Every individual person on the pitch played elite intensity rugby. You could see the two teams lined up man on man and when Nenagh attacked who played well each City Of Armagh rugby player was so completely zoned in to the point of being completely hypnotic, each time Nenagh searched for a way through each City Of Armagh player acted with perfect timing executing the tackles perfectly, hit, hit, hit, hit, Nenagh rucked, secured the ball sometimes and attacked again and again every City Of Armagh rugby player attacked the attacker executing the tackle/hit and every move that Nenagh tried which presumably had worked in the past DID NOT WORK because every single City Of Armagh player lined up man on man and executed the tackles which are not all the same type of tackles, executed them perfectly, and that is exactly what stopped Nenagh from scoring a try.
When the Nenagh attacks were absorbed by the City Of Armagh team then City Of Armagh were on the attack, these attacks where based around whatever was on, a try out wide in the 1st half from a kick we think but taken by the player around some players and then in the corner for the try and then there was no single doubt in the Nenagh players minds that Armagh can take anyone out wide. Other attacks where determined, hard, hard, line breaking yards by the entire pack taking the ball forward, get the extra foot before being taken to ground, placing the ball back, scrumhalf was there fast ball away another player takes it into the physical zone, this is pack work, this is enforcing your will on the opposition, this is elite performance.
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The guys know this season is not over. On Saturday they played the greatest rugby that may have been witnessed at the Palace Grounds in a very very long time and yet it feels just like it does every season, it feels great. This season is not over yet, but no one will ever take away from these guys Saturday.
Doing what these players did on Saturday is pure, it is honest, it is a group of boyz with a bond that no one, no one other than they have, it is selfless and yet they will each other to have the greatest game of their lives and to be everything they can be, it has nothing to do with money and it has everything to do with family values and feeling good.
It is an honour to cover, it is a privilege to feel even as an outsider to be in some small way able to share in the feeling.
XV
