TUAM 17 DUNMORE 11

On Sunday last, the wait for the eagerly anticipated Bank of Ireland Junior Cup semi-final tie between neighbours and great rivals, Tuam and Dunmore, was finally over.

A huge crowd, with both teams equally well supported, gathered in Garraun Park. This was arguably the biggest game between the two sides since they contested the 2023 Cawley Cup final, a game Tuam edged on a 24-22 scoreline. 

Needless to say, no one on Sunday needed reminding of the importance of this game as the Junior Cup is a coveted prize in Connacht Junior rugby and one that has eluded both Dunmore and Tuam. 

The visitors came into this game aiming to reach their third final in a row, having already reached this season's J1A league final. Tuam on the other hand had endured a tough league season but  embarked on a cup run that has seen the team grow in belief after every game.

So on Sunday last, the two teams, in front of a huge crowd, locked horns. Unforced errors and turnovers featured prominently in the opening ten minutes as both teams tried to get a stranglehold on proceedings. Tuam suffered an early setback when Ross Fahy was forced off with an early injury although he did return before the game's end.

The first score arrived courtesy of the boot of Dunmore captain, Conor Burns, who struck over an eleventh minute penalty.

This score seemed to spark Tuam into life as they enjoyed a sustained period of possession. They eventually made it count on the scoreboard when they took the lead for the first time just after the twentieth minute mark. A driving maul brought Tuam over the Dunmore tryline and it was Johannes Terblanche who was credited as the tryscorer.

Tuam's advantage lasted only seven minutes as a high tackle saw them have a man sent to the sin bin before Conor Burns punished another infringement by the home team when he converted a penalty in front of the posts.

The away side finished the half strongly but Tuam's defence stood strong as scrambled defending and last line of defence turnovers denied the visitors the opportunity to increase their lead. 

Although Dunmore went into the break with a slender 6-5 lead and would have wind advantage for the new half, they would also start the second half with a man in the bin.

Tuam pounced on this advantage right from the start and blitzed their opponents with two tries in seven minutes which proved the winning of the game. Merely a minute into the half, there seemed to be little on when Wynand Terblanche fed the ball to his brother Johannes. 

However, "Johnny" as we all know him here in Tuam RFC, had other ideas as he executed a beautiful grubber kick down the line. As he raced up the line after the ball, it looked as if the Dunmore defence would deal with it but roared on by the home support, Johnny did incredibly well to make up serious ground which in turn put pressure on their defence and somehow it was he who touched down first. A brilliant score by a brilliant player.

Six minutes later, Tuam were in dreamland as a driving maul saw them go from just inside the halfway line on their opponents side to inside Dunmore's '22. The deliberate collapsing of the scrum won Tuam a penalty and it was Seàn Brandon who found a gap to run in for a try for his side.

Tuam now had the momentum well and truly with them and to compound matters for Dunmore, who were no doubt rocked by Tuam's start to the new half, had another man sent to the sinbin.

Eventually Dunmore found their composure and began to dominate territory and possession and were rewarded when a driving maul of their own saw Max Immelman get over for a much needed try for his team.

Dunmore went in search of another five pointer but were held up on the Tuam tryline on one occasion while turnovers and knock-ons thwarted their other efforts.

Ultimately it was to be Tuam's day! They had come through a really tough task and now are one game away from their first ever Junior cup success. Reigning champions, Creggs, await in the final which takes place on March 29th at 3:30pm in Dexcom Stadium.

We want to say a huge thank you to everyone who supported the lads on Sunday. It was great to see such a huge crowd there roaring the lads on. They really appreciated.

A massive thank you to all the stewards who helped out on the day and made sure everything ran smoothly. It was a long time when such a huge crowd like that gathered on Garraun Park so well done everyone.

A big thank you as always to Mary and Paul for providing teas, coffees and refreshments on the day. 

Thanks to Seamus and everyone in ReapysBar Tuam for the post match refreshments. 

Finally thanks to all the local clubs who got behind us on Sunday. It was lovely to see and greatly appreciated. We can't wait for our first final appearance since 1978 and we really hope the town gets behind the lads because they deserve it.

The last act of the day on the pitch was the team roaring out their post match winning anthem "All the way from Tuam" by the saw Doctors. We hope to hear them do the same on the 29th!