U20s Match Report: UCD 33 – 5 Old Belvedere
UCD R.F.C. 33 – Old Belvedere R.F.C. 5.
Friday 30th October UCD Bowl
KO: 19:30
It was close to perfect conditions for a game of rugby. The night was still and the pitch immaculate. Old friends were reacquanted, but there is no room for sentimentality once players cross the touchline and enter the pitch.
UCD’s lineout functioned like a well-oiled machine all evening and was the source of four of their five tries.
The Students’ first score came in the 8th minute. Although a line-out maul on Belvo’s 10m line was successfully halted, the ball was moved wide where UCD’s enormous centre paring of Ross Doyle (twin brother of Leinster Rugby’s Max) and Charlie McConnell (McCorry Cup winner with Belvo last season) broke the Black & White’s first line of defence. Doyle’s show-and-go created space and his reverse pass to McConnell saw him go in under the posts. The simple conversion gave UCD a 7 – 0 lead.
UCD doubled their advantage in the 18th minute with their second entry into Belvo’s ’22 after the Black & Whites had infringed. The lineout was secured and UCD’s maul crashed over the whitewash for their second try. The kick from out wide was successful bringing the score to 14 – 0.
The Black & Whtes struck back 4 minutes later. Playing with an offside penalty advantage in UCD’s ’22, the alert No.10 Zenon Chambers spotted openside Karl Russell lurking out wide in the shadows. A pinpoint kick landed in the dynamic No.7’s breadbasket, but Russell still had a good deal of work to do to beat two defenders and win the race to the tryline. The difficult conversion was missed: 14 – 5.
Unfortunately, a yellow card was brandished at the colossal Tom Reynolds in the 34th minute after he was adjudged to have hooked an opponent’s arm despite contesting a crooked throw. Although a man down, Belvo defended courageously to finish the half 14 – 5 down.
There was still belief in the Black & White halftime huddle, but playing with 14 men eventually took its toll. In the 44th minute, UCD’s pack (and half their backline) crashed over the Belvo whitewash after another lineout maul. The conversion from out wide was successful to give UCD a 21 – 5 lead.
Belvo defended manfully for another 20 minutes before they were penalised in their ’22 for a hand in the ruck. UCD reacted quickest, and a quick tap penalty ate up the metres before reinforcements arrived to drive the UCD ball carrier over the Belvo line. The difficult conversion was missed, bringing the scoreline to 26 – 5.
Old Belvedere stuck to the task in hand, but it was UCD who got the final score in the 78th minute after another lineout and maul try. The successful conversion brought the FT score to 33 – 5.
This was a disappointing loss for the Black & Whites against powerful opposition, but the scoreline didn’t reflect the match, or their collective efforts.
The game’s momentum shifted with the yellow card at the end of the first half, and the Black & Whites just weren’t able to wrest it back.
The JP Fanagan league is relentless. No team can wallow in self-pity. You simply must reset and regroup. The match against Clontarf beckons next Sunday and offers this group a chance to get back to winning ways.
Man of the Match: No.3 Conor Quinn.
Match Report: A. Mac Nulty.
