Banbridge defied the ground conditions to pick up an unlikely bonus point win at Nenagh, a result which for the first time this season hoisted them into a promotion place in Division 2B of the All-Ireland League.
Coach Daniel Soper was delighted with the way the whole squad performed on a pitch that was showing the effects of recent heavy rain and a match played the previous evening. “When I saw the state of the pitch I didn’t believe a bonus point was achievable”, he said after the game. “But the lads were magnificent. Our set piece was key – our scrum was dominant and we secured most of our lineout ball and stole 50% of theirs.”
The visitors went behind before they were able to get their hands on the ball. Nenagh stretched them left and right before out-half Dan Fogarty put in a delicate cross-field kick for left winger Shane Quinlan to collect and cross for a try that went unconverted.
It was to prove a false dawn for the Tipperary side as Bann went on to dominate the remainder of the half. A drive from a lineout finished with Simon McKinstry crashing over the Nenagh line in the 6th minute.
Then, midway through the half, the visitors launched an attack on the halfway line, with Jonny Pollock making good ground down the right flank. The movement was temporarily stalled but after five re-cycles McKinstry picked up and again proved unstoppable, touching down at the posts for Robin Thompson to add the conversion.
Pollock again put in a strong run to give his side an attacking base inside the home “22”. And when Bann won a 5-metre scrum in the 27th minute, Nenagh had no answer to the surge that allowed No 8 Colin Bickerstaff to touch down.
With three tries now in the bag, it was odds-on that Bann would pick up the fourth for that bonus point. Hooker David Weir was almost in from a lineout and then the referee adjudged that players had crossed and over-ruled a touchdown. But half-time arrived without further scoring.
A series of injuries saw Bann making maximum use of their bench, with Neville Farr taking over from Thompson at out-half, Andrew Kirkwood replacing Pollock and Andy Brown coming in at flanker for Mark Wilson.
Despite Bann’s superior set-piece they spent the first 20 minutes of the second half in their own territory as Nenagh battered at their lines. But the defence that had looked so brittle in the opening minutes of the game was now rock-solid. Bann were unable to kick their way out of defence but neither did Nenagh at any stage look likely to break through.
When Bann did manage to get into the opposition half, it proved to be a fleeting visit, with Bickerstaff’s yellow card for a technical offence giving Nenagh the chance to resume on the offensive. But their forwards were getting no change out of the Bann eight, and good carries, most notably by Michael Cromie and Ryan Patterson, kept the home side at arm’s length from the Bann line.
Nenagh tried to bring their threequarters into the action to test the defence out wide, but the sharp Bann backline was up quickly and Kirkwood hacked through on a loose ball to set up an offensive in the last ten minutes which was to yield that bonus point. Again it was the Bann pack that did the damage with a series of five scrums interspersed with two penalties eventually leaving the referee no option but to award a penalty try.
“Our rotation of subs worked very well for us and our five replacements all played important parts in the win,” said Soper. “The squad strength showed as there was no weakening of the team no matter who was on the pitch.
“Maybe we tried to play too much rugby from far out in the second half. But our defence was outstanding after that lapse at the start and that extra point really was an unexpected bonus.”
Banbridge team v Nenagh:- Brendan Ward, Jonny Pollock, Andrew Morrison, Jonny Little, Stephen Cowan, Robin Thompson, Adam Ervine, Michael Cromie, David Weir, Brian Hanna, Chris Allen, Simon McKinstry (Capt), Dale Carson, Mark Wilson, Colin Bickerstaff. Replacements (all used):- Jonny Weir, Andy Brown, Ryan Patterson, Neville Farr, Andrew Kirkwood.
