U20 Match Report:  Old Belvedere R.F.C. 10 – MU Barnhall R.F.C. 15

Sunday 7th December, OCP

KO: 14:00

The rain was sheeting down, and a westerly wind was howling from the Anglesea Road end as Old Belvedere kicked off against the league leaders in Ollie Campbell Park. It wasn’t a day for champagne rugby – even the ducks in nearby Herbert Park had taken the afternoon off.

Playing with the conditions, Barnhall kicked deep into Belvo’s ’22 in the 3rd minute after the Black & Whites were penalised at the offside line. From the resultant lineout, Barnhall’s powerful pack mauled over the line to open their account, 0 – 5.

Two more tries followed in quick succession. Pegged back into their own ’22, Belvo conceded a penalty in the 9th minute which was dispatched to touch. The lineout was secured and Barnhall mauled the ball over the tryline to register their second try. The conversion from the sideline was missed, leaving the score at 0 -10.

Belvo rolled up their collective sleeves and fought hard to gain a territorial toehold in the game. Barnhall gave them one when a clever relieving kick from out-half Cathal Lydon was put out on the full the Blue’s left wing. That brought a line-out just short of Barnhall’s 10m line. Some excellent work by the Belvo pack brought an entry into the Blue’s ’22. Abrasive scrum-half Chris O’Connor upped the tempo, and some big carries from resolute No. 8 Conan Lydon and powerful centre Paddy O’Gorman were rewarded as Barnhall were penalised for going off their feet. The kick was dispatched to touch, but the throw-in was adjudged crooked and Barnhall relieved the siege after winning a scrum penalty.

The Barnhall scrum was asserting its dominance at this stage of the game, and another scrum penalty resulted in a kick deep into Belvo’s ’22. There was a sense of déjà vu about this, and Barnhall duly crashed over for their third lineout try in the 20th minute. The difficult conversion was missed bringing the score to 0 – 15.

It was imperative that Old Belvedere didn’t concede the next score. Their collective grit and resilience were noteworthy and were epitomised in the 24th minute by athletic back-rower Harvey Leonard who showed swift heels as he tracked down Barnhall’s left wing and buried him into touch just short of the whitewash in a crucial try-saving tackle.

Slowly but surely the momentum was beginning to shift. Belvo finished the half strongly after a fine break from fleet-footed full-back Finn Kehoe from inside his own ’22 which brought play into the Barnhall half. Playing with a high tempo and protecting the ball, Belvo were rewarded with a couple of penalties as Barnhall’s discipline began to slip, culminating in their tighthead seeing yellow for a high tackle on Belvo’s unassailable Chris O’Connor in the 38th minute. Unfortunately, Belvo couldn’t press home their numerical advantage and the half ended 0 – 15.

Belvo began the second half playing in the right areas and were unlucky to be penalised for a late tackle which resulted in a yellow card for strapping hooker Cian Geraghty. Unfortunately, the ref hadn’t seen the off-the-ball shoulder charge into the back of the Belvo man in the seconds before the late tackle. Both teams were now down to 14 men.

Nonetheless, the Black & Whites kept the pressure on. Opting to tap-and-go from most penalties, Barnhall were feeling the pace of the game. In the 51st minute another offside penalty was conceded. This time, the kick was sent to the corner. Belvo secured the line-out and mauled over the Blue’s tryline for finishing hooker Conor Keogh to score. The conversion was good, bringing the score to 7 – 15.

Belvo were in the ascendant now and playing all the rugby. The handling was exceptional in conditions more likely to be experienced in the trenches. In the 65th minute Barnhall were penalised just outside their ’22 for taking the man out beyond the ball. The referee gave Barnhall’s captain a stern talking to and out-half Cathal Lydon pointed to the posts. The Belvo No.10 duly drilled the ball through the uprights to bring the score to 10 – 15.

By now, Barnhall were hanging on by their fingertips. Despite enjoying most of the possession and territorial advantage Belvo just couldn’t find a way to cross the Blue’s tryline as Barnhall defended admirably, and game finished 10 – 15.

Although not coming out on the right side of the result, the Belvo boys can hold their collective heads high. The team delivered their strongest performance of the season in atrocious conditions. They never took a step backwards and took the fight to Barnhill in a relentless manner. Their belief, determination, physicality, skill set, and spirit were commendable.

Our final match before Christmas is a Friday Night Under Lights games versus Trinity in College Park. The boys in Black & White will be keen to follow up on this performance with a win.

Man of the Match: No. 9 Chris O’Connor.

 

Match Report by Adam Mac Nulty