City of Derry travelled to Deramore Park to play a very confident Harlequins outfit that had easily disposed of Malone in the first round of the Senior Ulster league. However, it was Derry who hit the ground running and after absorbing some early Quins pressure took control of the game playing some superb rugby to unlock the hosts defences twice in the first 10 minutes.
The forwards provided excellent front foot ball and the backs made good ground before Derry built the phases in which some of the offloading was of the highest order. Second row Phil Brady ran a great flat line and after bouncing off the first line of defence he broke the spun out of a covering tackle to score next to the uprights. McCarter converted to give Derry a 7-0 lead after just 3 minutes.
Buoyed by this confident start Derry showed a willingness to move the ball and stringed together some lovely movements. However it was from a Derry turnover that Harlequins mounted and threatening counter attack from halfway. Mark Walker who had already been instrumental in a number of turnovers tracked back 30 metres before snuffing out the attack with one of his original tackles before dispossessing his bewildered opponent. The loose ball was quickly snapped up by Andy Semple who spotted space down the left flank and hit an open Adam Bratton. Bratton showed tremendous pace and power as he beat the initial defence and held off a desperate defender to score a fantastic 85m counter! Richard McCarter hit a superb strike for the touchline to convert for a 14-0 lead.
It was Bratton again in the action when he ran on to a beautiful ball from Richard McCarter to split the scrambling Quins defence. With Derry players lining up to continue the attack, Quins wisely slowed the ruck ball and from the penalty McCarter knocked it over from 30m.
With 30 minutes gone the only thing Derry wasn’t winning was the penalty count which despite playing in such a positive mood the referee deemed Ryan Campbell’s first offence in an infrequent attack from Quins warranting a yellow card. On the back of two penalties Harlequins had good field position & Matthew Heaney converted the numerical advantage with a well worked back row move from a scrum inside the Derry 22.
Derry managed to play the remainder of the half in the right half with McCarter using the freshening breeze to pin the host back in their half.
After the break Derry were returned to their full complement of players and Harlequins began to use the breeze to play position. Both teams displayed a willingness to attack and the big Harlequins pack began to get some go forward and offloads. Derry struggled to gain a territorial dominance which wasn’t helped by a malfunctioning lineout and uncharacteristic turnovers . However Derry looked comfortable on defence and snuffed out Halequins most promising attack after 28 minutes to earn a defensive penalty. Andrew Semple tapped the ball quickly and failed to regather and although it did not touch his hands the referee deemed it a knock on. This decision was significant as this sparked Harlequins comeback. The resulting scrum saw Quins quickly recycle and confusion between player of the day Mark Walker and McCarter saw Harlequins stroll through for a very soft try. Heaney converted to leave the score 17-14 to Derry.
Derry didn’t need to play catch up but rather than clear their lines from another turnover they countered from deep and from the ensuing ruck the ball spilled loose. As Andrew Semple went to clean up he was illegally obstructed and despite Derry’s protests the alert right winger picked up the loose ball and sprinted 20 metres to score the winning try. Matthew Heaney who was in excellent kicking form converted to give Harlequins 21-17 lead. Derry where again pinned back into their half after losing another lineout and Harlequins denied Derry even a bonus point when in the 39th minute the ball spilled out the side of the dominant Derry scrum. Quins half back flicked the ball to the unmarked winger to stroll 15 metres to score the try bonus point and Heaney converted his 3rd try in 14 minutes to give Harlequins a 28-17 win.
Coach Bevan Lynch was disappointed to see his side squander a 17 point lead but highlighted a patient Harlequin side took their opportunities well ‘although many were gifted to them.’
“You cannot expect to beat a side of this quality with a malfunctioning lineout and conceding 18 penalties. It is early days and these areas are all things we can control and address at training. I thought there were a lot more positives today and it was a step up from last week’s performance against Banbridge. I thought some of the rugby we played in the first half was top draw and it was great to see Mark Walker back in the Derry jersey – he was very influential at the breakdown. We will look forward to addressing the areas which allowed them back into the game as we would like to have a long run in the Cup campaign.”
City of Derry RFC play Harlequins at Judges Road this week in the 1st round of the Ulster Senior Cup.
