30-04-2025
Dream days for homegrown Nenagh Ormond as they make history for Tipperary rugby
There have been good days at Nenagh Ormond RFC down through its 141-year history but none have come close to the celebrations that broke out at New Ormond Park on Saturday as the club became Tipperary's first to reach Energia All Ireland League Division 1A.
Twenty years after graduating from the junior ranks to senior status, Nenagh have completed back-to-back promotions to reach the height of Irish club rugby's pyramid, capping a stellar season which also saw them lift the Munster Senior Challenge Cup for the first time and their seconds lift Tipperary's Mansergh Cup.
Promotion to the top flight was achieved in dramatic fashion on home soil. Nenagh had finished second in the league table behind champions Old Belvedere and then beaten third-placed Blackrock College RFC in the play-off semi-finals. That set up an all-Munster promotion play-off final with UCC and College were three minutes from victory and return to 1A when the hosts turned the tables.
Speaking 24 hours later, after receiving an IRFU Service To Rugby award as one of 100 club volunteers invited to Aviva Stadium on Energia AIL finals day, Nenagh Ormond committee member and two-time former president Fergal Healy described the history-making moments for his club as they came from 33-24 down to complete a famous 36-33 victory.
'Three minutes to go, Nenagh get a penalty try under the posts,' Healy said. 'So now we're back to it within four points and the rest is history.
'We take a clean kick-off, there was a break right up the middle, two committed tackles and we score under the posts. Amazing. It's a great feeling.
'I was president during covid, I gave two terms and on both occasions we should have been relegated from 2B. Lucky enough, a few of us got together and we just saw what we had and we went from there and here we are today, 1A.
"I remember when we went from Junior up to Senior (in 1985). We've had good days, won the Senior Cup for the first time ever also this year and our seconds have won the Mansergh Cup. Beaten in Senior Cup (final) three years ago by Young Munster but won the semi against them this year and beat Crescent in the final. So an amazing season."
There was added pride for Healy, given one of his sons, John, was openside flanker in the team that secured promotion at the weekend. A younger son is former Munster and now Edinburgh and Scotland fly-half Ben Healy. The former president paid tribute to John and others for staying true to their roots and continuing to represent Nenagh in their 2A days when they could have been playing 1A.
'I'm a farmer myself, I'm in the heart of GAA, I've hurling all around me and yet most of that Nenagh team started playing their rugby around Nenagh.
'I'll mention my own son, John, I'll mention (centre) Willie Coffey, the two O'Flahertys (club captain Kevin, a lock, and No.8 John) all those lads could have played senior 1A when we were back down in 2B, 2A, and they decided they were playing their rugby in Nenagh and that has paid off. So, for those lads, yesterday's achievement for me means most of all.
'You'd have to attribute a lot of (the club's success) to our coaching staff. The nucleus of players we have there, they're homegrown lads, all from Nenagh. Okay, we are picking up fellas from Newcastle West or wherever, but when I wanted to play senior rugby I had to go to Limerick. Now they're coming out to Nenagh and we're doing a very good job, a very good committee, very good underage structure. We could be in Nenagh on a Sunday morning and have 130 kids. It's a dream, an absolute dream.'
