BANBRIDGE 35 SUNDAY’S WELL 30
Banbridge put on another late, late, show to claim a second successive bonus point win in Division Three of the All-Ireland League.
With just five minutes left on the clock the Co Down side were facing a nine point deficit. Visitors Sunday’s Well already had their bonus point safely tucked away, thanks in part to some indifferent defence which allowed them to cross the Bann line four times. At that stage they were certainly anticipating taking the maximum haul on the long trip back to Cork, as Bann battled to take something out of the game.
But the visitors had success snatched from them as Bann ran in two converted tries, earning them five points and, with Seapoint’s game postponed, a move up to third place in the league.
Bann certainly gave their supporters plenty of anxious moments, the first of those from the opening play of the game as Well counter-attacked to create a score for prop Jack Bransfield. Out-half Danny O’Shea missed the conversion but his 10th minute penalty increased his side’s lead to 0-8, a scoreline which truly reflected the visitors’ domination up to that point.
Jonny Pollock’s strong run down the right flank created good field position for the home side and when Well were penalised Robin Thompson slotted over a penalty to open his side’s account. It was now Bann’s turn to enjoy a period of possession and pressure and the referee again penalised, and warned, the visitors for illegally denying Bann quick ruck ball, allowing Thompson to repeat the dose.
With Bann now playing with confidence, Shandon Scott’s electrifying break off the base of a ruck in the 18th minute took play inside the Well “22”. This time there was no interference with the re-cycle and three long passes saw the ball move from right to left flank where Stephen Cowan finished off with a try.
As the Bann scrum began to create problems for the opposition a prolonged series of set-pieces near the visitors’ line was only relieved when Bann inexplicably lost the last against the head and Well kicked clear.
The last minutes of a see-saw first half saw Well in control. O’Shea missed with a shot at goal but as the pressure on the home line was maintained centre Willie Devane took full advantage of a missed tackle to race in for his team’s second try, taking the half-time score to 11-13.
The second half started as badly for the home side as the first as winger Chris Spearman rounded off a sweeping movement to grab his side’s third try, with O’Shea kicking a fine conversion.
Bann won a penalty from the re-start, Thompson finding the target from 38 metres range. The out-half was in fine form with the boot, but he showed another side to his talents when he shimmied over the line for a 48th minute try, adding the conversion for good measure, after the yellow-carding of scrum-half Ruairi Geary had numerically disadvantaged the defence.
An O’Shea penalty just after the hour edged his side back in front 21-23 and ten minutes before the end Devane looked to have wrapped it all up with a try under the posts after Bann had misfielded a kick into the “22”.
But Bann were far from a spent force and when they ran their way back into the visitors’ “22” they won another eminently kickable penalty, which if converted would have put them into a losing bonus point position. But hooker Jonny Murphy decided he wasn’t going to settle for that and tapped the penalty. That set up a passage of play which ended with replacement prop Michael Cromie forcing his way over the line from close range, with Thompson’s well-struck conversion leaving his side just two points behind.
Bann were now showing a greater degree of adventure and a flowing move from just outside their own “22” set full-back Ben Purvis off in full flight until he was brought to ground 15 metres out. Bann won a penalty but Thompson’s kick to re-gain the lead shaved the upright on the wrong side.
That looked to be their last chance gone but as they pressed again No 8 Dale Carson came onto a pass to burst through two defenders and sprint the 20 metres to the posts. The referee re-started the game after Thompson’s conversion but there was just time for a lineout and when the ball was kicked to touch the final whistle blew.
It was only fitting that Carson should get the winning try as he had a massive game, being prominent in all the positive work carried out by the pack. A number of his storming runs had put dents in the opposition lines before he made that final all-important breach of the defensive wall.
The Bann threequarters are beginning to gel as an attacking unit and Cowan’s try was indicative of just what they can do when ruck ball is delivered without delay.
Navan are next up and while the Meath side’s league position would suggest an away win as a banker, there is enough experience of previous upsets to disarm the players of any complacency. Another win before the Christmas break would set the side up nicely for the New Year, but having seen his side concede seven tries in their last two outings, coach Daniel Soper will be looking for an improvement in the defensive work to match the upturn in attacking potency.
BANBRIDGE THIRDS 30 DROMORE SECONDS 15
Although very cold, the weather was otherwise nearly perfect for a fast and open game of rugby. However, with the usual intensity between Banbridge and Dromore sides evident, both teams started cautiously and kept the ball tight.
Although Bann camped in the Dromore “22” for the first 10 minutes, it was Dromore who opened the scoring with a penalty, won after a rare incursion into the Banbridge half. This brought an immediate response from Bann and although Doherty was wide with his first penalty attempt, he nailed the second and the scores were level.
Dromore lost their prop due to a knee injury half way through the first half. Not only did this reduce Dromore to 14 men but it resulted in uncontested scrums. This was unfortunate for Bann as they had dominated the scrum through their front row of Gareth Jelly, Ryan Ringland and Andy Wilson.
Bann continued their attack and were awarded another penalty which Doherty again converted, to leave the half time score 6-3 to Bann.
The second half started more brightly with Bann trying to move the ball wide at every opportunity. With great work by Stevie Nelson and Johnny Martin close to the Dromore line, Bann won some great ball which Andy Cowan moved wide to Colin Hamilton who broke through from centre to score. Doherty again added the extras to make it 13-3.
Now Bann were attacking at will from everywhere on the park. The hard working back row of Andrew Craig, Sam Boyd and Bryan Curran kept the continuity between backs and forwards, and when Johnny Clarke made a great break, Doherty was on hand to take the pass and cross for Bann’s second try. He then converted his own try to leave the score a comfortable 20-3 to the home side.
Unfortunately, Bann were too comfortable with the scoreline, and in a ten minute period of determined play, the visitors added two tries and one conversion to their tally to reduce the deficit to 23-15.
Thankfully this woke the home team up and after a period of great attacking play, Clarke broke through a rolling maul and was only stopped on the Dromore line. Nelson was on hand at the ensuing ruck to pick up and drive over the line for Bann’s third and final try. Doherty again added the conversion to conclude the scoring.
This was a good result for Bann, although they made heavy work of it with some poor decision making. Captain Andy Craig worked tirelessly throughout the game and was Team Manager Andy Duke’s man-of-the-match. The Thirds travel to Bangor next weekend to continue their league campaign.
BANN FOURTHS 12 OMAGH THIRDS 6
Omagh Thirds, on the back of a 31-game winning streak, made the long journey to a cold and frosty Rifle Park to play Banbridge Fourths. The men from Omagh surely thought it would be business as usual. The County Down men had other ideas.
Omagh got the game underway with the kick-off but Bann quickly got some territory and played from there. A good driving maul from the pack let the Omagh forwards know what they were in for. After 10 minutes, Omagh made their way into the Banbridge half and won a penalty after an offside offence from Banbridge. The Omagh kicker made no mistake in sending the ball between the sticks.
Play was restarted and Banbridge got a good hold of the game. Bann out-half and captain, Alistair Lewis, put a fine kick into the Omagh half for a line-out. Bann had been putting good pressure on the Omagh throw and there was no change when Ben Martin leapt to steal the ball. It was then put through a few phases and some good hands from the backs got the ball out to winger, Stephen Jackson, who powered his way home from 30 metres out to give Banbridge five points. Lewis slotted the extras to make the score 7-3 in the home side’s favour.
The next ten minutes would result in some tactical kicking. Soon enough, Omagh again won themselves a penalty and their kicker was on target for the second time to reduce the deficit. This spurred the Tyrone men on and they launched an onslaught on the Bann line. Through phase after phase they attempted to breach the Bann line but to no avail. The home side’s defence was a match for anyone with a combination of good communication and strong tackling seeing the game out to half-time, the one point lead still intact.
The second half got underway and immediately Bann put Omagh under pressure with a charged-down kick. A line-out was awarded after some consultation with the touch-judge. Bann kept the play in the Omagh half for a time until a kick up field gained the visitors some territory. Jackson put in a clearance kick but a poor chase from the team resulted in a swift counter-attack from Omagh ending with their flanker going over the try line, only for the referee to correctly pull the play back for a forward pass.
Lewis cleared the lines from a solid scrum and this resulted in some dominance of field position from Banbridge. They came close on several occasions, another stolen line-out on the Omagh five metre line saw the pack go over only for the ball to be held up. Some strong running from Andy Jordan and Andy Brown gained good yards and eventually the ball came to prop, Barney McKevitt, who used his strength to touch the ball down on the line. The try was not awarded and it can only be assumed that the referee wasn’t in a position to see the grounding.
Banbridge didn’t let the decision get to them and it wasn’t too long before they got what they deserved. A powerful run from Brown after some good possession saw him squeeze over the line to give his team a six point lead. Lewis was off target with the conversion.
Omagh had most of the territory for the remainder of the game with a lack of discipline from Bann giving away a series of silly penalties. Some superb fielding and kicking from Jackson, Lewis and John Porter gave the home side a measure of relief but it took some heroic defending once again to make sure Omagh didn’t cross the line late on. The final whistle was followed by some liberal, richly-deserved celebrations for a memorable win over a seemingly unbeatable side.
