The Rhinos have defeated the Cork Admirals in an 8-6 slugfest that went down to the wire.

The Rhinos opened the scoring in the first half but missed the extra point to leave the score at 6-0. Later in the half a fumbled snap forced the Admirals QB to make a heads up play by kicking the ball out the back of the endzone before the closing Rhinos players pounced on it. The safety gave the Rhinos an 8-0 lead going into the half.

Like the rest of the game, a defensive affair ensued in the second half with both teams playing good football on defense. The Admirals broke through the Rhinos defense with less than 10 seconds left in the 4th quarter to bring the score within a 2 point conversion of a tie. With overtime looming the Rhinos defense busted through the Admirals line and forced an errant throw from the Cork QB which led to Cork being forced to try an onside kick. The kick rebounded off a Rhino only to land in the hands of another, the Rhinos took a knee to close out the game – their first playoff victory in Rhino history.

Now we’re drunk on a bus!

Full report to follow, as well as the usual pictures and game tape will follow.

On a baking Sunday afternoon the West Dublin Rhinos made the short trip north to take on their cross town collegiate rivals Trinity College Dublin in a battle for for second place in the Dublin division.

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The Rhino’s knew going into the game a win against Trinity would give them hopes of reaching the play-offs for their first time. And win is exactly what they did. However, a poor start to the game led to Trinity taking advantage through their passing game. A number of big gains through the air and some costly missed tackles from the Rhinos defense ultimately led to Trinity taking an 8-0 lead.  Quarterback Stephen Macken and his offence attempted to even things up but they were shut down by Trinity and forced to punt the ball. Things looked bad for the Rhinos when the Trinity students punched in a second touchdown in the second quarter to give them a 14-0 lead.

A revival came immediately though when the Rhinos successfully stopped the two point conversion. Macken got into his usual form and connected with all of his receivers including two catches from stand in tight end Stevie Moon helping to move the ball down the field. However, Macken’s biggest pass came when he found Sean Power on a deep pass near the Trinity sideline. Power put his finishing touch to the play when he ran it in for a touchdown. The Rhino’s star quarterback then plunged the ball into the endzone himself  on the point after try to give his side the extra two points and put them within a score of Trinity at the break.

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At the beginning of the second half the score was 14-8 in the home sides favour but the Rhinos were not about to let go of this game yet, stepping it up a gear to open the second half and put their mark on the game. The Rhinos offence showed pure grit and determination when they started to run the ball successfully on their opponents. Running back Dan Breslin gained hard earned yards on consecutive carries before he eventually took the ball into the endzone to bring his side level. On the resulting two point conversion Sean Power gave a second and third effort to stretch the ball over the goalline to put the Rhino’s ahead for the first time in the game.

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On the ensuing drive, Trinity had the ball near the halfway line when a lateral from the Trinity running back to his quarterback led to Gary Cullen punching the ball loose where it was smothered by Rhinos defensive end Barry Bolton. This gave the Rhinos excellent field position and they stuck with what worked by giving Breslin the ball. And he duly obliged when he ran in his second touchdown of the day with Power again adding the two extra points. This gave the Rhinos the lead at 24-14 after putting up 24 unanswered points.

But the Trinity students didn’t lie down and they brought themselves back to within a score of the Rhinos in the fourth quarter when their quarterback found their tight end open in the middle of the field, the Rhinos once again stopped the 2 point attempt which left the score at 24-20. The Rhinos should have extended their lead when Breslin ran in what seemed to be his third touchdown of the day from 40 yards out. However, a dubious illegal block call not flagged by the closest official against Barry Bolton (be the judge yourself, see below) brought the ball back  and gave Trinity a breath of relief.

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Though a late defensive stand held out Trinity and the Rhinos rode out of the Trinity Sports Grounds with a 24-20 win over their hosts. The return fixture is now set to be a thriller as the Rhinos host Trinity in Castleknock College on the 6th of June.

See the Media section for more photos from the game.

An outstanding defensive performance coupled with some big plays on the offence saw the West Dublin Rhino’s pick up their second win of the season.

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The Rhino’s received the ball and immediately began to move the ball on the Saints D. Quarterback Stephen Macken linked up with his talented receivers as they drove down the field. Running back Sean Power put in some important run’s to set up a field goal attempt. It was Power himself who took the shot but his attempt missed wide of the upright.

The Saints took over possession deep in their own half and the Rhinos defence swarmed their Quarterback at every opportunity.

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With the immense pressure from the defence the Saints failed to get near the goal line on the opening drive and were forced to punt, but after a botched snap was recovered by the Rhinos, Macken took back over possession with good field position. Ross Carrick made a big catch to pick up a first down. Power once more made yards on the ground thanks to a huge block by receiver Stevie Moon. The block shook DCU to the core and was sure to have been felt at the nearby Trinity College sports grounds where Trinity hosted the Belfast Trojans.

Once in the redzone Macken and co was not going to come away pointless and the young quarterback found Carrick for the opening touchdown of the game.

Power missed the extra point which gave the Rhino’s a six point lead over their bitter rivals.

The defence remained relentless and put massive pressure on the Saints who couldn’t manage to get any momentum going. The Rhino’s second touchdown came as a direct result of that pressure when Oisin Russell-Conway penetrated the Saints line and got his hands on the quarterback who panicked and flung the ball towards his own endzone. David O’Connor and Barry Bolton pounced on the opportunity with Bolton smothering the ball for the first touchdown of his career. Power added the extra point before the half to send the visitors in with a 13-0 lead.

Head Coach Mark Lawless emphasised the fact that the Saints would come out all guns blazing and they did just that with running back David McMahon causing problems on the ground. The Saints made it into the Rhino’s ten yard line and pulled off a reverse which saw them cross over for six points. They then went for two points where McMahon squeezed in at the corner to pull his side within one score of a victory. Déjà Vu was nearly setting in for the Rhino’s after they had led by two scores in the same fixture last year only to lose the game. However, the defence stood strong and got the ball back for the offence who kept pushing for the win.

Deep in the fourth quarter the Rhinos defense pulled off another master stroke when the Saints fumbled the ball in their endzone and were forced to dive on the ball giving up a safety. This brought the score to 15-8 in the Rhino’s favour. There was still time on the clock when the Saints recovered the ball from the ever impressive offence. Saints quarter back Scott Mifsud had no choice other than to air it out and that’s when veteran linebacker Nick Newby sealed another win for the Rhinos with a vital interception.

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This win keeps the Rhino’s in touching distance of division leaders the Dublin Rebels and sets up a scintillating fixture in two weeks time when the Rhino’s host the Saints in Castleknock College.

A victorious Rhinos team following their 15-8 win over DCU.

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The Rhinos turned up to Castleknock on a glorious Sunday morning ready for action, and it was action they found from the opening whistle all the way to the closing seconds of the game. A battle of two well matched teams played out before a large crowd who were treated to some hard, clean football all game long.

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The Rhinos opened the game meaningfully, driving the ball through the air and on the ground into the Cowboys redzone only to be halted by a Cowboys interception on an unfortunately tipped pass. The first quarter was a tight, defensive affair with neither team willing to give up a score. Injured in the process and taken to hospital was Rhinos running back Dan Breslin #23 who had started the game with a spectacular catch (above). The Cowboys were first to break the deadlock, scoring a touchdown pass on a short reception to their tight end. 6-0 Cowboys.

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The Rhinos were fired up now and immediately answered back. Veteran Sean Power #15 stepped in at running back and would not be stopped as he powered his way almost half the pitch to score the above touchdown, though the extra point was no good the score was tied now at 6-6. It was not long again before Power #15 made it into the endzone, a fumble recovered by Barry Bolton #69 on a backwards pass by the Cowboys QB was taken advantage of as the Rhinos managed to plunge the ball into the endzone once more to put the Rhinos ahead 12-6 going into the half.

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The Rhinos defense clamped down in the second half, shutting down the Cowboys almost every drive and forcing turnovers at the right times. The third quarter was all defense for both teams, the weather clearly taking its toll on both sides as they struggled to get and keep fluids in.

It was not until the 4th quarter after both teams had gone back and forward with the ball before Sean Power once again put in extra effort and stretched the ball across the goal line after a brave attempt to stop it from the Cowboys. The Rhinos defense once again took over charged with holding on to the lead to haul in the Rhinos first victory of the season. And did they ever, recording a number of sacks on the Cowboys quarterback including one by Oisin Russell-Conway #34 that forced the ball out of his hands only to be recovered by Bolton #69. The Rhinos wasted no more time, kneeling out the clock for their first win of 2010.

Though a team effort, quarterback Steven Macken #8 and Ross Carrick #80 both had stand out games, coming up big when needed and keeping the ball alive. #4 David O’Connor had a big game on defense as did the everlasting MLB Nick Newby #45 who was welcomed back after injury.

The Rhinos face DCU next Sunday.

The West Dublin Rhinos travelled to Santry to meet the Dublin Rebels to open the season for both teams. The Rhinos, who had a number of late scratches due to sickness were forced to play a full strength Rebels side with a depleted squad.

Rhinos ready for the snap

 The Rebels put on their usual Shamrock Bowl calibre performance and took charge of the game from the very first drive. It was a long hard fought day for the Rhinos who at times struggled to move the ball against a very effective Rebels defense.

Though it was a long game and a tough loss, the Rhinos now move into their next 6 games with a positive attitude knowing their toughest opponent has been faced. The Rhinos will be hosting the Rebels at the end of the season which will give them a chance to see how much they have improved over the course of the season. After being on the receiving end of a 48-0 loss to open the season there is every incentive to prove themselves during the season and aim to change that scoreline in the last week.

The Rhinos welcomed the Dublin Dragons to a sun filled day in Castleknock last Sunday, a controlled scrimmage was the order of the day.

Both teams are only weeks away from the start of the regular season and getting in some last minute practice. Starting off with 10 offensive plays each, both teams got to sample different plays from their playbooks and get new players some valuable game experience. After a second set of 10 plays for each team the scrimmage then moved onto specific situational drives such as 1st and Goal and 3rd and Short.

The scrimmage ended with a short special teams run through, which put an end to a good days football.

Check out the media section for more photos from the game.