After a very wet Thursday and Saturday last week, the Saturday turned out nice again for the rugby football game against Instonians 4. The referee, players of both sides and all the spectators at Donaghadee’s Donaldson Park stood in silence as a token of respect for the loss of a former player from both clubs during the week. Instonians had lost long-time club stalwart Des O’Donnell and Donaghadee were mourning former player and coach Cois Beukes.
When the game started all the early pressure came from Donaghadee. Perhaps both teams had been studying the Ulster Branch Junior League tables because it did seem that the home side were well aware that their mid-table position was a good few places above their opponents’. In the face of repeated attacks the visiting forwards lost a bit of discipline and gave Donaghadee a penalty on the “22” line in front of the posts. Full-back Mark Vance seemed to relish a relatively easy one to start and claimed the three points going. He may well have rued the miss a few minutes later, although it was a much harder kick.
Donaghadee were doing most of the attacking, although without any real sign of making the crucial break that would get the try they clearly wanted. Eventually this pressure told with a penalty award that Vance had no hesitation in putting over for a welcome, but hardly inspiring 6-0 lead at the break.
When Instonians converted a penalty to reduce the deficit to 6-3 it hinted that they were more than just back in the game. The visitors strove hard to get another score that might put them level or even ahead, but when their best team attack was halted in its tracks by a superb tackle from Andrew Findlater it looked like Donaghadee might now be in the ascendancy. Certainly Donaghadee’s two Pauls – Hamilton and Ferguson, seemed to think so. In addition to his tireless work round the park in all phases of Donaghadee’s play, Hamilton was showing that he has been practising hard at his line-out throwing. Time after time he was picking out the tall stretching hands of his principal line-out jumper Ferguson and the remaining six pack members were then alternating between good solid ground gain and then some impressive quick ball from scrum-half Andy Monson to his backs.
There is a recipe in a very old cookery book for making Duck Pie. It begins “First catch your duck!” Rugby football backs must learn their game’s equivalent “First catch the football.” This is not a comment on the rugby abilities and hand skills of the Donaghadee players; it is a suggestion, that one just knows the coaches will be emphasising this week, that it is pointless dividing your concentration between what you might do when you catch the pass, if you simultaneously take your eye off the ball as it is arriving. Time after time it was gratifying for the spectators to see Monson was firing a stream of good and accurate passes to his backs, only to see them go to ground for no other reason than a momentary loss of attention by the receiving player.
One of these fumbles was absolutely crucial. One Donaghadee attack had lost possession and Inst were grateful for the chance to kick deep into Dee territory. As they ran hard back at the Instonians defence, as simple enough pass hit a pair of outstretched Donaghadee hands and the ball fell to the grass. In a flash Inst were all over it, and one of their number ran sixty metres, not only to score a surprise try, but also to put the visitors in front for the first time in fifty minutes.
The score now 10-6 to Instonians, Donaghadee lost some composure, and a penalty and a long march gave their opponents the chance to go 13-6 ahead – and they did. Was victory for the visitors now to be snatched from the very jaws of defeat? Desperate circumstances calls for desperate measures. Donaghadee’s backs were still not handling the ball as well as they might, but the team certainly looked like defeat was not on their minds now.
A last throw of the dice came from some more good possession from the Dee forwards allowed Donaghadee’s backs an opportunity to show their mettle. Some good passing, and more gratifying to see, some clean catching presented the ball to left winger Andrew Cash with just a little room down the flank. With impressive pace he was round the cover defence and over the Inst line. It must have been in his mind that with the clock ticking away Donaghadee needed the full seven points as he charged for a better kicking position, but too many Instonians players realised this crucial fact too. He was forced to crash to earth still only about fifteen metres in from the touch-in-goal line.
Who would be a goal-kicker in such circumstances. You know that the score is now 13-11 to your opponents and you also realise that the final whistle is overdue. Well, kicker Mark Vance showed that he has the right stuff when he sent the last kick of the game safely between the Instonians players’ posts – and maybe into their hearts too. Full time score 13-13. Both teams will have been disappointed, but probably Donaghadee would have recognised that if their individual concentration levels had been retained they had the talent to win the game.
Donaghadee team: Mark Vance, Andrew Cash, Andrew Mitchell, Andrew Findlater, Gavin Wallace; Adam Torrens, Andy Monson: PhilMcCaughey, Phil Collins, Paul Ferguson, Andrew Dunn (c), Paul Hamilton, Gavin Prue, Kyle Morrow.
This Saturday
Donaghadee’s 1st XV host Omagh this week, the Seconds are away to Ballymoney 3 and the Thirds are also away – to PSNI 2. All games to kick off at 2.30pm. Instead of watching the Ireland v. South Africa game on your own television, why not stick around the clubhouse for the 5.30pm start?
For Your Diary
The following week (13 Nov) the Firsts have another free Saturday, but the club’s other two sides are at home; the Seconds entertain Ballyclare 3 and the Thirds play Cooke 4, both in the League.
Sad death of Donaghadee’s former player/coach
By lunch-time last Saturday there probably was not a Donaghadee player or club member who had not heard the awful news that their former club coach Cois Beukes had finally lost his heroic battle with cancer. It is more than three years since Cois moved on to hear-neighbours Ards RFC, but he still lived in Donaghadee and called in when his diary was not too full. Anyone who has been in contact with him through his illness cannot have failed to admire the courage of this big man as he tried to fight off the monster that was attacking him. He will be be sadly missed by all who knew him.
The President of DRFC, Chairman and the club’s members tender their sympathy and condolences to his wife Rachel, daughter Naomi and the family and friends here or in South Africa.
