Saturday will be a memorable day for Navan RFC as they play their first Energia All Ireland League home match of their centenary season. Old Crescent are the visitors to Balreask Old for a 2.30pm kick-off.
Navan Rugby Football Club was founded in 1925, and from its early days right to 100 years later, the club has remained a key part of the local community.
This season alone Navan are fielding four adult Men’s teams and two adult Women’s teams, which was a groundbreaking success for the club to do so for the first time last year.
Alongside the adult teams, they have seven boys youth teams, three girls youth teams, and eight minis squads, as well as their Friday night social Tag rugby group, and the inclusive Blue Dragons.
Navan continue to grow from their beginnings back in the early 1920s when they shared the Meath County Showgrounds with other local sports clubs. From surviving difficult periods during World War II to today challenging in Energia All-Ireland League Men’s Division 2A.
Speaking at the recent launch of the new Energia All Ireland League season in Energia Park, prop Jordan Finney (pictured above) spoke about the sense of anticipation and excitement that is floating around the Co. Meath club this season.
“Yeah, it’s exciting. A really big year for Navan, it’s 100 years of the club, So that was founded in ’24/25, the season in the 1900s, so we’re going into our centenary year, so (a) really big buzz around the club,” he told IrishRugby.ie.
“We had our centenary year launch for our Leinster Senior League game against Wanderers, so there’s a big buzz building in the club.”
A first home fixture this weekend, in round 2 of the Energia All-Ireland League, and Navan will be hoping to get an early win on the board. They lost 16-13 to Greystones last Saturday, but did fight back for a late losing bonus point.
“Last season was a bit of a mixed bag in terms of form, we finished really strong which is promising for this season,” explained Finney, referencing their five straight wins between February and April, including a 15-11 home defeat of champions Nenagh Ormond.
“You want to put the best foot forward and start at that form and hopefully build from there, because (it’s) the second season in a row we’ve got a mixed bag and you kind of have to go to the well for the last few games to pull it out the bag.
“And obviously the result at the end (finishing fifth) felt a lot more glamorous than it actually was, but hopefully we can take the learnings we got from the last few games and start that way. Hopefully build from there.”
Despite that opening defeat at Greystones, Navan can take plenty of positives from a battling performance. While they won on the opening day last season and doubled up in round 2, they endured an inconsistent patch heading into Christmas, and ended up with just three victories from the first half of the campaign.
Coincidentally, this is the second consecutive season that they have entertained Old Crescent for their first AIL encounter on home soil. Last October they prevailed on a 26-19 scoreline, with Rory Gordon, playing at full-back, scoring a try and kicking 16 points.
“I think the whole team knows what we’re capable of,” insisted Finney. “It’s just about putting that out week on week, as opposed to letting that dip happen.
“Because when the dip happens it’s tough to claw your way back into form when you let it drop. So just try to stay on top of it and know that we’re able to do that, and set that as our standards and anything below that is not acceptable.”
Navan have strengthened their squad for this season, with notable additions being lock Tom Ciot, back rower Lazlo Pschorn, and hooker Jayden Henderson, who were all involved against Greystones as the new recruits.
Tom Gavigan, Mark Coen, and Shane Walshe have also linked up with Jason Harris-Wright’s men, bringing more of a mix of Navan’s own youth structure and the experience of former players returning to the fold.
The likes of club captain Evan Dixon and Gordon, both in the back-line, have been standard bearers for the team the last few years. In addition, Finney hopes the new recruits can help to ramp up the competition for places as the year progresses.
“One or two new faces coming in definitely, but very much the base of the squad is going to stay the same from the last, maybe, three years.
“You will have the same familiar faces on the teamsheet, but there’s a couple of new lads, lads coming back to Navan, lads coming into Navan for their first season.
“So, it will be interesting to see that bit more competitive nature around training, and it will be interesting to see if the new lads can kind of kick on and push for a starting spot over the lads that were here last year.”
After almost making the play-offs last season, with just a three-point gap to fourth-placed Banbridge, Navan again have the ambition of a return back to Division 1B.
While Harris-Wright’s side started the current campaign on a losing note, the home support will be out in force on Saturday afternoon for a very special occasion in Navan’s centenary season.
They have extra motivation in 2024/25 to climb the league’s ladder once again, as they look to crown the club’s 100th year in a fitting way. Finney believes they have it in them to make the top four and push on for the play-offs.
“I think like every team every season, your goal is to get promoted. Nothing has changed this season. Obviously, as an added incentive, that would be more special for the club if it was to happen in the centenary.
“Our goal every year is to get back (up a division). Obviously we were in Division 1B (in 2021/22) for a season, and we’re trying to get back there obviously (to) put a better spin on things in 1B then we did the last time.
“Our focus is always to try to get into those play-off spots, and then do the best we can when we get there,” he added.
– Navan RFC photos by Arosha D Sports Photography
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