Donegal Town were the visitors to Kerr Park last Saturday on a mission to take two valuable league points but they were unable to stop a rampant Holywood side that has yet to be beaten this season in either league or cup. The margin of the 42 – 17 victory belied the dominance that Holywood had in the game but says much for the never say die attitude of a Donegal side that just didn’t know when they were beaten.
Donegal kicked off into a strong crosswind and immediately Holywood showed that they were not going to give up their unbeaten tag easily. The first scrum of the match saw the Holywood pack turn over Donegal’s eight and the subsequent penalty from the boot of Stevie Leyland drove play deep into Donegal territory. Donegal were never able to clear their line and after 3 minutes and after withstanding a pounding from Holywood’s forwards the defence was finally breached when Gary Stocker powered over the line out wide to open the scoring. Gareth Hillen added the conversion and Holywood had a 7 – 0 lead.
Straight from the restart Holywood were caught offside at a ruck in front of their own posts but surprisingly the goal attempt went wide on the wind. This seemed to give Donegal a lift and they spent a period of time in Holywood’s half but Holywood’s defence stood strong. Donegal tried to play a wide game but one dropped pass in the centre was pounced on by Peter Gordon who hacked through and won the race to get the touch down. The conversion was slotted home by Gareth Hillen and after 18 minutes of the game Holywood had a 14 – 0 lead.
Play for the next 10 minutes was exclusively in Donegal’s half as Holywood used the elements to ensure they kept their grip on the game. On the 28 Minute mark Donegal had a defensive line out 5 metres out but Johnny Elliot soared high to steal the ball and give Holywood the ball. A tap penalty and 3 rucks later Gareth Leyland could have driven a bus through the gap in midfield as he cantered in to score. The extras were added courtesy of Gareth Hillen and at 21 – 0 Holywood would have thought they were out of sight.
One minute later and Donegal were on the scoreboard thanks to another penalty given away in midfield for offside at a ruck. 21- 3 was enough to give Donegal some hope of a comeback but their hopes were further dashed after 36 minutes. Holywood were on the attack and were awarded a scrum just outside Donegal’s 22 and whenever Stevie Gilliland picked up and went down the blind side with Matt Mullan and Stevie Glover in support, a try looked on. Donegal were resilient in defence and when Holywood’s charge was stopped just short it took a while for the ball to be recycled. When it did come out and Holywood moved it wide Stevie Leyland managed to ghost in to the corner for a well taken try. The touchline kick was completed by Gareth Hillen and at 28 – 3 the crowd were assuming that was the game over.
Right on the blow for Half time Donegal were awarded a penalty in front of Holywood’s posts and as a signal of their intent to fight back they turned down an easy three points and elected to run the ball instead. Despite a number of thrusts that took them close to Holywood’s line, Donegal were unable to cross it before the ref blew for the break.
Holywood kicked off the second half and as if the rugby gods were conspiring against them, the wind had moved round to be blowing strong into their face. It was obvious that Donegal were going to make full use of their advantage and right from the off a dropped pass and a hack through took Donegal to within inches of Holywood’s line. The home side however were able to dig themselves out of that particular hole and so it was good for the home support that Holywood were the first to give the scorer some work in the second half.
On the seven minute mark Stevie Glover took a quick tapped penalty and ran straight at the heart of the Donegal team. A ruck and a quick set of passes set Peter Gordon free and when he stepped inside and then outside the covering full back he had a clear run in to score. The extra 2 points into the wind proved well within Gareth Hillen’s compass for the conversion and at 35 – 3 the game looked over and done with.
The only people who didn’t think the game was over were the 15 Donegal players who continued to repel Holywood attacks by picking up scraps of ball and hoofing it downfield, thereby forcing Holywood to do all the work to get back up the pitch. On 12 minutes a dropped pass from a Holywood player was kicked through by Donegal who won the rush to the line, despite Gareth Leyland trying to get a pull from the fastest chaser. The ref was unimpressed and gave him a 10 minute rest! The successful conversion brought the score to 35 – 10 and Donegal were now of the opinion that they could get more.
Play then went back and forth up and down the pitch with Donegal repeatedly kicking the ball long with the aid of the wind and then constantly having to tackle full back Joe Wood as he careered back upfield with the ball under his arm. So strong were his runs that on two separate occasions the only way Donegal had to stop him was to tackle him around the head!
Even down to 14 players Holywood continued to build attacks off the back of Joe Woods’ runs. On 25 minutes Holywood were awarded a penalty in midfield and whenever the penalty was drilled to the touchline the pack took a shortened line. Clean possession set the pack driving at the Donegal line and passes from Gary Stocker to Ivan DePledge set Matt Mullan into space. Just as the line beckoned he was tackled but released the ball to the supporting Gareth Hillen who crashed over from 5 metres to score under the posts. The conversion was a formality for Gareth Hillen and at 42 – 10 the league points looked secure.
On the 30 minute mark a late tackle on a Donegal kicker, and Stevie Leyland says he saw who did it, gave the visitors a penalty right under Holywood’s posts. A quickly taken penalty led to Johnny Elliot and Gareth Hillen having to double up to stop the Donegal tide and push back the attack. The scrum to Donegal meant that it was the turn of Matt Mullan and Joe Wood to stop the Donegal flow and whenever the ref awarded the next scrum to Holywood the feeling was that the attack was over. Unfortunately a mix-up at the back of a rock solid scrum let Donegal snap up the ball and fall over the line for a score. The conversion took the score to 42 – 17.
Holywood saw out the remaining ten minutes by continuing to press Donegal but having scored two tries the visitors were in no mood to roll over. Right to the end the competition was fierce and physical but when the ref blew for no side it was Holywood who had gathered up the two league points on offer.
Holywood are still undefeated but if the mood in the dressing room afterwards is anything to go by they were also aware that they had been in a tough physical game and had not produced the quality of rugby they are undoubtedly capable of for long enough periods in the game. Despite the pleadings of the coaching staff the penalty count against was too high and on other occasions Holywood could be made to pay dearly for those indiscretions. On the positive side it was however another league game, another win. Winning ugly gets the same points as winning with panache but the team will have to iron out the wrinkles in their game in the weeks ahead.
Man of the match had a number of candidates with Peter Gordon having scored 2 tries, Gareth Hillen for having a faultless day with the boot and racking up a personal total of seventeen points, Johnny Elliot for a typical smart and gutsy performance and Steven Glover for leading his troops on the front foot. The vote however, and deservedly so, went to Joe “Owen” Wood for a terrific display of attacking rugby coming off the back of a sure set of hands under a relentless barrage of kicks.
2nd XV
Holywood 2ndXV travelled up to Enniskillen last Saturday to face off against their 3rdXV team. Despite arriving at 2.25pm due to a leaky oil container on the bus, their mood was buoyant as they took to the field. After a quick warm up the game kicked off at 2.40 with Holywood receiving the kick, playing into the wind.
It was evident the team was still shaking out the cobwebs as Enniskillen burst through the defence to score their first try under the posts. Holywood took another blow shortly after as hooker Dan Browning damaged his shoulder. He tried to play on but was forced to spend the remaining 70 minutes on the sideline due to the extent of his injury. With an extra man and unopposed scrums, Enniskillen were able to score two other tries in the half, neither of which were converted. Holywood were able to put up some stout defence, notably from debutant prop Andy Davison and flankers Chris Brown and Sean Hunter. The visiting side did manage to exploit some Enniskillen weaknesses in the breakdown with some excellent counter-rucking from Chris Murray allowing Holywood to get some ball back and play their own phases.
The second half opened badly with two tries being scored within five minutes of the re-start. However, after this Holywood started functioning again and played some excellent rugby. Building on the strong centre pairing of Richie McRoberts and Simon Hobson, the faster Holywood side began to move the Enniskillen team about the pitch. Whilst it didn’t always work, it was a positive style of play that we will see more of in the future. Enniskillen scored their last try towards the end of the game, as a mis-judged quick line out saw the ball go straight to the opposition winger who almost strolled in for a try. No names will be mentioned but Andy Crothers knows who’s to blame!
In the dying minutes of the match, Holywood were desperate to resurrect some pride and put themselves on the score sheet. They surged forward, maintaining ball possession in face of strong Enniskillen defence. As Holywood broke through the opposition numbers Simon Hobson found himself carrying the ball towards the try line. Seeing oncoming defenders and forgoing personal glory he selflessly passed the ball to out-half Robert Cooper who ran the last five feet for an easy score. Cooper converted his own try, ending the match.
In retrospect, both teams were well matched but lacking a decent warm up and team run through that usually accompanies each game, it took much longer for Holywood to become competitive. Man of the Match award went to Andrew Davison for a sparkling début for Holywood, showing himself to be a strong ball carrier and excellent in defence.
CLUB NOTES
Next week sees the firsts travel up to Malone to take on Malone 2s in the expanded version of the league and whilst the seconds have a break from activity the thirds take a trip up to Randalstown.
If you haven’t already it’s now time to start thinking of the costume for the club’s Halloween Party. It’s normally a great night out so get the thinking caps on and needle and thread out!
