Bangor brawn brings bonus point at Omagh
On a dark and dismal afternoon, Bangor travelled to Omagh hoping to maintain their good run of form. Having taken the lead early in the first half, Bangor kept the scoreboard ticking over to win by 18-32, securing a valuable bonus point in the process.
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Having been on the receiving end of a crushing defeat at Upritchard Park earlier in the season, Omagh were no doubt hoping that as they kicked off into a slight breeze, home advantage and plenty of touchline support would help redress the situation. Bangor started brightly, and within the first 5 minutes, came close after second row forward Ryan Meeke made a good run down the left wing, only to be bundled into touch with 5 metres to the Omagh line. By not throwing the ball in straight at the lineout, Omagh conceded possession back to Bangor. From the following lineout, Curtis Stewart won the ball cleanly. Having got the ball to flanker Matty Coey, the pack drove the maul towards the Omagh line. Although the Omagh defence dug in, Bangor’s power proved too much to withstand, and Coey touched down in the left hand corner for the first score of the day. Jason Morgan successfully kicked the difficult conversion to bring the score to 0-7 after 7 minutes.
From the fumbled restart, Omagh regained possession and took the game deep into Bangor territory. The home side showed great patience as they built up several phases of play close to the Bangor line, only to be stopped on each occasion by a resolute Bangor defence. Having held up this non-stop Omagh pressure for 10 minutes, the Bangor defence was finally breeched, allowing Omagh to dive over for a try in the right hand corner. The conversion was missed, but the game was wide open again at 5-7.
With heavy conditions underfoot, and a greasy ball to contend with, Morgan sensibly used the wind assistance to kick for position, keeping the play in Omagh’s half. However, it was not until a further 10 minutes had passed before Omagh were penalised for diving over in the ruck, presenting Morgan with a kick for goal which he duly converted to stretch Bangor’s lead to 5-10.
Bangor continued to enjoy the majority of possession, but each attack was stifled by a quick Omagh defence and, with half time approaching, the worry was that Bangor’s lead may not be enough when the sides turned around and the wind would then favour Omagh. However, with just a few minutes of the first half remaining, the dependable move of lineout and drive proved fruitful once more. Stewart won the lineout ball which was passed to Coey, who followed the rest of the driving pack to score his second try. Morgan missed the conversion, but as the sides turned around, the score was a more comfortable 5-15.
From Bangor’s second half restart, Omagh were unable to secure the ball, allowing Chris Schofield to barge his way forward. Having made good ground, the ball was quickly recycled through the backs in the first real flowing move of the game. A well-timed final pass from Chris Morgan created just enough space for winger Davy Charles to beat his opposite number and score in the right hand corner. The difficult conversion attempt into the wind was short, but with just 3 minutes of the second half gone Bangor had dealt a severe blow to Omagh’s chances, now leading by 5-20.
If Bangor were beginning to feel pleased with themselves, it was to be short-lived. From the Omagh restart, Bangor were unable to gather the ball cleanly, knocking the ball on in the process. Although the Omagh scrum had been under pressure for much of the game, they managed to get the ball to their backs who then produced the best move of the game. Great interplay between the Omagh players down the right hand wing left the Bangor players chasing shadows, allowing the home side to touch down for their second try, and narrowing Bangor’s lead to 10-20.
This turn of events seemed to invigorate the Omagh players who continued to pile on the pressure, eventually forcing Bangor to concede a kickable penalty, which Omagh duly converted to bring the difference between the sides to just one converted try.
The following 20 minutes were a tense affair, with Omagh applying all the pressure, and Bangor conceding too many penalties. However, although Omagh came close to scoring again with a drop goal and penalty attempt, the scores remained the same.
It was not until 30 minutes of the second half had elapsed that Bangor found themselves in another attacking position. Once more, the well-drilled forwards combined to produce another driving maul. This time, although the pack became split, the combined weight and power of Schofield and Stewart was enough to force their way over the Omagh line before Stewart finally grounded the ball. The conversion was missed, but this fourth try had secured an important bonus point for Bangor, and had stretched the lead to 13-25.
With Omagh now trying to reduce Bangor’s lead to 7 once more in order to gain a losing bonus point, they came back at Bangor and nearly caught the visitors napping with a clever lineout move. However, with time running out, and with Omagh continuing to throw everything into attack, a loose pass was intercepted by full-back Chris Morgan who sprinted from his own twenty two to score under the Omagh posts. With Jason Morgan’s simple conversion, the score was now 13-32.
With less than 5 minutes remaining, the Bangor players may have felt that the game was all but over. However, this determined Omagh side struck back within minutes when Bangor failed to claim a loose ball, allowing Omagh to snatch a late opportunist try. Although Omagh’s chances of winning were still remote, one more try would reward them with a bonus point. However, despite their best endeavours, this was not to be and at full time the score finished with Bangor winning by 18-32.
This was not pretty rugby by any means, but Bangor demonstrated teamwork and determination in the face of an Omagh team that proved difficult to play against. The forwards’ performance in the set pieces continues to impress and the backs, although frustrated at times today, proved dangerous and clinical when any scoring opportunity arose. The start stop nature of Bangor’s fixture list returns again with no match next Saturday, before a crucial game against current league leaders Ballyclare in two week’s time.
Bangor team: C Schofield, P Dornan, J Harrison, F Black, R Meeke, M Coey, J Clegg, C Stewart, R Armstrong (c), J Morgan, P Gray, M Aspley, M Leebody, D Charles, C Morgan
Bangor scores: M Coey (2T), D Charles (1T), C Stewart (1T), C Morgan (1T), J Morgan (2C, 1P)
