14-Man Under-18s Triumph In Virginia
Virginia U18 Boys 10
Enniskillen U18 Boys 26
The Under-18 Skins team really illustrated what a great game rugby is last weekend as, despite undoubtedly having some star players, it was the 100% determination of the entire squad as a whole that saw them through a memorable victory, whether it be the efforts of a speedy winger, explosive centre or the larger players in the pack.
This was clearly shown on Saturday morning when they had to make the Journey to Virginia. With both teams having won all of their games so far in the league this was set for an exciting top table clash. The Skins players and coaches knew this was going to be a hard game to win, requiring a 100% squad effort to go home with 3 points. Virginia kicked off the game and 2 minutes in the young Skins side were 7-0 up through out half Jarlath Maguire after he kicked and chased the ball from the halfway line to score a converted try. This seemed to kick start Virginia and for the next 10 minutes the game was played in Skins’ 22, Virginia won a penalty in front of the posts and converted it to leave them trailing a mere 7-3. Virginia started moving the ball well and on the 17th minute they scored a converted try to put them 10-7 up. The young Enniskillen side couldn’t get out of their own half and Virginia were controlling the game, currently quicker to the breakdown they were able to get good quick ball but couldn’t break down the Skins defence, with front row partners David Jenkins and Rory Morris throwing themselves at every tackle to keep the score line down. The Skins coaches were relieved to hear the halftime whistle as they regrouped for a team talk before the impending next 40.
The Skins coaches made a few changes to inject some much needed energy into their team and the second half started brightly with the game played in Virginia’s own 22. The home side managed to get the ball cleared and won a scrum on the halfway line after a skins player knocked the ball on. Skins hooker Shane McGrail won the ball against the head and Skins were able to get quick ball out to Centre Tyler Millar who broke through 5 tackles and powered over the line to score a converted try and put Skins 14-10 up on the 40th minute. Disaster struck as Skins got a player red carded 2 minutes later after a harsh decision from the referee. The response was excellent from Enniskillen, however, as on the 45th minute scrum-half Josh Kyle, who was pulling the strings in the game throughout, played a great pass to centre Tyler Millar who broke through a pack of players yet again to run in his second try of the day, leaving the score 19-10 to Skins. The young Skins were controlling the game and were turning over a lot of ball at the breakdown through centre Adrian Maguire and it ironically looked like they had the extra man advantage in the contest. On the 50th minute after 16 phases of play flanker partners Eoin Cleary and Conor Maguire, who both had great games, combined when Eoin drew his defender and offloaded to Conor who powered over the line to score a converted try and put Enniskillen 26-10 up. For the next 20 minutes Skins dominated the game and carried a lot of ball through the forwards and second row Jack McKee in particular who got through a lot of work. The full time whistle was blown to confirm the Skins victory of 26-10, and both sets of players looked relieved to see the physical contest come to an end and exhaustion was evident throughout. It was a huge effort from the two sides and both the Virginia and Enniskillen players should be proud of what was a passionate and aggressive encounter.
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Enniskillen Ladies Take Full Points Away To Malone
Malone Ladies 14
Enniskillen Ladies 39
Enniskillen ladies played their fourth league fixture away to Malone in the Ulster Womens Championship last Sunday coming off the back of a hard fought draw with Cavan the previous week. The game started at a ferocious speed with Skins catching the ball from the kick off and, after the very first ruck of the game, scrum half Noreen Nethercott passed cleanly out the back line and fast hands found Etna Flannagan who went dashing over the line to score Enniskillen’s first try after only 3 minutes of play.
This quick try set the scene of things to come and Enniskillen kept up the relentless pressure on the Malone defence. The 2nd try came shortly after with Helen Carleton once again winning the ball after some very strong work at the ruck. Malone were penalised for an infringement at the breakdown and Nethercott was quickest to react with a quick tap she passed to outside centre Sophie Armstrong who hit a huge hole in the Malone defensive line and went sprinting to score a very well deserved try to leave the score line 12 – 0.
Shauna Murphy at out half had a superb kicking game and she utilised the wind well in her kicks to touch making great territory. Enniskillen’s line outs throughout the game were strong, with jumper Leona Connolly continuously securing the ball which created a solid platform for the entire game.
Skins continued to put the pressure on the Malone defence with further scores coming from Etna Flannagan and Sarah Armstrong, the latter scoring her first try in a Skins jersey. Armstrong’s try showed her class by catching a Malone cross field kick, turning on the after burners to score a slick try in the corner, leaving the score at 22 – 0 at half time.
The second half was a much tougher affair with Malone using their army of substitutes effectively along with the strong wind at their back. Malone put on sustained pressure on the Skins defence pinning them back in their own 22.
Enniskillen battled hard to keep them out but Malone eventually broke the line, making the pressure tell by coming away with 2 converted try’s within 15 mins of play, the score now 22 -14.
In spite of a bout of travel sickness, Sarah Teague, playing at centre, took the bull by the horns and hit a devastating line for a crash ball, bursting past her opposite number and hot footed it to score a fine try which was the impetus that Skins needed. Not to be out done, Etna Flanagan grasped her chance at glory when she received the ball in her own 22 and with eyes on the prize sprinted to the try line like a gazelle in heat for her hat trick.
Enniskillen now with the wind back in their sails took a grasp of the game and began to put some well worked phases together. Out half Shauna Murphy took control of the game and directed the forwards and backs expertly. Rucks became more secure and the attacking plays were making great ground, panicking the Malone defence, and it wasn’t long before the gaps in their defence were exposed. No 8 Leona Connolly exploited the disjointed Malone defence and her piercing greyhound run brought play up to the Opposition 22. Enniskillen were set on getting another try and had two attempts held up over the line. From the resulting scrum the pack knew they would have to dig deep as the contest had been tough throughout the match. After several phases prop Ashling Maguire crashed over in the corner for a hard fought try to leave the final score 39 – 14. A special mention for Dawn Corrigan on her debut game who had a solid first performance. Enniskillen’s next game is at home on 13th November against Derry. Training continues on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6.30pm.
Enniskillen 1st XV 18
Carrickfergus 1st XV 6
Enniskillen welcomed back the likewise newly promoted Carrick to Mullaghameen last Saturday to renew old acquaintances and a rivalry not forgotten from last season. It was fitting prior to the game kicking off that both teams stood for a minutes silence in recognition of the late Shannon, Munster and Ireland International Anthony “Axel” Foley, who sadly passed away last weekend.
The game kicked off and failure to get a name on the ball put some unnecessary pressure on Skins. David Taylor tidied the loose ball and drove back into the oncoming Carrick forwards and, when passed back to John Maguire under pressure he failed to control the ball and Skins lost possession. Carrick quickly fed the ball across the backline and it took a good defensive press from the home side thwarted the Carrick attack. The ball was recycled quickly and a penalty ensued with Enniskillen having been judged to have crept offside, the Carrick 10 signalled for the posts and 3 points followed for the visitors. From the restart the Skins chase was good and Gareth Beatty took the receiver to ground back on the opposition 22, and Carrick quickly looked to clear their lines, launching the ball towards Mark O’Shea, now playing at fullback for an injured Ashley Finlay, who countered back into the Carrick players weaving a good line but eventually getting caught. The ball was recycled well and moved from side to side of the pitch with some good support play on show from the home side. The next phase of play was to set the general theme of the day as Skins packed down to scrummage against Carrick. In an atypical Skins scrummaging display of late, Carrick were driven back ferociously on their own ball and Davy Taylor picked from the back to attack the Carrick line with an onslaught coming from the back line. A strong visiting defence repelled this and eventually Michael Law got stripped in midfield to give Carrick some much needed relief. The next 5 minutes of play was an entertaining period as both teams attacked each other with hard running lines throughout, strong defence from both teams kept the scoring opportunities down and focused play in midfield. Following a loose kick by Skins, Carrick regained possession and their out half slotted a nicely weighted kick just short of the Skins 22. A mistiming of the jump by Holden saw the ball quickly snatched by a Carrick forward as they drove towards the line only to be held up by the Skins back-row, the ball was duly sent back down the line by Maguire.
Play seemed to focus around the halfway line and towards the Skins 10’ for the next few minutes; a lovely steal by the forwards saw Maguire release O’Shea who in turn released James Ferguson, danced his way just into the Carrick half only to be taken down by a high tackle from the Carrick 12, resulting in a penalty which Maguire slotted over levelling the score 3-3.
Shortly after the restart some enterprising play from Skins ended with a scrum just inside the Carrick half and the dominance of the drive had Carrick giving away another penalty just inside their 10, Maguire duly obliged yet again leaving the score 6-3.
The Carrick 10 restarted the game and kicked the ball dead resulting in a most inconvenient scrum back on the halfway line. Skins relished this opportunity to again show their power and, following an initial drive, received another penalty just inside the half. Maguire stepped up and didn’t flinch at this chance to keep the scoreboard ticking and slotted the ball again between the posts, increasing the score line to 9-3. Good interplay between both teams followed as the game moved towards the end of the first half and with a further Carrick infringement 3 metres inside their half, up stood Maguire again signalling for the touchline to get him his tee, with a kick that looked near impossible giving the conditions, but in his stride Maguire hit it low and hard and it sailed between the sticks increasing the score to 12-3. From the restart Skins fired deep back down into the Carrick half, and strong driving from the base of the ruck by Davy Taylor saw Skins advance towards the line, supported ably by Jamie Johnston. The home side were halted by yet another Carrick indiscretion giving Maguire another opportunity, accepting with open arms to push on 15-3. Carrick to their credit harboured no thoughts of lying down and came back up the pitch with vigour and, following a penalty for Skins holding on whilst tackled, the Carrick 10 struck the ball to bring them back to 15-6 as halftime was called.
The second half started in much the same way as it had played out in the first 40 minutes and it proved to be more of an arm wrestle than a spectacle; the scoreboard too was much less perturbed in the second half. Neither team yielded an inch in defence and continued to attack tenaciously. The dominant Skins scrum and line out was the major difference, not to mention the good work of Holden and Carleton to disrupt the Carrick line out in turn, significantly impacting their ability to retain possession. Points scoring chances were few in the second half and the Carrick out half missed another opportunity to pull Skins back in, and shortly afterwards for once, and ironically in his easiest kick of the day, Maguire’s opportunity to extend the lead, following some very clumsy rucking from the visitors, drifted wide. The defensive display from both sides tended to shut down any ambitious attacking play, and forced errors or penalties tended to creep in whenever the ball went wide. O’Shea made some ground on a few piercing runs but a swarm of Carrick defenders tended to overrun the back line throughout. As the game proceeded into the last 10 minutes, another Carrick breakdown infringement gave Maguire an opportunity to which he atoned for his previous miss and sent Skins forward with another penalty 18-6, confirming the result into the dying minutes for a decisive winning margin but an arduous battle nonetheless.
This was not a game for the rugby purists but Skins played an intelligent game of rugby by ensuring that the scoreboard kept ticking over. A mature display by Captain David Buchanan, ensured that the four points went Skins’ way. This was a much deserved win and the Skins supporters were more than happy with an ugly win accompanied by a fine display of kicking from John Maguire. This now leaves Enniskillen 1st XV top of the Kukri Ulster Championship Division 1 having played 6 games and won 5. t’s a long way to go till the end of the season but this start has surely given all the players and coaches the confidence that they can compete within this league and continue to give a good account of themselves. The 1st XV now have an oddly long hiatus, with no game until they host Ballynahinch II in the conference on 19th November. The 3rd XV, however, now host Omagh 4XV this weekend at home in an always anticipated encounter, while the 4th XV travel away to Academy.
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Virginia Under-16s 13
Enniskillen Under-16s 10
Enniskillen U16’s went to Virginia on Saturday, knowing this was a meeting of the only two unbeaten teams in the League this season. Playing on an extremely wide new pitch this was surely to be to the Skins advantage as they had been playing super expansive rugby all season. The early part of the game saw neither side get the upper hand with both sides trading early penalties to leave it 3-3 after 15 minutes. A lengthy delay due to an injury to a Virginia player saw Skins, who hadn’t as yet totally settled and were playing in 3rd gear, go to sleep and within five minutes of the restart let their opponents run in two easy unconverted tries to leave the score 13-3. This was to be the awakening of the normally aggressive and dominant Skins team and the instruction was to get back on the scoreboard before the close of the half. For the following period the intensity was improved from Enniskillen and, when nearly at the Virginia try line, if it were not for the referee blowing for half time seemingly early then the score line may have been different going into half time.
Despite a below par performance so far Skins were definitely still well in the match. A couple of positional changes were made in areas found to be under pressure and thoughts of a comeback were still on the cards. However, some disappointing areas in the 1st half continued to disappoint in the 2nd. Efforts were being made to go forward but too many times Skins were countered at the breakdown and lost the ball to a strong Virginia back row who immediately put them under repeated pressure.
The team defensively, with the exception of the two tries earlier, were their usual selves, in particular in the midfield where time and time again, but for the tackling and double tackling, things may well have been worse. With some of the forwards going back to old pre season habits of not supporting up on the back foot in the areas out wide it left Enniskillen under pressure all too often. Fifteen minutes from the end it looked like Skins were going to steal the result when, rightly so, a penalty try was converted leaving the score 13-10. Skins desire suddenly came to life and, with a tired Virginia now under pressure, a decision to reduce Skins to 14 players was questionable, but still with only 14 men they continued to try and make amends but were denied again when the referee seemingly lost almost 7 minutes off his watch and blew for full time.
By Skins’ own admission afterwards they had hugely underperformed against a Virginia side who only 6 months ago had ran in an embarrassing number of tries against this same group of boys, and it may be that this previous encounter played on the minds of the young group who will undoubtedly learn from this experience.
Under-16 coach George Richmond was disappointed at the lack of application in the fixture but was positive about how far the side have come and the potential for future success.
“We as coaches have tried so hard to instil confidence and belief in this team and to encourage them to manage a style of rugby that so far has worked and produced results, but also entertained the many spectators each Saturday, but sadly this was absent on Saturday. There was no momentum at the breakdown, no desire to defend as a team and and frustratingly that no one was able to apply simple instruction from the side line and correct the relatively minor things that went wrong and denied what should have been a truly deserving win. Heads up and back at it, as long as we have learnt the lessons of Saturday then we have come away with something. We have been so proud of everything the boys have achieved and the commitment shown since early July so Saturday is now history and we move on.”
