Armagh Ladies Rugby I XV v Newry Ladies Rugby I XV
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Coordinator & Ulster Rugby Provincial I XV player Zoe Templetong InTouch TV Interview to follow
Armagh Ladies made a welcome return to the pitch over the Xmas break when
they took on Newry under floodlights at the Palace Grounds on December 29th.
While both sides boasted a significant proportion of rugby novices the home
side was bolstered by a few returning university students and it was their
experience, allied to the home sides ability to retain more shape to their
game, which proved decisive . While the Newry side possessed some excellent
runners and more than willing tacklers , Armagh were more committed in
posession and able to launch their more aggressive runners into space more
frequently which ultimately led to the home sides tries.
From the kick off Armagh showed their intent with a couple of charges
through the middle with Claire Wallace,leading the way and setting a fine
example to the rest of the team – from this platform Armagh looked to pass
the ball wide and both wingers frequently made significant inroads. After
one such move, Naomi Herron cut through three attempted Newry tackles and
touched down beside the posts to open the scoring and, with the try being
easily converted by Hannah Watson, Armagh took an early 7-0 lead . Another
score quickly followed when Claire again made great progress from the kick
off , and with most of the Newry defence attracted to the contact area , two
simple passes put the Armagh centre,Jenny Wallace,in at the posts . With the
conversion again successful Armagh were now 14 points to the good .
Following a knock on from the restart , Newry established a foothold in
Armagh territory and began to exert pressure on the home defence . Through a
mixture of excellent tackling and discipline the Armagh line held firm , and
when Newry kicked slightly long, giving easy possession to Armaghs full back
Hannah Watson, she was able to launch an effective counter attack where both
she and Estelle Johnson,on debut, made ground down the right wing . After a
couple more phases of possession , Newrys defence was caught out of position
on the opposite wing and Anna Mae Morton ran under the posts for Armaghs
third try of the night , again converted by the Lady of the Erne . A fourth
try would follow shortly before half time as a concerted period of Armagh
possession put repeated pressure on the Newry defence and despite some
excellent tackling and covering from the visitors , the defence simply ran
out of bodies .This saw the half time whistle blow with the score at 26-0 in
favour of the home side .
The second half followed a similar pattern with Newry enjoying quite a bit
of possession and territorial dominance . However , a lack of experience and
composure showed at times and Newry weren`t able to turn their dominance
into points . On the occcasion where Armagh did get the ball they made more
ground and were simply more clinical . They also proved that there is no
substitute for sheer pace when Anna Mae took advantage of broken field
possession and a tiring Newry side to break away for another try , securing
the bragging rights over her brother who had only managed one score that
afternoon against Dungannon.
With only one other score coming towards the end of the game the final
score was 38-0 to Armagh . Great credit goes to both teams for a very
entertaining match , watched by a sizeable crowd who were drawn away from
the Ulster/Munster game to support both sides . Despite the scoreline Newry
deserve great credit for all their efforts and should be very encouraged by
many aspects of their play .
From an Armagh perspective , it is a shame that we cannot regularly field a
senior ladies side , but the example set by the team in this game was an
excellent one for the watching juniors who will form a senior side in the
near future.
