Armagh played their final fixture of the 2012-13 season when they entertained Connemara on the Palace Grounds on Saturday afternoon. Having lost out to Ards & Rainey in their last two League games Armagh had dropped from a respectable fourth spot down to a seventh position! Connemara, however, had won only four league points all season and had resigned themselves to relegation prior to the long journey from Clifden to Armagh for the game.
Prior to the game Armagh experienced a fine, if sharp, morning but at the kick-off the conditions changed, as if by a switch, to a biting wind accompanied with steady rain. This change spoiled any chance of seeing any real entertaining rugby.
Within five minutes Armagh opened the scoring with the first of a hat-trick from winger, Stuart Lester. Connemara replied three minutes later with a fine try under the Armagh posts which was converted to put the visitors ahead 5-7. This, unfortunately, was the only phase of the game which saw the Connemara side lead as Full-back Johnny Steenson soon scored his first try of his hat-trick. The game stumbled on for forty minutes to put the half-time score to 22-10
The Armagh coach, Andrew Hughes, had some stern words for his team at the break and they responded with a further six tries in the second half. Armagh, however, managed to leak a try due to some loose defending which let the visitors score under their posts. The conversion was on target to put the final score to 64-17.
This result put Armagh up to sixth position in the League but most of the Palace Grounds supporters had lost interest in the cold, windy, uninspiring rugby. When all is considered, if Armagh had not lost out in that silly Ards debacle or the uninspired losses to Boyne & Skerries they could have been preparing for a promotion play-off. Sadly that was not to be this season!
