City of Derry Rugby Club consolidated their position in second place in All Ireland League Division 3 when they defeated Barnhall from County Kildare at Judges Road on Saturday last. Derry scored four try’s and this bonus point victory puts them just one point behind league leaders Instonians with both teams having completed six fixtures. This was a game that Derry never completely controlled as the advantage on the scoreboard changed a number of times with the home team gifting Barnhall two trys to keep them in the game.
The overnight frost and snow had disappeared come game time and with no breeze, conditions were perfect for rugby. There was one late change to the Derry team as Philip Brady dislocated a finger in training on Thursday night and was replaced in the second row by David Houston. With Bob McKillop on the sideline with a medial ligament injury and Sam McAuley and Stephen Ferguson on the bench, Derry started with a mobile if rather light pack.
The early pressure came from Barnhall but the Derry defensive system held firm as it has done all season. It took the home side ten minutes to get into the opposition half but when they did they were clinical and decisive in their finishing. Richard Peoples at out half was the catalyst when he produced the perfect chip in behind the defensive 40 metres out and quick as a flash David Houston gained possession and released winger William McCleery to dive in for the opening unconverted try to give the home side a 5pts to nil lead.
The Barnhall forwards were lively all through the game and they produced a number of concerted forward drives on eighteen minutes that eventually led to a try for their number eight Barry Dunn which was converted by Adam Hughes to give his team a 7pts to 5pts lead. Barnhall increased their lead two minutes later following a dreadful defensive mistake by Derry. Eoin Hogan the Barnhall out half and captain kicked a speculative ball into the Derry half which caused panic in the home defence that allowed centre Conor Feeney to score between the posts, the conversion attempt from in front of the post was amazingly missed by Adam Hughes when the ball cannoned off the crossbar, but his team still had a 12pts to 5 pts lead at the end of the first quarter.
Derry came right back through good play from Stuart Thompson who was making his debut in the centre for Derry. Chris Cooper and David Houston were cleaning up in the lineouts and with David Witherow carrying ball at every opportunity supported by the Duffy twins Sam and Stephen it saw Barnhall infringing at the breakdown and on 25 minutes hooker Ben Harrison was sin binned. Derry took a scrum from the resulting penalty and worked the ball down the blind side and following good play from Simon Logue and Andrew Semple, Peter Henderson got in for a try which was converted by Richard Peoples to level the scores at 12pts all which was still the score at half time.
Derry started the second half on the attack but turned down a number of easy penalty opportunities as they had done throughout the game. They eventually elected to kick for goal from one such penalty on 10 minutes and Peoples put Derry back into the lead at 15pts to 12pts. Barnhall continually infringed while Derry pressed forward and they had another man sin binned on 12 minutes. Derry had all the possession but were finding it difficult to break the defensive line by continually attacking close to the breakdown. Barnhall intercepted a Derry attack just outside their 22 metre line and winger David Stewart sprinted 70 metres for a try which was converted by Adam Hughes to give his team a 19pts to 15 pts lead.
The game swung back in Derry’s favour on 20 minutes following good work from Tom Patton who was having an impressive game. Stephen Corr linked with Patton to allow No 8 Richard Baird to make a great break and find David Funston who released the ETIC Solutions Man of the Match William McCleery to score his second try which was not converted. Derry lead by 20pts to 19pts as the game entered the final quarter. Derry brought on Captain Sam McAuley who made an immediate impact along with Stephen Ferguson and Ryan Campbell.
Barnhall pressed hard and Hogan created a great opening on thirty minutes when he released Adam Hughes but the Derry defence again produced to repel the opposition. Barnhall came back at Derry again and Eoin Hogan dropped a goal on 35 minutes to give his team a 22pts to 20pts lead with less than five minutes remaining. This Derry team once again confirmed that they don’t know when they are beaten and on 36 minutes they produced the move of the game from inside their own half. Peter Henderson initiated the move which released Simon Logue who when stopped linked with Sam McAuley who found David Funston on the wing to run in from 20 metres for a special try that sealed a 25pts to 22pts victory for Derry and a bonus point for a fourth try.
City of Derry coach Bevan Lynch said after the game “we struggled to play our usual game today and we gifted the opposition two easy scores which allowed them to take the lead each time. There was no great elation after the game today as the players and coaches were disappointed in the performance in front of our own supporters. We will have to improve if we are to go to Seapoint in Dublin next Saturday and get anything from that game. They have ambitions like us to get promoted this season. They beat us in Derry in the Round Robin playoff last spring and from all accounts they are confident that they can turn us over down there as well. This is the last All Ireland League game until the end of January and what a position we would be in with victory down there next week. We beat them in Dublin last October in the All Ireland Junior Cup and I believe we can do so again with a powerful forward display and our backs firing on all cylinders”.
City of Derry Team: : David Witherow, Stephen Duffy, Sam Duffy, Chris Cooper, David Houston, Stephen Corr, Tom Patton, Richard Baird, Andrew Semple, Richard Peoples, William McCleery, David Funston, Stuart Thompson, Simon Logue, Peter Henderson. Replacements: Stephen Duffy, Sam McAuley, Stephen Ferguson, Ryan Campbell, Ritchie McMaster.
