Armoy were the latest team who travelled to Carndonagh to face Inishowen in the Ulster Rugby Minor League North, it was a top of the table clash with Armoy unbeaten after eight games in second place and with two games in hand over league leaders Inishowen who had 18 points. It was a must win game for the home side but the game plan was disrupted on Saturday morning with the news that the community school pitch was unplayable, Inishowen had a full strength backline available and a firm pitch suited their style of play, playing on Moss road was a last resort and it was felt Inishowen were playing into Armoy’s hands as the softer pitch suits a more forward oriented game which would be perfect for the big strong Armoy pack.
The Inishowen forwards knew they would have to lock horns with the opposition and with recent performances proving that this Inish pack has settled into the season showing they can cause teams problems in both the scrum and by using the maul it was felt the forwards were more than capable of doing the job in hand. Winning the toss Inishowen opted to play with the heavy wind at their backs in the first half and as the game kicked off so too did the rain and hail that would continue for most of the match. The Armoy number 10 took the dropkick to get the game under way but didn’t kick the required 10 metres giving Inishowen a scrum on the halfway line, this was an opportunity to test the set piece that has not been matched all season and with Eamon “Bushman” Doherty now a veteran of the front row after 3 games it was a chance to prove he could do a job against one of the stronger teams in the league. The first scrum was won cleanly and Inishowen felt that the superior weight Armoy had in the scrum was not going to be an advantage to them.
The opening exchanges were frantic as a Inishowen enjoyed the lions share of possession but could not break through a strong Armoy defence, clever kicking from fullback Conor Mulkearns in behind the opposition backline caused problems and almost opened the scoring as the ball made its way out to Anthony Cantwell on the wing only for the ref to call for a forward pass. Armoy were awarded the scrum and won the ball under pressure from the home side, the ball made its way out to the Armoy backs but rush defence from Gary McEleney, Colm Sweeney and Mark Glasha kept them pinned back in their own 22. The possession was won back by Inishowen through James Carr with the Armoy defence out of position the attack was quickly switched from left to right and Cantwell again crossed the whitewash this time the try awarded. The conversion from the right touchline was missed leaving the scores at 5-0.
The home side were dealt a blow shortly after the restart as prop Brian Harkin suffered a hamstring injury leaving him unable to continue, coincidently match reporter Jeremy Blackman also suffered a similar injury and left the sideline around the same time. The club wish both Brian and Jeremy speedy recovery’s. Fortunately for Inishowen they had the experienced Stephen Glackin on standby who is a quality scrummager and slotted straight into the team apart from one mistake that earned him a nomination for turnip of the turnip when he received the ball from a pre-planned penalty move before passing to the big Armoy centre who gladly accepted before galloping half the length of the pitch, Stephen said after the match he wasn’t properly warmed up and thought chasing the opposition 13 down the pitch was an ideal way to get match ready. With the wind at their backs Inishowen kept the away team pinned in their own half and went in search of another score and when it came it was almost a carbon copy of the first with the forwards attacking to the left before the ball was quickly switched to the wide right and Cantwell coming back from injury in an unfamiliar position got his second of the day, the difficult conversion was missed and the scoreline going into halftime was by no means comfortable at 10-0.
Inishowen knew that Armoy would throw everything at them in the second half and in a rousing half time team talk it was clear the home side had to keep the game plan simple using the forwards to hold onto the ball for long periods of the game. The flankers for Inishowen McEleney and Sweeney must have had a team talk of their own at half time deciding 10-0 was too comfortable a score line and spent the first 10 minutes of the second half looking for ways to let Armoy score. From the kick off Sweeney was unlucky to be penalised for a high tackle allowing Armoy to gain good territory with the kick and use the lineout to setup an attack, solid defending caused the turnover before McEleney attempted a diving pass that flew over the heads of the entire Inishowen backline before landing in the region of the try line with the away team in full flight looking for an easy score. Cantwell came off his wing and took no chances by hoofing the ball over the dead ball line, the 5 metre scrum was awarded to Armoy and after numerous resets Bushman won the ball against the head and relieved the pressure. With possession back on their side Inishowen tried to settle the game and were awarded a penalty, with a strong wind in their faces the decision was made to let regular kicker Glasha take a tap penalty and use the forwards, but Sweeney having noted Gary’s earlier attempt at getting nominated for turnip of the match by answering an age old argument should forwards be allowed to kick the answer being a most definite NO. From the kick the ball rise high before the swirling wind caught it and carried it back towards the Inishowen try line, Sweeney was poised under looking to rectify the mistake but with the mucky conditions he was unable to collect the ball and a scrum was awarded for the knock on.
Once again the forwards asked questions of the opposition scrum and a combination of Bushman and Kelly caused the turnover, with everybody no singing off the one hymn sheet Inishowen spent the remainder of the game inside their own half letting the forwards set up ruck after ruck without looking to make ground but instead trying to run the clock down. Armoy could see what Inishowen were doing and hit every ruck like a freight train trying to cause the turn over and not allowing them to cross the halfway line, with the game being played under brutal weather conditions and with the brutality of the Armoy counter rucking Inishowen looked at the ref for an indication as to how long was left. When the ref signalled the last play Sweeney once again proved forwards should not be allowed to kick the ball this time completely missing the ball only metres from the sideline, another scrum for Armoy allowed them to push closer to the try line before Neil Gillespie gave away a penalty 5 metres out. The home side lined up on the line as the tap penalty was taken, the slippy ball was knocked on and the final whistle was blown.
A victory for Inishowen that was earned over the full 80 minutes against a strong determined Armoy side who gracious in defeat acknowledged the way Inishowen played the clock down not allowing the visitors to gain any momentum. With the return fixture early in the new year Inishowen know they will be made to work hard once again, next week sees a break in the league as Inishowen entertain Belfast Harlequins in the McCambley cup. Turnip of the match has to go to Colm Sweeney not just for Saturdays performance but also for the fact he ate a raw turnip on the way home from Finn Valley last week. With the festive season upon us the turnip of the match award has temporarily been renamed “turkey of the match” and next weeks winner must buy turkeys for the entire squad.
