Donaghadee 1st XV made the short trip to Shaws Bridge on Saturday to play Cooke in the Kukri Qualifying League. Both teams shared a mixed start to the season however the hosts came into this game off the back of an impressive away win at Ballymoney in the Junior Cup.
Donaghadee took the early inititiative and after recycling the ball through a number of phases found themselves pressurising the Cooke line in the opening couple of minutes. The Cooke defence crept offside during this phase of play which allowed Nigel Barker to give Donaghadee the first points of the game with a penalty kick in the 3rd minute. CLICK HERE for the shots
After this early flurry by the Dee side it was the home side that went on to dominate play for most of the first half scoring two converted tries in the process.
The first of those in the 10th minute from their right winger who took advantage of a fantastic cross field kick from their out-half which was perfectly flighted to allow for a simple collect and finish on the clubhouse side.
Cooke failed to extend their lead on the 15th minute when a penalty was missed but in the phase of play that followed they created an overlap on the right hand flank to allow the right winger to run in unopposed and touch down under the posts – the conversion was successful to give Cooke a commanding 14-3 lead.
Cooke continued pressing forward and under the creative stewardship of their two half backs were playing a fast pace of rugby that Donaghadee had to be defend against with determination and discipline with strong shifts from Chris Hamilton, Richard Black and the two centres McKenzie and Barker setting a benchmark for the rest of the red and green jerseys.
One particular bone crunching tackle in the centre of the pitch from Barker ultimately finishing the service of the influential Cooke scrum – half.
A rare attack forward from Donaghadee on the 30th minute when McKenzie’s line of attack broke the defence led to a penalty opportunity which Barker kicked to reduce Cookes lead to eight points.
Half Time Cooke 14 Donaghadee 6
The general consensus at half time amongst the Dee supporters was that whilst Cooke had enjoyed the fair share of possession in the first period, the away side’s resolute defense gave them a real opportunity of grasping a hold of the game in the second half.
Billy Allen, returning after a spell on the sidelines started the comeback in the 44th minute when after a neat interchange between the impressive Richard Millar and Ali Lockhart , Allen collected the ball at pace and with a neat side step created just enough space for him to crash over the line bouncing off a couple of would be tacklers.
Allen is one of the longest serving 1st XV players in the current squad and a product of the clubs youth academy of the early 90’s. His no fear approach to defense has attracted previous plaudits however his hunger for the ball in attack and direct style of running was instrumental in Donaghadee’s dominant display in the second half of this league game.
Barker converted to leave Cooke with the narrowest one point advantage.
Donaghadee however stuck their noses in front in the 52nd minute when, after great ball retention from the pack, in particular Richard Black, Gareth Gordon and Kalave Aualiitia, McKenzie broke free only to be tackled just short of the line – however like any good wing forward Chris Hamilton was supporting to benefit from McKenzie’s clever offload.
The conversion was missed to leave Donaghadee with a four point advantage.
It was not until the 18th minute of the second half that Cooke mustered up the momentum to enter into Donaghadee’s 22. It was during this phase of play that the Leinster official sent Dee captain Lockhart to the sin bin. Cooke successfully kicked the resulting penalty to reduce the Dee lead to one point.
Cooke buoyed on by their vocal support started to look more like the team that dominated the first half but were short of the clinical finishing, at times making poor decisions as they continued to chase the lead.
Cooke came closest to breaking the defence on the 68th minute and it was only thanks to a covering tackle by Allen in the right hand corner and then Murray on the opposite flank that Dee held advantage going into the final ten minutes.
Paul Blewitt relieved a five minute period of Cooke pressure with an excellent kick from his own 22 that took play into the Cooke half.
The game was being played at a frantic pace at this stage however it was the composed and experienced player/coach McKenzie who floated an exquisite kick over the Cooke defense carving out the second try of the day for Allen who still had work to do as he collected the bouncing ball and although he had support in the form of Chris McGivern finished to rapturous applause from the Dee following who could sense a very special and deserved win – Barker converted to give Dee a 25-17 lead.
Cooke scored in injury time to ensure that the Donaghadee celebrations were put on hold however it was Barker who put the final nail in the Cooke challenge with a successful penalty in the last kick off the game.
Full Time Cooke 22 – Donaghadee 28
This game was a fantastic advert for the Kukri League One with the desire evident in both sides and the quality of play to make for a great game of rugby.
When two teams are so evenly matched the balance can often be tipped by the sheer hunger of one of the teams on the day. Donaghdee individually and collectively showed this in abundance in the second half.
The quality and heart with which the team carved out this win will be a fantastic motivator for next week’s trip away to Ballina in the All-Ireland Junior Cup competition. The opposition will be largely unknown to coaches Hennessey and McKenzie, however if they can recreate the performance shown in this match next week it will be an enjoyable trip for those ardent Dee followers making the trip.
Scoops Man of the Match – A terrific second half performance that showed great maturity and determination which set the tone for a Donaghadee comeback from the Donaghadee Number 8 – Richard Millar.
Donaghadee Team:
B.Allen, C.McGivern,N.Barker,P.McKenzie, D.Devine, P.Blewitt, A.Lockhart,R.Millar,C.Hamilton,D.Murray,R.Black, K.Aualiitia A.Barnes, G.Gordon, N.McCullough
Meanwhile the 2nd XV lost 41-3 to an extremely strong Bangor side on Friday night and the 3rd XV had a difficult trip to Deramore on Saturday where Harlequins demonstrated the strength in depth they currently have at that level.
Next Saturday the 3rd XV have no game whilst the 2nd XV entertain Rainey 3rd XV at Donaldson Park.
On the same day the 1st XV set out on the extremely long trip to North Mayo to make their debut in the All Ireland Junior Cup against local legends Ballina. The Club have qualified for this competition by virtue of finishing in the top four of Qualifying One last season. A large contingent of supporters are travelling to cheer on the lads – some even arriving on Friday afternoon to make sure they don’t miss anything.
Applications are now invited for tickets for the away Six Nations 2013 games (Wales, Scotland & Italy). Please apply either in writing or by email to Jim Lyttle before 15th November 2012. Information concerning the home games will be available at a later date.
Finally Gavin Wallace would be delighted to receive outstanding subscriptions – please note that all details and downloadable documentation can now be found on the Club Website www.donaghadee-rugby.com . For those with no access to the internet forms can be found behind the bar in Donaldson Park.
