Navan lose again as Highfield take points

With warm pleasant sunshine and calm, mild conditions there was clear evidence of a new spring on the way at Balreask Old on Saturday. However, for Navan it was the same old tale of a team who put in a gallant, battling performance only to ultimately fall short of the mark. And as has been the way for all but one match in their AIL Div 3 campaign so far this season, it was their opponents who celebrated a victory. As Navan coach Leon Jordaan knows all too well by now, halting a losing streak is about as easy as trying to stop a giant rock from rolling down a steep hill. He looked crestfallen after this latest setback and bemoaned how the game turned in a matter of minutes midway through the second-half when Highfield rumbled over for two quick-fire tries. After that double whammy there was no way back for the home side who had plenty of possession in the closing stages. They couldn't translate that into scores. "There's no excuses. The whole game turned in five second-half minutes when a lack of concentration let them in for two quick tries and those scores set them up. It's very disheartening after the good start we made," Jordaan told the Meath Chronicle. Like so many previous games in this morale-sapping season for the Navan players it was they who made the better start. The players had hardly broke sweat when Leigh Jackson intercepted a wild pass by a Highfield player about 20 metres out and ran through to score under the posts. Fergal Hennessy converted. As starts go it was textbook stuff and for much of the opening half Navan played a mixture of swashbuckling and controlled rugby. At times they spread the ball around with abandon, their backs feeding off quick ruck-ball. On other occasions they kept it in-hand and made the hard yards with players such as Jackson, Bernard Smyth and John Duffy prominent in this aspect of play. The home crowd loved it and raised their voices in support. Gradually, Highfield worked their way into the game and started to chip away at the home team's brittle morale. Their hooker Jason Carter got a try at the end of a rolling maul on 24 minutes. Navan's adventurous approach yielded results late in the opening half when Hennessy swept over a penalty from close range to leave it 10-5. Almost immediately afterwards there were signs of trouble ahead for the home side when Highfield got their second try. Again it came from a rolling maul the Navan defence swept aside with the kind of ease that will give Jordaan sleepless nights. From a promising position Navan went in at the break 10-12 down. With the help of a solid scrum Navan were well in contention until suddenly the game changed with those two quick-fire Highfield tries midway through the second-half that upset Jordaan so much. One of the touchdowns came from Highfield lock Dave Kelly who sprinted through a gap in the home defence. Shortly afterwards their winger Paul Stack dived over in the corner. Both tries were converted by their consistent kicker Colm Mahoney. The closing stages had a familiar feel about it, Navan recycling the ball through the phases. A clever little reverse pass by Smyth almost opened the way for Simon Hogan to get in for a try late on. The gap was quickly closed and the chance was gone. Throughout the game, which was watched by a decent crowd who enjoyed the sunshine, Navan again suffered from their tendency to undo some very good approach work by infringing at ruck time or knocking on. A typical example of this could be seen in the opening half when Navan won a penalty close to the posts and went for touch. The ball was secured with Smyth, Ross O'Brien and Alan Hickey putting together some good passes. Navan were then pinged for not releasing. Similar scenarios unfolded time and again throughout the afternoon. Among the highlights of the game for the home side were a series of fine 'steals' by Duffy in the line-outs. The set-pieces generally worked well for Navan. That was poor consolation as the the afternoon unfolded in what is now an all-too-familiar fashion. Navan – F Henesssy, M McCauley, S Hogan, J Davis, T Geraghty, A Hickey, R O'Brien; R Gleeson, J Baker, D McDonagh, J Duffy, L Jackson, T Boyle, N Finlay, B Smyth. Subs – A Keating for Baker, T Clarke for Finlay, C Joyce for O'Brien, J Sheridan for Boyle, M Coll for Hickey. Highfield – D Walker, C Bohane, B O'Hea, C Mahoney, J Sheehan, D Buckley, K Foye; J O'Callaghan, J Carton, J Cronin, D Kelly, S Moloney, B Carroll, M Cronin, R Dulane. Referee – Frank Butler (IRFU).