Boyne still have to sweat
WITH Ireland’s victory over Scotland on Saturday and the subsequent defeat of England by France, the rugby faithful at Shamrock Lodge were in euphoric mood on Sunday last even before Boyne took on DLSP.
And that sense of euphoria was exacerbated after the Drogheda side defeated DLSP to secure their top-flight status in the Leinster League with a game to spare - or so they thought!
Conditions were perfect for rugby, with a cold, stiff breeze blowing down from the clubhouse side as both sides faced into a must=win encounter.
On a dry surface, the game opened with Boyne forcing the pace, retaining possession for long periods. Forwards and backs were combining with offloading and inter-changing to force the visitors into desperate defence.
Boyne were also doing well in the loose exchanges and continuously drove at the DLSP rearguard. To the visitors’ credit, they held their line and repelled the Boyne early offensive before taking the lead themselves.
This followed a DLSP breakout from defence with a relieving kick to bring play into the Boyne half. They managed to keep Boyne in their own half and from a resultant scrum they were awarded a penalty after 20 minutes and out half Stevens sent the ball between the posts.
This came against the run of play, but if there was an area during this opening quarter where DLSP appeared to have the edge, it was in the set scrum where Boyne were struggling to control their own ball. Number 8 Karl Keogh did well at times to retain possession with a back-pedalling scrum.
Boyne did regain territorial advantage and in a baffling decision
Boyne DLSP 16 9
they decided to go for a scrum when they were awarded a penalty just over the 10-metre line. However, in an amazing turnaround the Boyne eight put pressure on the visitors and from the scrum they set up an excellent move which saw inside centre Alex Gregory touch down for a deserved try in the 33rd minute. Keogh added the extra two points to bring it to 7-3.
DLSP were offering stiff resistance to Boyne’s expansive game which saw forwards Hugh Carolan, Conor Walsh and Wilson Twentyman make a series of carries in an attempt to break down the DLSP defence.
The visitors had a let-off coming up to half-time when a Boyne penalty was saved from going into touch by the DLSP winger. It did seem that the DLSP second row had knocked on on his try line from the tap back infield by his winger, but the referee waved play on and the danger was averted when they cleared the ball downfield.
Boyne did increase their lead when Keogh elected to go for the posts with a penalty from 30 metres and brought the score to 10-3 going into the half-time break.
Boyne had the advantage of the stiff breeze in the second half but rarely used it to bring play into their opponents’ half.
DLSP made a strong challenge throughout the second half and pulled the scoreline back to 10-6 with another penalty. It was the boot of Keogh that kept Boyne ticking over on the scoreboard when, from a difficult angle out on the left, he landed a beauty to make it 13-6. This penalty followed an off-the-ball infringement by a DLSP player.
The visitors had their best spell mid-way during the second half and made several incursions into Boyne danger territory. They forced errors from Boyne and gave themselves some hope when they converted another penalty. However, the they couldn’t manage to penetrate the Boyne defence for the all-important try they needed and it was Keogh who ended the match’s scoring sequence with another penalty for Boyne.
This was a game which had significant importance for both teams and whilst there was the odd occasional ‘niggle’ off the ball both sides served up a good game of rugby.
Boyne’s forwards played their part in a tight game and Walsh, Carolan, Moore and Twentyman were tireless in their carrying and tackling throughout.
In the backs, Gregory caught the eye and his strength was rewarded when crossing for Boyne’s try. Winger Kevin McCleery is a livewire, always seeking the chance to attack. With Eoghan Duffy a big loss through injury at full back, the introduction of young Michael Briscoe into the position saw an assured performance, particularly clearance kicks.
But perhaps it was the excellent display of scrum half Alex Cox that drew attention, with his fine pass and general play being a feature during the game which contributed so much to his side’s victory.
Much confusion reigned following this game, with many Boyne supporters of the opinion that this win had secured their safety in Division 1A again next year ahead of their final match away to Wicklow.
Apparently, though, other matters are likely to determine how many teams remain in this division, such as Leinster teams dropping down from the AIL Division 2C and the chance that a Leinster team will win the round robin to gain promotion to the AIL Division 2C.
Meanwhile, it emerged on Sunday that long-serving Boyne second row Richard Shuttleworth has called time on his playing career following a series of injuries. Richard has given trojan service to the club, having been a regular since his mini-rugby days. BOYNE: Ashbourne Enniscorthy Dundalk Boyne Wicklow Gorey
De la Salle Pal Monkstown 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 10 10 8 6 5 5 4 3 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 L SD BP 3 147 11 2 143 6 5 25 7 6 -69 4 8 21 7 8 -9 5 9 -109 4 10 -149 2 Pts 51 48 39 30 27 25 23 14