In the second round of Cup qualifiers the Derry U19’s came second against a strong Ballynahinch outfit in the drumlins of Co.Down. A weakened City outfit left with only the bare minimum and once again called on the services of U17 youngster Aaron Deery who had a first class game showing what a star of the future he will be.
The game kicked off in bright sunshine on a heavy pitch and it was not long before the home side got scores on the boards! From a scrum midfield the scrumhalf broke and fed his outhalf who sold an outrageous dummy and cut back inside to run through with almost not a hand being laid on him, the kick in front of the posts was good and the home side led 7 to nil with only 5mins gone! The home side were looking dangerous and the lacklustre Derry side were not really working as a team and were relying on individuals to take up the slack ,this meant that on too many occasions the home side had players over in space! Some bad finishing and handling mistakes by the ‘Hinch team meant that the Derry boys were let off the hook on a few occasions but eventually the pressure was to tell and in the 26th minute the home side drove over again for a converted try.
With the visitors not winning any ball they were left to live off scraps and this they did well with big Cillian Doherty and skipper Ryan Spratt in the pack and Conall Doherty and Jamie Devine in the backs , to the fore. Just before the stroke of half timea kick deep in to the ‘Hinch half was returned at pace and good handling led to the home side breaking a few attempted tackles and scoring a try which went unconverted.
The whistle for half time could not come quick enough for some of the Derry players and a half time coach Malcolm Burns laid down a few harsh facts! Players were not lifting their game and were slow to realise the commitment and pride required to pull on the Green of Derry and that this was not a case of just going through the motions! Strong words from the skipper and a few of the senior members were said as well and the team were asked to show what it meant to them to be part of this side!
A completely different Derry team took to the field for the second half and the home side were on the wrong side of a few bone crunching tackles which shook them to the bone. This new physicality led to the visitors winning good ball and with this they were able to play a bit of good rugby, the phases were coming and the backs were making good in roads. A dangerous high tackle on flanker Ben Porter meant that the big home second row got his 7 mins in the sin bin, the Derry side now were attacking hard with the numerical advantage but were unable to score. A training ground move was executed from a scrum but the pass was wayward and the home sides impressive centre intercepted on the Derry 10m line and sprinted in under the posts for a soft intercept try which was converted. With the score now at 26 to nil and only 17 mins gone in the second half the Derry side could have dropped the heads but this side drew on their spirit and really threw everything at their hosts. The ‘Hinch side were restored to full strength and the Derry boys were on the attack with centres Doherty and O’Kane making good breaks which were well supported by the back row, after a period of good pressure on the home line the ball was moved quickly left and the outstretched arm of Conall Doherty got the touchdown to score a well worked team try which went converted by outhalf Richard Keys. The rest of the half was played in the middle of the pitch with both sides using the ball well and some great rugby was being played, unfortunately the visitor could not get over the home line but they also defended manfully and kept out their opponents. The second half ended a draw but the scoreline that mattered was a loss for the Derry team of 7 to 26.
There were some disappointing aspects to the day as a whole and the boys now realise some hard truths and hard lessons have hopefully been learned! If the spirit had been there from the start and people were more committed, things could have been different! This side will learn from this game and should get stronger as a side, they are maturing with every game and there were some periods of real class rugby played! As mentioned the first half was not good to watch with a few exceptions the players did not do themselves proud but this was put behind them and the second half saw a massive improvement! In the backs Jamie Devine and his cousin David Devine were dangerous all day and centre Conall Doherty showed why he is on the extended Irish U18 squad. In the pack captain Ryan Spratt worked hard all day along with hooker Rory Gallagher who played injured to make up the numbers, in the backrow as mentioned youngster Aaron Deery was everywhere but this weeks Man of the Match has to go to the colossus Cillian Doherty. Cillian showed his undoubted class with a display of power and passion which was head and shoulders above the rest of the players on the field, on either side!
The Derry team now will contest in the second tier of the U19 Cup competition and as yet their opposition is unknown. If this side can show the spirit and skills of the second half they must stand a great chance of maybe causing an upset.
