This was a carbon copy of our earlier match at home to Letterkenny with the same outcome – a narrow win for Grosvenor. The match was every bit as tight as the scoreline suggests.
Grosvenor found it very hard to get their hands on the ball for worthwhile periods against a big, strong Letterkenny pack who were well-drilled, if a bit one-dimensional in what they did – pick and drive. Their predictability made their intentions easy to counter but their sheer strength and close support for each other allowed them to make steady yards against the most resolute Grosvenor defence.
The match went through long periods of “bump and grind” enlightened by only short periods of expansive rugby. Matty Little made a good kick ahead which he followed up at pace. His subsequent tackle dislodged the ball which was pounced upon by Andrew Robinson who beat a few desperate tackles with great speed and strength and allowed him to dot down below the posts for a 7 –nil lead. It felt like they were the only missed tackles that Letterkenny made on the day.
A couple of missed penalties might have settled Grosvenor nerves and unsettled Letterkenny and coming up close to the end of the first half the inexorable pick and drive of the ‘Kenny pack allowed them to drive over for a try close to the posts which they duly converted. Seven all.
Grosvenor hooker Mark Cartmill had to leave the field with a damaged elbow and the game was subsequently played out with uncontested scrums. This had a consequence for the visitors’ lines out which had been a stand-out feature of the earlier part of the match.
The second half was quite fragmented but the Grosvenor 14 were doing manful work in defence and threatened to break away on a number of occasions only for the vital pass to go astray when glory seemed to beckon, or the ball was coughed up in contact. Nevertheless, the dogged defence, especially in the centre caused frustration to the ‘Kenny side and laid to two of their players being yellow-carded for injudicious use of the boot. With the odds at 14 to 13 Grosvenor started to move the ball but poor finishing let them down. Most frustrating of all was Jack Adams unfortunate knock-on in the act of touching down after some great ball retention and approach work by the pack.
Coming close to the end of the match, when a seven-all draw was beginning to look a very attractive proposition for Grosvenor, they were awarded a penalty in front of the posts which Matty Little duly converted. As Grosvenor went 10 – 7 up, Letterkenny were restored to their full XV and set up a very determined onslaught on the Grosvenor line which Grosvenor were able to resist until the final whistle in a way they could not have done earlier in the season. This is a very gratifying feature of the recent Grosvenor games.
Letterkenny are a more useful side than their lowly league position would indicate. This wasn’t a classic Grosvenor display, but to a man the team showed great determination in defence. It wasn’t a day for guys to shine but “Man of the Match” has to go to prop Phil Hill for his dogged work throughout the entire 90 minutes (not a mis-print), ably abetted by a heroic pack and stalwart defence by our centres.
Jug-watch – I can’t comment since my chauffeur and I, with a number of players, ended up in the wrong venue!
