CAI Medallion progress to Subsidiary Shield Final….
CAI Medallion v BRA Medallion
Competition:
Subsidiary Shield Semi-Final
Date:
Saturday 1st March
Venue:
Roughfort Playing Fields
Starting XV:
Bradley, McKee, Hamilton, Mooney, Millsopp, Beggs, Kilgore, Wisener, Leighton, Hutchinson (Capt), Scroggie, Lavery, McCreadie, Booth, Telfer. Subs: Murdie, Murchison, Gregg.
Match Report:
CAI Medallion travelled to Roughfort on Saturday morning to take on a very big and physical BRA side in the Subsidiary Shield Semi-Final. In December BRA beat Coleraine 12-7 in a real battle so the boys were under no illusions of the task that lay in front of them. There was a real sense of occasion for the game with the pitch in excellent condition, the sun out and a very large crowd present.
CAI got off to a solid start and showed great patience and maturity to hold off the early surge from the home side and they were clinical with their exit plays. However, in the 10th minute from a turnover ball BRA moved the ball wide and a mix up between the two Inst centres allowed their opponents to break the line and score a well worked converted try underneath the posts.
Coleraine responded very well and continued to be patient with the ball in hand. Christy Hamilton and Peter Wisener started to get over the gain line and the back three of Scroggie, Telfer and Booth were secure under the high ball and countered very well. The Inst lineout, scrum and maul were dominant and they started to make oin roads against a very big and well drilled BRA pack.
Coleraine got on the scoresheet from a well struck penalty in the 15th minute from Zach Hutchinson after some sustained pressure from their pack in the opposition 22.
The turning point of the game came in the 25th minute when impressive centre McCreadie burst through the line and beat a number of defenders to score a superb individual try and give his side a well deserved lead. The try was converted and this left the score 10-7 to Coleraine which they held until the interval.
BRA pressed hard at the start of the second half and they used their kicking game and powerful centre partnership to try and get back into the game. Ten minutes into the second half they gained a penalty from a scrum which they put narrowly wide and this seemed to encourage the Coleraine team.
The impressive kicking game of Leighton and Hutchinson continued to put Inst in the right areas of the pitch. Coleraine managed to get a scrum close to the BRA line after a good chip and chase by winger Johnny Booth. Smart thinking by Ally Telfer from the scrum lead to a well worked try in the corner. Hutchinson kicked the conversion from the touch line to give his side a 17-7 lead with 12 minutes left on the clock.
The Coleraine defence stood firm throughout the half and these efforts were led by Jack Kilgore and Callum Beggs who were both outstanding on the day. Matthew Mooney, James Milsopp, Andrew McKee and Jordan Bradley all worked hard to fight off the pressure from the BRA pack around the fringes and Thomas Lavery and Daniel McCreadie coped really well against the big centres they faced throughout the game.
Coleraine saw the game out and continued to pressure right until the final whistle. Harry Murdie, Matthew Gregg and Thomas Murchison all contributed off the bench and worked hard to help see their side home.
This was a tremendous victory and the boys should be really proud of their efforts. This was the squad’s second competitive game in five days and they worked tirelessly until the final whistle against very tough opposition.
Credit must go to BRA who played their part in a game that could easily have been a Shield Semi Final. The intensity and pace of the game was excellent and some lovely rugby was played under pressure by both sides.
Thanks to the large travelling support and to Mr Nicholl and Mr Hamilton for their efforts on the day. Coleraine now progress to the final where they take on Banbridge Academy with venue and date to be confirmed. This was another excellent day for this side who have had an impressive season and hopefully this will spur on the 1stXV to progress to their own final on Thursday!
