanagh took a ball at pace and crashed over the line, ably converted by Wexford's Colm O'Corcora.
Wexford's handling was excellent in the conditions, but Ratoath's rucking won them turnover ball and kept this a tight affair. Wexford had the upper hand in the lineouts and scrums were about 50/50. A penalty from centre Colm O'Corcora left Wexford 10-0 ahead at the break.
Wexford piled on the pressure early in the second half and Carthaigh Geogheghan lead his forwards closer toward the line. Scrum half Craig Wright urged his forwards on and they responded gaining ground slowly. Ciaran Kavanagh then came from deep and took a ball at real pace, bursting through Ratoaths defence for a second time. The Wexford town prop is too much to handle at pace. Colm O'Corcora obliged and Wexford lead 17-0. Wexford through Colm O'Corcora added another penalty on the 64th minute to make it 20-0. Wexford sat back a little bit and Ratoath came back into the game and got in for a try with 7 minutes to go. The conversion was from the touchline and proved too much , the score was now 20-5.
The Ratoath try proved a rallying call for Wexford and they followed their kick off up the field and won possession of the ball. Ratoath were penalised for being offside and Colm O'Corcora slotted home another penalty to make it 23-5.
Full time score of 23-5 to Wexford, who will face Arklow RFC in the final, venue and date to be confirmed.

 

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Wanderers go down to league leaders Gorey.
In the second part of a local derby double header under lights at Park Lane on Saturday night Wexford Wanderers First XV lost to league leaders Gorey. The game played in almost perfect conditions with a slight breeze started well with the Wexford side in the acendancy early on. In the opening half the home side were awarded two penalties but unfortunately for outhalf Walsh on both occasions he failed to split the posts. The early momentum of the Wexford side allowed them to score the first try of the contest. A well worked move by the backline resulted in full back O'Hanrahan unloading to the supporting O'Connor who crossed for the 5 points. Wexford failed in the conversion but shortly after Captain Chris Walsh from a period of forward play added another 5 points to increase the score to 10-0 to the home side. Unfortunately this was as good as it got for Wexford with Gorey reeling them in before half time with two tries and crucially 2 conversions to lead by 10-14 at the break. After the break Gorey pushed for additonal scores and these invariably came as the result of flowing backline moves. Worryingly from a Wexford point of view the loss of O'Hanrahan with a leg injury mid way through the half removed some of the sting from the Wexford backline. A number of late surges by the sprited Wexford forwards failed to get a crucial breakthrough and the final score ended at 10-46 to the visitors. The first side have a mammoth task next weekend when they travel to Naas (overall winners in 2005) to play in the opening round of the Provincial Towns Cup on Sunday the 29th January at 2.30.
Team: Niall Stenning, Alan Kinsella, Richie Morris, Rory O'Leary, John Sutherland, Chris Walsh (Capt), James O'Connor, Anthony Walsh, Stuart Ryan, Barry Walsh, Robbie Casey, Sean O'Corora, Cillian Gowan, John Brown, Mikey Hanrahan. Subs: Paul Gannon, Willie Morris, Wayne O'Connor, Gavin Doyle, Padraig Cousins, Neil MacAogain
In other news the Wexford Wanderers Annual Dinner Dance is only days away and anyone still requiring tickets should contact any committee member or call 087-7449117. For the latest information on Wexford Wanderers events and fixtures check out the club website www.wexfordwanderersrfc.com or the Club Facebook page "Wexford Wanderers RFC" for details.

 

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Wanderers Seconds lose out to Gorey in first home game of 2012.
Wexford Wanderers Second XV entertained Gorey under lights at Park Lane on Saturday night in the first of a local double header derby clash. The game saw a much improved Wanderers side from the understrength side that played the away fixture at Halloween. The game was played at a high tempo early on as both sides attempted to impose themselves on the game. Captain Adam Cheevers, Wexford side bolstered by the recent return from injury of a number of players in key positions started the game strongly and contested well with the visitors at the breakdown securing their own posession and on a number of occasions robbing the ball from the visitors. The Wexford scrum which was under pressure at the start of the game managed to settle itself and secure posession while under intense pressure from the visitors. The first score of the game came after 20 minutes when the Gorey backline managed to effect a breakthrough to score a try close to the posts which they duly converted. Unfortunately for Wexford influential scrumhalf Cullen was dismissed by the referee soon after. While the effect of this was countered initially by an increase in momentum from the remaining players the visitors used there extra man to great effect to continually attack with their backline. The resultant second score came before the break to increase the lead to 0-14. At the break Carroll and Hyland (shoulder) had to retire due to injury. In the second half Wexford made a number of good breaks with Richards and Foley showing their experience in the backs and forwards respectively by pushing to effect a comeback. Shortly after the break Wexford lost veteran prop Graham to a recurring calf injury and coupled with a first half injury to reserve prop Byrne (arm) the remainder of the game was played with uncontested scrums.The game as a contest was at this stage, effectively over as the dominance of the Gorey side cushioned by their half time lead allowed them to push on and increase the final score to 0-34. While not the result the Wexford side obviously wanted the game still provided Coach Declan Rossiter with another opportunity to blend some recent additions to the side with the seasoned players to create a side capable of playing an attractive style of rugby. With only three rounds of the league remaining and only a single point dividing the last three teams Wexford are understandably anxious at all costs to avoid relegation which may result in more long distance away games next season. Coach Rossiter also has one eye on a soon to start cup season which, from a Wexford perspective will hopefully be more successful than the league. Wexford's next game is a must win encounter as part of another double header this time away with the first team away to Mullingar on the 4th February. Training for the seconds team is this Wednesday night at 7.30. It is hoped as many players as possible will be available to attend in order to concentrate on some set piece play.
Team: Dermot Graham, Paddy Foley, Adam Cheevers (Capt), Shane Byrne,Tomas Kozerski,John Healy, Roger Duggan, Justin Carroll, Ger Cullen, Stuart Brennan, Kevin Roche, Mossie O'Sullivan, Denis O'Brien, Dave Kelleher, John Hyland. Subs: Frank Jordan, Keith Cullen, Noel Richards.

 

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Wanderers lose out in first game of 2012.
Wexford Wanderers first senior game of 2012 was played last Sunday at a cool but sunny Park Lane where Swords were the visitors. The home side hoped that the momentum created by the pre Christmas win over Balbriggan would not be blunted by the long seasonal layoff. The game started with some good attacking play by both sides. After about 10 minutes the visitors were awarded a penalty in front of the posts for an infringement at the breakdown. However, fortunately for the home team the Swords kicker seemed to have left his kicking boots at home as his first effort was wide of the posts. From the resulting drop out the home side staged an impressive break out with the efforts of Anthony Walsh, Stu Ryan and Corey Carthy gaining significant yards. However the ball was lost on the opposition 22 and the subsequent counter attack was only stopped by a brilliant tackle by Ryan on the Swords winger as he seemed to have the line at his mercy. From the resulting play the Wexford backs defended solidly in there own half but the Swords break through finally came with a try close to the posts which was duly converted to give the visitors a 0-7 lead after 22 minutes. Sensing blood the visitors continued to press for a second score and some excellent play at the breakdown especially by Wayne O'Connor and Lynch resulted in plenty of turnover ball. However it appeared that the siege just would not lift, even after Rory O'Leary carried out a textbook turnover of a ruck deep in the Wexford 22. The referee who for the duration of the match heavily penalisied both sides for infringements at ruck time awarded the visitors a penalty deep in the Wexford 22 just 2 minute before the break. The visitors elected to kick for position and from the resulting lineout despite strong home defending the second try arrived to push the lead out to 0-12 at the break. A number of positional changes were made at the break with Wexford introducing three subs including Robbie Casey just returning from a long term injury. While the home side may have felt they had been heavily penalised by the referee in the first half the visitors were penalised within 5 minutes of the restart with substitute Barry Walsh spliting the posts to revitalise the Wexford side and bring the score to 3-12. The game then continued in the same vein as the first half with both sides competing strongly up front and defending solidly with the referee stopping play frequently for infringements by both sides. In the resulting scrums the Wexford pack accounted well for themselves winning there own ball and making life especially difficult for the Swords scrumhalf. The home side staged a number of impressive breaks in the closing stages with Robbie Casey using his pace to great effect. Indeed the home side attacked relentlessly until the final whistle and in the closing moments the final Wexford attack broke down when the visitors closed out the attackers. While the result will be recorded as a 3-12 win to Swords the home side can take a significant number of positives out of the game, particularly the midfield defending and the power of the scrum especially in the closing stages. The fact that the visitors were held scoreless in the second half confirms the strenght of the Wexford defence. The side travel to Sandymount in South Dublin next Sunday to face Railway Union and based on this performance Railway will face a much improved side than the one they play under lights at Park Lane in late October.
Team:Richie Morris, Alan Kinsella, Niall Stenning, Wayne O'Connor, Rory O'Leary, Killian McConville, Anthony Walsh, Ger Lynch, Stuart Ryan, Paul Gannon, John Browne, James O'Connor, Corey Carthy, Padraig Cousins,Sean O'Corora (Capt). Subs: Barry Walsh, Robbie Casey, Gavin Doyle, Neil McAogain, John Sutherland, W. Morris, Mark Doyle.

 

 

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The Wanderers Seconds Team play their first game of 2012 next Saturday 14th January away to Arklow. Earlier in the season Wexford narrowly beat Arklow and will be hoping to make it a winning start to 2012 to create an impetus for the balance of the league campaign. Seconds Training for this week is scheduled for Thursday night at Park Lane.
Next Saturday the 14th will be also be a busy day at Park Lane with both the Under 19 and 17A sides competing in Leinster League Quarter Finals. Full Details kick off times for both fixtures will be posted on the club website www.wexfordwanderersrfc.com or the Club Facebook page "Wexford Wanderers RFC".

 

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Cup Rugby Comes to Park Lane
The Wexford Ladies side "The Vixens" commence their campaign for cup glory on Sunday next 15th January at Park Lane. The game against Clondalkin which kicks off at 1 o'clock will be the first Cup Game played in Park Lane in 2012 and the Vixens hope that a large crowd will support the side at the start of hopefully a very long and successful cup campaign. Anyone looking for more information on the Vixens should visit the club website www.wexfordwanderersrfc.com or the Vixens Facebook page "Wexford Vixens".

 

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Wanderers Wonderful Win.
After a long and difficult season Wexford Wanderers recorded there first win of the season in Leinster League Division 2B. The game played under lights on Saturday night at Park Lane pitted the Wexford aside against a Balbriggan side who defeated the home side in the opening game of the league over two months ago. The Wexford side focused on the task in hand from the start and narrowly missed a penalty in the opening minutes. However the opening score was not long in coming and came from a brilliant counter attacking move from a reliving kick Balbriggan failed to put into touch. From inside their own half the Wexford backs moved the ball quickly through the hands to enable the lightning fast Mikey Hanrahan to make a touchdown in the corner. The replacement midfielder Barry Walsh converted the points but in the process aggravated a recurring injury and had to be subsequently replaced by Mark Doyle. The visitors responded quickly and equalised. The home teams discipline enabled them to profit from a penalty awarded at the breakdown with the boot of Stu Ryan adding the points to give Wanderers a 10-7 halftime lead. Early in the second half the visitors struck back with an unconverted try to lead by 2 points going into the final quarter. The physical and mental strength of the home side started to take a toll and after what looked like an eternity camped on the Balbriggan line the smash through finally came with less than 8 minutes on the clock when prop Gavin Doyle carried 3 defenders over the line with him to get the touch down just to the left of the posts. The score coming after the home side had crossed the line and had been held up on at least 4 occasions in the build up. Full back Sean O'Corcora stepped up to seal the conversion and give Wexford a 2 point margin. The visitors pushed frantically in the final few minutes to try and take something from the game but after the last minute heartbreaker in Wanderers last league game the moment to savour victory was not going to be denied on Saturday night with Wanderers ending the game with a 17-15 win. The performance of the entire team was outstanding and the coaching staff hope the win will set the side up for the last game of 2011 at 2pm next Saturday the 10th to third place Mullingar. The win will certainly provide a boost going into the Christmas break.
Team:Richie Morris, Alan Kinsella, Gavin Doyle, Wayne O'Connor, Chris Walsh (Capt), Killian McConville, Anthony Walsh, Ger Lynch, Stuart Ryan, Paul Gannon, John Browne, James O'Connor, Corey Carthy, Mikey Hanrahan,Sean O'Corora. Subs: Barry Walsh for J O'Connor, Mark Doyle for B. Walsh, Niall Stenner for K McConville.

 

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Wanderers Seconds make it a Winning Weekend at Park Lane.
Wexford Wanderers Second XV finished the weekend as the First XV had started it with another hard fought win. This time the visitors were 4th place Birr who travelled to Park Lane on Sunday. The home side, with an abundance of players on display put the visitors to the sword in the opening quarter by opening the game with some aggressive forward play which the visitors could not match. It appeared even the weather was getting in on the act with a heavy burst of freezing cold rain driving into the visitors faces. The opening score of the contest was not long in coming with out-half John Hyland crossing for a snappy try close to the posts which he duly converted to settle the home side with an early lead. The home side continued to press the visitors with some brilliant tactical kicking and driving rucking to keep the visitors pinned in their own half for much of the first half. The second score of the contest again came from sustained Wexford pressure. After multiple picking and driving by the Wexford side, Birr conceded a penalty in their 22 and while Birr were watching and waiting on the Wexford pack to receive the tap and drive in towards the posts, debutant scrumhalf Kevin Roche, popped the ball to Hyland running on a cutting angle towards the corner, wrong footing the defense to score the second try. The conversion went wide and despite a late surge by Birr the score remained at 12-0 to Wexford at the break. Early in the second half Birr scored their opening try of the contest and soon after added another both of which were unconverted to bring them back to 12-10. Discipline was costing the home dearly with the home side conceding decisions at the breakdown and in some cases territory which luckily Birr were either unable or not willing to punish with the boot. With 10 minutes to go the outstanding O'Sullivan broke through the Birr midfield and continued to storm through tackles to score just left of the posts. The conversion was duly added by Paul Gannon to give the home side a 9 point margin. With minutes to go Birr got the final score of the contest with a try in the corner. However the conversion was again wide and the final score was 19-15 to Wexford. After the win Wexford coach Declan Rossiter praised the players on the win, particularly debutant scrumhalf Kevin Roche and centre Mossie O'Sullivan and the newer players, while reminding the team as a whole on the need for focus for the full 80 minutes in order not to concede unnecessary scores. The strength of this side will be tested next week with a double header fixture with the first team away to 6th place Mullingar before a three week layoff for the Christmas break. The win pulls Wanderers up to 5th in the league table and hopefully next week's encounter will provide Wanderers with their first points away from home. Any players interested in playing rugby with the second's team are reminded that training is on Friday nights at Park Lane at 7.30pm. All are welcome.
Team:Dermot Graham, Adam Cheevers, Kyle Roche, Wayne O'Connor, John Fagan (Capt), Roger Duggan, Niall Stenner, Ger Lynch, Kevin Roche, John Hyland, Shane Byrne, Noel Richards, Mossie O'Sullivan, Alex 'Deo' Verhout, Denis Cloney. Subs: Paul Gannon, Will Morris, Aidan Harrington, Dave Kelleher, Frank Doyle.

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Rugby Super Saturday at Park Lane.

In a day billed as Rugby Super Saturday, last Saturday provided a veritable feast of rugby for players and supporters at Wexford Wanderers Rugby Football Club at Park Lane with 6 home games all kicking off in the space of 3 hours. The day commenced at 11.30 with the meeting of the Wexford Under 15's side who faced Portlaoise on the back pitch. Parents and supporters of the side were treated to a thrilling game with the home side putting an early marker for other Wexford teams by posting a 30-0 win. The game was followed an hour later by the Under 14's who served up a 26-10 win against Boyne who have not been beaten by a Wexford side for over 2 seasons. The Under 13's kicked off at 1.00 and played a Portarlington side coming out with a 17-6 win. Three other Wexford youths sides were in action away from Park Lane also over the weekend. The newly formed Under 19's side had a 39-12 win away to Cill Dara. Well done to all in their premier season. At Under 17 level the Under 17A side had a 17-0 win over local rivals Enniscorthy while the Under 17B side defeated Gorey B by 53-0. Well done to all youths players, coaches and supporters.

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The last three games played at Park Lane on Saturday were all adult grade games. Due to the meeting of Leinster and Glasgow Warriors in the Heineken Cup in the RDS on Sunday afternoon all Leinster League games were rescheduled for Saturday. The first adult game of the day was the meeting of the Wexford Wanderers Seconds XV who played Athy at 1.00. The game started well with the Wexford pack contesting strongly with the visitors at all areas of the breakdown. The first score of the contest went to the visitors who scored a try which was duly converted. After conceding a penalty at ruck time in front of their own posts Athy were punished by the boot of outhalf Stu Brennan. The next score was a converted penalty to the visitors to restore their lead to 10-3. Unfortunately the visitors then scored late in the first half on the break to push their lead out. Despite determined defence and good movement the second half provided no respite for Wexford who were punished continually by a younger side who in making breakthroughs finished their scores with pace. The game had no further scores for the home side despite a late penalty which unfortunately drifted wide. After the conclusion of the game with a scoreline of 38-3 the coach Declan Rossiter in acknowledging that Athy were at near the top of the league table thanked the team for their effort on the day. After a short meeting and in light of a break next week end the team agreed that seconds training will be held next Friday at 7.30. Anyone interested in becoming involved with the squad is invited to come out on Friday night.
Team:Dermot Graham, Adam Cheevers, John Hickey, Shane Byrne, John Fagan (Capt), Neil Mac Aogain, Justin Carroll, Niall Stenning, Donal Power, Stuart Brennan, Paul Gannon, Noel Richards, Mark Doyle, Mossie O'Sullivan, Roger Duggan, Paddy Foley, Kevin Forde, John Barry, John Hyland, Denis O'Brien, Dave Kelleher.

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The Ladies side the 'Vixens' kicked off at 2.30 against a much more experienced and stronger Edenderry side. The first score of the contest went to the home side and was memorable in that it was try scored by a team debutant. The debutant in question was none other than Wexford Camogie star Mags Darcy who took to the field at full back. Captain Fleur Moran's side were unfortunately under pressure from then on and despite good defending the game ended in a 17-5 win for the visitors.
1) The final game of the day was the meeting of the Men's 1st XV and Athy 1st XV which also kicked off at 2.30. The team was much strenghtened by the return from injury of a number of forwards. The visitors scored a early try and penalty to lead Wanderers by 10-0 midway throught the first half. However the home side rallied and from a superb phase of play starting with a lineout at the Athy 5 metre line and a number of rucks scrum half Stewie Ryan ducked over on the blind side for a snappy try. The conversion was missed but before the break outhalf Barry Walsh slotted over a penalty to leave the half time score 10-8 to the visitors. Early in the second half the visitors scored an unconverted try to lead by 7 points before the boot of Walsh reeled them in with another three points. Athy at this stage looked somewhat shell shocked as the Wexford big men kept hitting the ball up. After a sustained period of crashing the ball forward the returning Gavin Doyle reached over to put Wexford 16-15 in front with just 10 minutes to go. The tension was high with supporters and players as the Wexford team continued to push on sensing that a first league win was close. However shortly after the visitors converted a penalty to switch the lead once again. With seconds to go and after extreme pressure from a hungry Wexford side the visitors conceded a penalty in the dying seconds of the game just inside their half. With time against them the kick at the posts fell just short. After a long day of rugby the game was thrilling way to end but unfortunately the win slipped away. However the team performance was outstanding and the tightness of the contest will give this side a huge boost for the next game
Team:Richie Morris, Alan Kinsella, Gavin Doyle, Wayne O'Connor, John Sunderland, Chris Walsh (Capt), Anthony Walsh, Ger Lynch, Stuart Ryan, Barry Walsh, Padraig Cousins, Sean O'Corora, James O'Connor, John Browne, Mikey Hanrahan. Subs: Corey Carthy, Niall Stenning, Rory O'Leary, Neil Mac Aogain, Paul Gannon.
Finally a Table Quiz will be held in the Clubhouse next Friday night the 25th November at 8.30 to raise funds for the Minis (Under 6 to Under 12) section. All support of this event (including family teams) would be appreciated. For further updates check the club website ( www.wexfordwanderersrfc.com) .

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Wanderers lose to Edenderry.

After a long journey to Edenderry on Sunday last a much understrength Wexford Wanderers side lost out the home side in a brusing encounter. Wanderers started well matching the home side in open play and an early penalty by the home side was equalised by a drop goal from the boot of outhalf Barry Walsh. The home side then slotted over another penalty which was equaled a short time later, again by the boot of Walsh. The home side then attacked the Wexford line and it is a tribute to the visitors that their defending held out for a number of minutes before Edenderry scored the opening try of the contest. At this stage the home side started to turn the screws and ran in a further three tries to stamp their authority on the contest. The only additional score from Wexfrod was a second penalty from the boot of Walsh. The game ended with a final score of 32-9. The home side had a distinct advantage over the Wexford side who were fielding a number of players in unfamiliar positions in the pack. Credit is due to the performance of the players who were severely tested time and again in the scrums and lineouts. However the performance of the Wexford side was much better in open play and the backs where they consistantly matched the home side. A strong midfield of Stuart Ryan, Barry Walsh, Corey Carthy and Mikey Hanrahan provided good movement and provided Wexford with a strong attacking platform which threatened the home side on a number of occasions and a solid defensive line in the face of the home side. Wanderers next encounter is scheduled at home to Athy next Saturday 19th November at Park Lane at 2.30pm. This game is due to be preceded by the encounter between Wexford Wanderers and Athy seconds team at 1.00pm. Anyone planning to attend either or both games should check the club website ( www.wexfordwanderersrfc.com) to check for any changes to dates or kickoff times.
Team:Richie Morris, Anthony Walsh, Wayne O'Connor, Rory O'Leary, Chris Walsh (Capt), Killian McConville, James O'Connor, Ger Lynch, Stuart Ryan, Barry Walsh, Padraig Cousins, Sean O'Corora, Corey Carthy, John Browne, Mikey Hanrahan. Subs: Neil Mac Aogain, Mark Doyle, Noel Richards, Paul Gannon.

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Wanderers still seek that elusive win.

On a damp and misty Sunday night at Clonattin Wexford Wanderers first team put on a brave performance against a Gorey side keen to maximise home advantage. The game played at 7.30 under lights was preceded by the meeting of the Gorey and Wanderers seconds sides. The timing of this encounter resulted in a number of Wanderers regular players being unavailable due to work commitments. The Wanderers side contested well in the encounter with a number of positive performances in key areas especially in the pack. A number of penalties were conceded by both sides with Barry Walsh slotting over one out of two efforts at the posts for the visitors. The home side were however stronger especially at creating break away moves from which they scorred there match winning tries to win this encounter 21-3. After the game Coach Maurice Logue praised the effort of the players on the night and reminded the team of the need to focus on the next league encounter which is away to Edenderry on the 13th November.
Team:Willie Morris, Richie Morris, Kyle Roche, Chris Walsh (Capt), Mick Doyle, Killian McConville, Anthony Walsh, Niall Stenner, Stuart Ryan, Barry Walsh, James O'Connor, Neil Mac Aogain, Sean O'Corora, John Browne, Derek Butler. Subs: John Bergin for Doyle, John Barry for McConville, Adam Cheevers for W Morris.

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Wanderers Seconds lose first away game of season to Gorey.

A much depleted Wexford Wanderers Second XV lost their second league game of the season away to Gorey on a damp Sunday evening fixture under lights in Gorey. Despite the shortfall in numbers Wanderers fulfilled the fixture and contested strongly for much of the game with notable periods of attack early in both halves and rearguard defending throughout the game. Indeed such was the intensity of the Wanderers start that they were unlucky not to cross the Gorey line in the initial 10 minutes of the game when the Wexford picking and driving game caused difficulties for the home side to defend. The home side crossed for two tries before the break to lead 12-0 at the break before adding another two tries late in the second half to extend the final score of 24-0. Wanderers had a number of oppertunities to put points on the board during the game but unfortunately the conditions did not suit the usually reliable boot of Stu Brennan. Throughout the encounter the Wexford side pressed to try and obtain that elusive score and were unlucky not to score even late in the game. A number of players had a big game especially Adam Cheevers in the pack and scrumhalf Paul Gannon who jumped at two in the lineout and whose innovative lineout calls caused confusion for the home side. The positives Wanderers can take from the game were the improvements in the performance of the team especially in defence and at the breakdown and also in the scrums of which there were many due to the number of handling errors by both sides which was attributed to the conditions. Wanderers next outing is away to Edenderry on the 12th November before meeting Athy at Park Lane on the 19th. Coach Declan Rossiter hopes this developing side can build on the experience of this game and the victory the previous week against Arklow to start a gaining points on the road.
Team:Dermot Graham (Capt), Adam Cheevers, Danny Hyland, Wayne O'Connor, Niall Stenner, Aidan Harrington, Paul Gannon, Stuart Brennan, John Bergin, Mark Doyle, Shane Byrne, John Barry.

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Much improved Wanderers narrowly lose to Railway at Rain soaked Park Lane.

On a wet and windy Saturday night Wexford Wanderers first team lost out to second place Railway Union under lights at Park Lane. In a game which Wexford matched their opponents in all areas except the score the contest was tighter than the final score of 11-0 to the visitors. After an early unconverted try by the visitors the Wexford side showed composure to compete and keep the score to 5-0 at the break. Indeed the home side were within inches of the Railway line twice before the end of the half with Goodison and Hyland nearly touching down. Early in the second half the visitors were awarded a penalty which they slotted over to keep pressure on the home side before adding another before the end to stretch the score to 11-0. The particular concern following this bruising encounter is the growing injury list with Wanderers losing players in key areas particularly in the scrum. Wanderers played some good rugby at times with the forwards excelling particularly at the breakdown and lineouts where Walsh notably stole a number of throws. Based on this performance against the side many fancy for this league this evolving Wanderers side will soon be a force to reckon with.
Team:Willie Morris, Richie Morris, Gavin Doyle, Chris Walsh (Capt), John Sunderland, Killian McConville, Anthony Walsh, Ger Lynch, Stuart Ryan, James O'Connor, Neil Mac Aogain, Sean O'Corora, Wayne O'Connor, Mark Goodison, Paid Cousins. Subs: Paul Gannon for W. O'Connor, Alan Kinsella for Doyle, Danny Hyland for Kinsella.

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Wanderers Seconds win season opener against Arklow.

An impresive Wexford Wanderers Second XV notched up an impressive win to start the Leinster Second Division 2B League season at home against Arklow in a bruising encounter at Park Lane. The home side started strongly with veteran second row and captain John Fagan crossing the Arklow line for a well worked try from a rolling maul which Wexford started from a lineout ten metres from the Arklow line. Outhalf Stewie Brennan duly added the conversion to give the home side a 7-0 lead after 20 minutes. The Wexford side identified weaknesses in the visitors game early on and the forwards picked at the rucks and drove low and hard at there opposite numbers while the Wexford backs used the wind to keep driving the visitors back to the corners with well worked tactical kicking. The second score of the game came from a breakout from just outside the Wexford 22 when wing Danny Hyland broke through and outpaced the Arklow defence before offloading to the supporting tighthead prop Kyle Roche who scored beside the posts. The conversion was added by Brennan to leave the home side 14-0 heading for the brreak. However the first half was to have a final twist for Wexford when after determined defending and winning a scrum 5 metres from their own line a loose ball resulted in the visitors scoring a try beside the posts in the dying seconds which was duly converted to leave the score 14-7 at the break. Early in the second half the visitors scored their second try of the contest after breaking from midfield to score. However in the conditions the conversion was wide and Wanderers refocused with the veteran John Fagan leading by example and scoring a super try in the corner after a sustained period of picking and driving by the home side. The conversion was missed to take the score to 19-12. The visitors added another unconverted try to bring the score to 19-17 with 15 minutes to go. However the bruising encounter resulted in a high number of infringements and after a period of sustained pressure the visitors conceded a penalty in front of their posts which Brennan sloted to give Wanderers a 5 point lead with less than 10 minutes to go leaving the final score at 22-17. Coach Declan Rossiter in praising the performance stressed the need to build on this victory for next weekends match away to Gorey and for the rest of the season.
Team:Dermot Graham, Adam Cheevers, Kyle Roche, Wayne O'Connor, John Fagan (Capt), Aidan Harrington, Kevin Forde, Paddy Foley, Ger Cullen, Stuart Brennan, Danny Hyland, Noel Richards, Mark Doyle, Thomas Kozerski, John Barry, John Hyland, Shane Byrne, Dave Kelleher.

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