Armagh entertained Dromore at The Palace Grounds on Saturday afternoon in the quarter final of the Powerade Towns Cup. Armagh have played Dromore on two previous occasions this season. Once away in the qualifying League when they won 10-26. The other game was when the teams met in the Junior Cup semi-final. This game was played on The Palace Grounds and, again, Armagh convincing beat the young Dromore team 52-5. Saturday saw the county Down side return with a renewed spirit and like the youthful Academy side they considered that they were going to be able to rock Armagh off their perch as it were! No doubt, the Armagh side were keen to emulate the convincing form they found in defeating the Academy side.
The conditions were perfect for open rugby with the slightest of a breeze at the back of the Armagh team as they kicked-off. Almost immediately, the Armagh side were penalized for not rolling away in the first ruck of the game. Dromore chose to kick for touch and from the resultant line-out they set up a rolling maul which gained them some fifteen metres ground.
Yet again, Armagh found themselves penalized, this time for a defender entering a ruck from the side. The attempted kick came off the post and Armagh were forced to hurriedly kick for touch to relive the pressure. Indeed for the first fifteen minutes of the game Dromore had the home side pinned inside their own half. In the eighteenth minute left-winger, Johnny Allen, broke through the Dromore defence and, after a spirited run, scored at the posts. Adam Gowing’s conversion put the score at 7-0. From the restart Armagh’s lock forward, Brian Bassett, made a spectacular thirty metre break down the centre of the pitch. This illustrated that the home side were beginning to get their act together and shortly afterwards out-half Gowing kicked through the Dromore defence and scored just left of the posts. His conversion brought the score to 14-0. Shortly after the re start Armagh’s flanker, Peter Elliott, was yellow carded for coming into a ruck from the side. This put the advantage in Dromore’s direction and as they were already beginning to push Armagh about the park the game was by no means won yet! At this point Armagh suffered a cruel blow when full back Alexis Luneau was forced to leave the field with a suspected fractured ankle. Club captain, Johnny Steenson, took over as full-back. Three minutes later, Peter Elliot returned to the game and Armagh had survived the sin binning without losing any points to Dromore. At the half time break it was obvious that Armagh were beginning to settle and after only two minutes play scrum half, Matthew Wright scored a spectacular breakaway try at the posts. The conversion brought the score to 21-0. within three minutes the Dromore blind side flanker scored at the Armagh posts this was converted to bring the score to 21-7. Armagh’s prop forward, Fletcher, was substituted by Hopps, who returned to the team after a lengthy shoulder injury. Five minutes later saw Adam Gowing then scored his second try at the Dromore posts to bring the score to 26-7.
Surprisingly, Dromore responded by scoring at the Armagh posts, this was converted to bring the score to 26-14. Armagh responded by scoring in the left corner when Scrum half Wright broke free and fed the ball to Andrew Willis. This brought the score to 31-14. All seemed secure for Armagh as they played into the last quarter but then Dromore scored at the posts again and the conversion went wide bringing the score to 31-19. To seal the home victory, however, Andrew Willis scored again in the right corner. This was converted bringing the final score to 38-19.
While the final score may look convincing the game was, indeed, a very hard fought affair and it illustrated the tenacity of the young Dromore side. The serious penalty count of eleven against Armagh to four against Dromore illustrates a serious shortcoming. Perhaps Armagh are trying to copy the Irish side’s discipline record!
