‘Our lads are hungry for success’ – Coach Kolo
The Creggs Rugby Club senior men’s team can make history this coming Sunday (March 15th) when they face Dunmore in the Connacht Junior League final at the Dexcom Stadium in Galway (5 pm).
Victory would represent a four-in-a-row for Creggs – and also keep them on a course for a historic back-to-back league and cup double following last weekend’s semi-final win in the latter competition.
Samoan-born Kolo Kiripati has been the Creggs Head Coach for the past number of years. How does he view the prospect of playing Dunmore in Sunday’s final?
“We are all looking forward to Sunday’s game. To win four leagues in a row would be a marvellous achievement for everyone involved”.
Kiripati says Dunmore will provide very stern opposition.
“Dunmore have a number of new players. They have a big pack and a few new backs as well and they have an excellent full-back too”.
When we met at a Creggs training session last Saturday, Kolo confirmed that Creggs are dealing with a few injuries at the moment.
“We have a few players out injured but we have good cover. There has been a huge turnover of players this year between injured players and those who didn’t come back to play… there could be 16 or 17 (involved). So we have a lot of young players on the panel and we have played a lot of our seconds, and they have stepped up very well”.
Members of the Creggs senior men’s squad, pictured at training last Satuday. Photo: Michael Finan
Kolo says there is a great hunger in the group to be successful.
“Our lads are hungry for success, which is great to see. Training has gone very well. To try to field two adult teams every week is a challenge, but the players have done very well and hopefully that will pay off in the final against Dunmore”.
Dowd hoping Creggs have timed their run!
Ger Dowd has been involved with Creggs RFC for many decades – initially as a player and then in a coaching capacity.
Synonymous with the Creggs rugby success story, Ger remains as competitive as ever. Speaking to the Roscommon People last weekend, he enthused about the fact that the club is once again to the fore at the ‘business’ end of another season of junior rugby.
“Lots will be decided in the next few weeks. We had the cup semi-final last Sunday (against Corinthians) and then next Sunday we have the league final against our neighbours and rivals Dunmore and that is a huge game for the club”.
Creggs beat Dunmore in the cup final in 2025, but Dunmore have strengthened their panel since then.
“We beat them last year but they are very strong this year. They have a big pack and they have improved in the backs as well, so it will be a huge challenge for us”.
The Creggs panel has featured some changes too.
“We have a few players out with injuries and that’s all part and parcel of it. We had a jittery start to the season. We lost a few games early on but I think we are coming into form now.
“The format of the league this year meant that we had to qualify for the top four. That allowed us to trip up once or twice. We finished fourth and we had a very good performance against Ballina in the semi-final so hopefully we can deliver another performance like that in the final”.
Playing the final in the newly-refurbished Dexcom Stadium will add to the sense of occasion.
“It’s great to have the final there. I was up there to see it a few weeks ago. It’s amazing, a great venue to have here in Connacht. This is the first time that the provincial finals have been held there since it (the stadium) was done up and it would be great to win it there as well”.
I asked Ger about the overall health of this tremendous local sporting club.
“Thankfully things are going well. We are fielding two adult teams. Our ladies team are doing very well and are in the cup semi-final.
“This men’s squad is going well too and four league titles in a row would be a marvellous achievement. We did it ourselves many years ago (Ger’s own generation) but it is so competitive now that it would be a marvellous achievement for a small club like ours to do it again” he concluded.
Marching forward with Mike!
Forwards coach Mike Diffley is another club stalwart who has been many years working with the Creggs players. He says that it’s great to be involved in the business end of the season again this year.
“It’s super to be involved in the cup and league. It’s brilliant to be involved in the league final at the Dexcom and for us to have got to the final after a tough season is so positive for the squad. Hopefully we can win the four-in-a-row. It would be a great achievement”.
Mike agrees that the big turnover of players this season has been a challenge.
“There are 16 or 17 changes and we have a lot of new players on board. We are relying on some of the older established players too, but you know, new blood is always good on any panel”.
Mike says to complete a league four-in-a-row would be a very big achievement for the club.
“It would be huge, but nothing is a given against Dunmore. They are a very strong side and we know they are very focussed on winning the league this season… we lost to them already down in Dunmore earlier in the season and we will have to have our heads screwed on to beat them.
“But our players have been training really hard. We have lads from all over. They get on so well. They all want the same thing. Some of them will not even make the squad but they are all pushing each other. They know what kind of rugby we want to play, and we are playing really well at the minute and hopefully we can bring that to the table again on Sunday”.
‘Local derby adds spice’ – Brian Diffley
Brian Diffley has been part of Creggs’ three league wins over recent seasons and he also tasted cup success in 2025. He agrees that it has been a great era for the club.
“It has been a great six or seven years. We have tasted defeat in finals too so we have seen both sides. Dunmore will be no easy game for us, that’s for sure. We beat them in the cup final last year and they beat us in the league this year. They are very strong and the fact that it’s a local derby adds spice to it”.
The Creggs vice-captain says Dunmore have a lot of new players, additions that have strengthened them.
“They have brought young players on to their team and they have signed players from other clubs. They are really going after this league title so we know it will not be simple”.
Brian says that this season has been an unusual one but that the Creggs team are coming good at the right time.
“It has been a strange year, to be honest. We had a few lads who were out injured and a few more who finished up, so it’s a much-changed team this year. Having said that, there are 30 lads chomping at the bit for a jersey and there are only 20 who will get one. But I think we are in a very good place at the moment. We just have to perform on the day”.
To win the cup is always nice, but the league is the big prize every season.
“It was brilliant to do the double last year, but really the league is the big one and we would love to have a go at getting into the AIL. But to do that you have to win the league first and there is no looking past Dunmore at this stage.
“It’s a bonus to be playing the final in the Dexcom Stadium. It’s great for everyone – players, supporters, etc – and hopefully we can do it on the day” he concluded.
