City of Derry Rugby Club continued their poor recent run of form and results in All Ireland League Division 2A when they never looked like turning over Cashel in their Trip to Tipp last Saturday. Derry found a wounded animal in their own lair following Cashel’s heavy defeat away to Old Wesley the previous weekend by 37pts to 14pts. The Judges men were always going to have to do what no team has done at fortress Cashel in the last five years and defeat the natives to turn round their season.
The weather was perfect for rugby at Spafield, Cashel on Saturday as both teams had attacking opportunities in the early sparring exchanges. Derry’s Achilles heel of giving away penalties haunted them all afternoon and Cashel full back and former Shannon man Pat O’Connor punished them after thirteen minutes when he converted from 25 meters for a 3pts lead as Derry gave away their fifth penalty.
Derry got themselves back in the game three minutes later when Chris Shields, Sam McAuley and Sam Duffy supported by Bob McKillop and David Houston produced a dynamic scrum and when Cashel infringed out half Adam Parke kicked and excellent penalty to level the scores at 3pts all. Cashel were in front again from the kick off when Derry held on in the tackle and O’Connor converted the penalty to lead by 6pts to 3pts.
Cashel were now on top as the game entered the second quarter and Derry found it difficult to cope with the home teams physicality and superb offloading in the tackle. Cashel increased their lead on twenty four minutes when out half Conor Quinlan found Pat O’Connor coming into the line to release centre Brian Silke who got in for an unconverted try in the corner and a the lead was 11pts to 3pts. Derry reduced the deficit from the kick off when Cashel infringed, Parke kicked another penalty from 35 meters and it was 11pts to 6pts for the home team.
Cashel were winning the battle of the breakdown as their physical power kept them on the front foot while Derry scrambled for any quality possession and their penalty against count increased. Bob McKillop was sent to the sin bin on thirty four minutes and Pat O’Connor converted the resultant penalty from in front of the post 20 meters out and Cashel lead by 14pts to 6pts which they carried to the break,
Derry brought on their Captain David Funston who was returning from injury and he immediately made and impact with his aggression and intensity around the pitch. Derry improved their all round play and were getting more possession as they looked to breakdown the Cashel defence but were finding it difficult to make any real inroads. The only reward for Derry was a penalty after fourteen minutes when Adam Parke kicked from 30 meters and Cashel’s lead was back to 14pts to 9pts.
Cashel lifted their play as the game reached the final quarter and they setup a series of scrums 10 meters from the Derry line that lasted for five minutes. Derry were deemed to have infringed several times and gave away penalties but Cashel reset the scrum each time. The referee eventually gave a penalty try which Pat O’Connor converted to really seal the game for the home team as they lead by 21pts to 9pts with twenty five minutes gone. This was the first penalty try that Derry have conceded in many years and it was a disappointed set of forwards that congregated on the half way line for the kick off.
Derry never looked like getting back into the game as they were now second best in all aspects of play and any hope they had was extinguished when prop Paul McFeely was unluckily sin binned on thirty minutes. The game ran its course for the last ten minutes with Cashel happy contain Derry and take their victory by 21pts to 9pts. The All Ireland League now takes a break until mid January and Derry will return to the Ulster Senior League with two important fixtures either side of Christmas away to Dungannon and at home to Ballynahinch. Derry are top of the league three points ahead of Ballynahinch having played the same number of games.
City of Derry Team V Cashel; Chris Shields, Sam McAuley, Sam Duffy, David Houston, Bob McKillop, Adam Bratton, Tom Patton, Stephen Corr, Andrew Semple, Adam Parke, David Graham, Ryan Campbell, Chris Barber, William McCleery, Peter Henderson. Replacements; David Ferguson, Paul McFeely, David Funston, Simon Logue, Jack Caithness.
