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QUB III 17 – 30 Rainey III
Forster Cup Semi-Final 24th March 2012
Scorers: (2*Try), Campton(1*Try), Walls(1*Try), Moran(2*Conv, 2*Pen)
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The favourites, Queen’s University III, came a cropper at Dub Lane where Rainey OB III played a sound tactical game to win this semi-final 30-17. They will meet Dungannon IV, who narrowly defeated Banbridge IV 9-8, in the decider at Ravenhill on 14 April.
Rainey arrived at the Dub knowing they needed to put in a huge performance to beat the League Four leaders, and they started well, holding the upper hand in the early exchanges. This early pressure paid off after fifteen minutes when a catch and drive took play into the Queens 22’, and from there M.Walls spun the ball wide to an oncoming C.McIvor who beat his opposite number to ghost between two would-be tacklers to touch down close to the posts. C.Moran uncharacteristically missed the easiest of conversion attempts.
Rainey then began to play into Queen’s hands by kicking too long and permitting them to counter. The students scored a penalty, then went ahead with a try following an excellent break in the midfield.
Rainey revised their gameplan and reduced the deficit with a penalty awarded for offside, C.Moran making no mistake this time. The Rainey pack grew in stature as the minutes passed, with the front row of R.Deehan, K.McCann & D.McCann holding the upper hand in the scrum all day. Hooker McCann also found his jumpers, Patterson and Walls, with ease, while prop McCann used his strength to great effect in the mauls. The tackling was very good, with flanker Davis leading by example.
When K.Campton picked from the base of a scrum to barge over for the second Rainey try, C.Moran was again successful with the conversion, and also with a penalty soon after.
Queen’s hit back from the restart, when another superb kick from out-half Simpson saw a breakdown in Rainey communication as the ball was left to bounce, the Queens flanker racing in to score in the corner. With the conversion successful, the teams were neck-and-neck with the score 17-18 at the interval.
The second half started as the first had finished with both teams playing at a blistering pace. Queens messed up a clear chance of running out of defence when they worked a 5-on-2 overlap just inside their half with a score seeming likely, but suddenly C.McIvor took a gamble and went for the intercept. It worked and he sprinted in for the decisive score of the match.
More luck swung the way of the men from Magherafelt as the referee was given no option but to sin-bin the Queen’s winger for a deliberate swinging elbow to S.McQuillan. Five minutes later the Queen’s captain followed for an offside infringement.
Some excellent play by A.Davis, P’ONeill & C.McNamee saw Rainey push forward and following a penalty to the corner, a catch and drive saw Walls pick and go from the base of a ruck to burrow over the line from close range. This score gave a little breathing space, with Rainey running down the clock in the final minutes.
League points were also at stake here, though, with games in hand, Queen’s should still top the division.
TEAM: R.Deehan, K.McCann, D.McCann, I.Patterson, C.Patterson (c), A.Davis, A.Sterling, K.Campton, C.Magee, M.Walls, C.McIvor, C.McNamee, P.O’Neill, S.McQuillan, C.Moran. SUBS: A.Overend, J.Beattie, JP.Clayton, D.Kidd.
