Q1 Survival 09-03-13
The Young student side from Coleraine came out winners 48 – 10 against Academy in the relegation decider in front of a large home crowd at the Sam Logan Stadium at UUC. However after twenty minutes the game looked anything but a stroll in the park for the students with Academy forcing all the early play and scoring 10 points including a well worked drive from a line-out with the conversion following and if winger Norman Carson had taken a straight forward scoring opportunity in stead of knocking on academy could have built a strong lead.
However from that point on the students found there feet and played some excellent rugby with a good try coming from forward pressure finished by hooker Rocky Stevenson, shortly after this UUC winger Stan Hall danced through the academy drift defence to score under the posts making the score 12 – 10 to the home side.
From the restart, with multiple phases saw Capt. Peter Smith rampage his way into the academy 22 forcing the academy captain to infringe cynically to kill the ball, leaving the referee no choice but to issue a yellow card. The students took full advantage with out half Glen Bailey making a rapier like cut through the midfield and then out sprinting the defence to finish of, and just before half time Captain Peter Smith crashed over to make it 24 – 10 at the break.
Now with the elements on there back the students opened their legs and showed their class with the outstanding centre Calum Rowden scoring a scintillating solo effort. Academy to there credit never gave up, with some impressive carries in the loose from their blindside Richie Press, and Prop James Blair, but could not break the universities defence with massive turn over tackles coming from the second rows Leonard and Morgan and props Ronnie Doc and freshman Adam Clarke.
A steady stream of scrum and line-out possession from Ollie Millar lifted by Leonard was exceptional, the backs cleverly controlled by Taff Brown run ball from all over the field with Gareth Miller coming through the middle, their trade mark sixty nine move saw veteran centre Dave Orr crash over from sixty yards out.
Other try’s followed again from Man of the match Peter smith and wing Hall with the highlight being Ollie Millar’s fifty yard dash to score at his fathers feet behind the posts, then Dan Morgan was given the benefit of the doubt to score a bludgeoning effort.
Full back Millar added four conversions in total. The development of this young student team under wise owl and head coach Nathan Moore and Management Guru Gareth Bell has been remarkable with 12 freshers who played school boy rugby last season making the transition to top level junior rugby. Scoring a remarkable 22 trys in their last three league fixtures a great advertisement for student rugby leaving the Final Score 48 – 10.
