UUJ Start Provincal League With Bonus Point Win
UUJ started their defence of the “Student Sport Ireland” Provincal League with a bonus point win over visitors Letterkenny IT (LYIT) at Jordanstown.
On a perfect day for rugby the home side fielded 14 new players in their squad of 22 and it was soon to show that some great individual talent coupled with the hard work put in on the training field were going to pay off.
Within 3 minutes of kick off. outhalf Josh McIlroy found a weakness in LYIT centre defence and went in under the posts, converted by himself.
UUJ were to follow this try up by scoring another 14 tries in the game but in no way did this reflect on the visitors. LYIT made it hard for UUJ at the breakdown and defended everything, their attacks were powerful but the defence patterns of the home side worked for them and turnover ball often resulted in LYIT not realigning their defence in time to stop a score.
UUJ lineouts worked well for them often giving clean ball to unleash the backline, but great interplay between forwards and backs resulted in an almost impossible defence task.
Try Scorers
Evan Burke 4
Ross Harkin 3
Robert Gazec 3
Josh McIlroy 2
Adam Baird 1
Eoin McParland 1
Jordan Elliot 1
Conversions
Josh McIlroy 10
Conor Murray 4
Final score 103-0
Next Wednesday UUJ welcome UUC to Jordanstown which will prove to be an exciting game.
In Division 2 of the All Ireland League UUJ have a Bye week and Carlow at home on the 28th (Dublin Game postponed)
Team that played LYIT
1. Jordan Elliot (Portadown RFC)
2. Ross Harkin (c) (City of Derry RFC)
3. Troy Wilson (Academy RFC)
4. Tinus Smit ( Bangor RFC)
5. Simon McSparron (Strabane RFC)
6. Adam Baird (Ards RFC)
7. Mark Brolly ( Tullamore RFC)
8. Stewart Martin ( Queens RFC)
9. Connor Spence ( Ballymena RFC)
10. Josh McIlroy (Rainey OB RFC)
11. Lloyd Johnston ( Coleraine RFC)
12. Robert Gazec ( Portadown RFC)
13. Evan Burke ( Navan RFC)
14. Nathanial Steele ( Ballymoney RFC)
15. Curtis McCartney ( Belfast Harlequins RFC)
16. Phelim Trainor ( Rainey OB RFC)
17. Gary Monaghan ( Rainey OB RFC)
18. James Henry ( Instonians RFC)
19. Jamie Forsythe ( Ballymoney RFC)
20. Michael Holgate ( Rainey OB RFC)
21. Conor Murray ( Randalstown RFC)
22. Eoin McParland (U/K)