There was disappointment for the 1st XV on Saturday, but that defeat was more than compensated for by some great cup wins for our Metro sides.
The weekend kicked off with a defeat for the 4th XV, who were knocked out of the Moran Cup by a strong and experienced DLSP side, before we were treated to four big games on Saturday. The 1st XV took on Ballynahinch on the All Weather pitch, and played into the strong wind in the first half. They soon found themselves behind, as Hinch first struck a penalty, and then drove over from close range to make the score 10-0 with as many minutes played.
We worked our way back into the match, with James Thornton hitting a sweetly struck drop goal to get us going, but soon the northern side extended their lead. A bouncing ball in midfield wasn’t dealt with, and the visitors managed to steal possession and sprint unopposed to score under the posts. A penalty followed, making it 20-3 and we looked lost.
However, we showed great character to force huge pressure on the Hinch line, resulting in a yellow card and a series of lineout mauls. Despite several more penalties, referee Frank Murphy decided further action wasn’t warranted, and our failure to get over the line left the half time score at 20-3.
With the wind in the second half, we controlled territory and possession, but despite two Jake Swaine penalties we couldn’t significantly close the gap. Hinch’s defence was desperate at times, hitting the ball carriers ferociously and keeping their line at all costs. Another yellow card followed, and in truth more could have been seen, but all the same we couldn’t breach their line. Twice we were deemed to have been held up, but the score remained 20-9 at the end. A priceless win for Hinch, and a disappointing loss for us.
On the first pitch, the 6th XV were lifting our spirits though, with a stunning win over St Mary’s in the O’Connor Cup. These sides drew 17 apiece in the league only a fortnight ago, but this was one sided from an early stage, with our lads making a mockery of the headwind, playing some wonderful rugby to take the lead. The forwards were dominant in set piece and in the loose, with Joey McNabola thieving several lineouts as well as displaying huge energy around the park. Behind the pack, Eoin ‘Kid’ Kenny displayed a coolness that comes with his experience, and some outstanding work from Shane Sharkey in defence as well as attack laid the foundations for some attacking brilliance from fullback Darragh Hennebry, who showed all the fleetness of foot that his father was famous for.
The main beneficiary of this was centre Dillon Ryan, whose excellent support running resulted in a hat trick – the pick of which was our second try, stemming from a scintillating break from Hennebry. After cutting the opposition to shreds, he floated a sumptous flick over his shoulder to the onrushing Ryan, who crashed over under the posts – incredible rugby at any level! The final score was 37-11, and Les Devlin’s men march on in the Cup.
The highflying 5ths also had a brilliant win, travelling to Coolmine on Saturday in the Winters Cup, and outplaying a side from fully two divisions above them. Some excellent interplay between Brian O’Sullivan and Shane Massey resulted in the the latter scoring the only try of the game, and the returning Will Thornton was unerring with the boot, giving the lads a brilliant and dramatic 16-15 win. Meanwhile, the 3rds were cruising to a superb win over Railway Union in the Albert O’Connell Cup, winning 29-6 away from home against a strong side.
On Sunday, the 20s played a thrilling 10-10 draw with Clontarf, with the conditions making for a classic arm wrestle of a match that lived up to its billing. The result leaves both sides in the running in the JP Fanagan league, which looks like going down to the wire.
Full Results
| 1st XV | 9 | 20 | Ballynahinch |
| 2nd XV | Free | ||
| 3rd XV | 29 | 6 | Railway Union |
| 4th XV | 6 | 20 | DLSP |
| 5th XV | 16 | 15 | Coolmine |
| 6th XV | 37 | 11 | St Mary’s |
| U20s | 10 | 10 | Clontarf |