JJ Hanrahan loves making an early mark in the season.
The Guinness PRO14 returned at the weekend and it was business as usual. Three of the four Irish provinces won, Leinster showed off their squad depth, Southern Kings got flaked and Treviso showed they can catch any side on their day. It was a good start for Cian Kelleher and Hanrahan too.
One of the big positives from the opening round of matches was Ospreys getting off to a winning start. Not so positive for Edinburgh, who they defeated, but the league was poorer for the traditionally strong Welsh side being so poor in 2017/18. George North is wearing the Ospreys badge on his chest and back blitzing in tries.
North is one of five nominees for PRO14 Try of the Week but he faces some stiff competition. Among those vying for the honour are Munster’s JJ Hanrahan and Cian Kelleher of Connacht.
Hanrahan got the first try of Munster’s No.10 jersey and got off to an excellent start, scoring a try and kicking four from six conversion attempts. With Joey Carbery coming off the bench in the second half, Hanrahan’s 54 minutes at outhalf were a nice marker to lay down.
The Currow native’s try was a team effort but the final thrusts came when Carbery found Stephen Archer and the prop moved the ball on to Rory Scannell. The inside centre got the call from Hanrahan, who took a smart inside line, and Cheetahs were cut open.
That was Hanrahan’s 11 try in Munster colours but, interestingly, four of them have come in his opening game of the season. In 2013/14, he got his season underway against Edinburgh while he scored a brace against edinburgh on his season’s bow in 2017/18.
He will hope that this season does not mirror last’s, personally speaking. Hanrahan only started nine games at outhalf and did not cross the whitewash again.
Cian Kelleher’s excellent outing against Glasgow Warriors was just one of a few positives from Connacht’s tough opening day loss. He constantly cut a swathe across The Sportsground and dotted down for a fine try when Jack Carty delivered a perfectly-weighted cross-field kick that made his task all the easier.
Craig Ronaldson’s last-minute penalty, from 45 metres, fell short and Glasgow took five points home with them.
The other nominees are George North (Ospreys), Rhodri Williams (Dragons) and our personal favourite, Zebre’s Jimmy Tuivati and his rollicker against the Kings.
Check out all five here and let PRO14 know your favourite:
We came back with a bang 💥
Which of these five top tries is your favourite? #GUINNESSPRO14 pic.twitter.com/UI8zJX4cyo
— BKT United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial) September 4, 2018
Lovely try. They’re all lovely tries.
