Wexford win for third time
New Ross exit to bogey team
THE WEXFORD Wanderers second XV travelled to Allianz Park in New Ross on Sunday for the opening round of the Provincial Seconds Towns Cup.
The sides had met twice previously this season in the South East J2/J3 Leinster League. On both occasion Wanderers took the spoils, with the most recent meeting taking place in New Ross only two weeks ago when the visitors prevailed 34-7.
However, cup rugby is all or nothing and Wanderers approached the game aware of their form in the two previous meetings but by no means complacent about the task in hand.
The game started with New Ross attacking hard with an opening onslaught which the visitors endured before finding their rhythm. After some excellent drives from the forwards, No. 8 John Rowe was first on the scoreboard on the quarter hour. Centre Waters added the first of many conversions on a flawless kicking day.
Next up was fellow back row Alan Kinsella who crossed the whitewash five minutes later, with Waters again adding the points.
Wanderers’ third try came from Rowe who had an immense game across the park and it was very similar to his first.
Again Waters added the points to give Wanderers a 21-0 lead heading for the break.
New Ross were far from finished and the last ten minutes of the opening period saw them camped on the Wexford try line where solid and well-managed Wanderers defending ensured they reached the half-time whistle without a score.
At the interval Wanderers started to ring the changes with Smythe, Vickery and Byrne entering the fray for Jones, Bolger and Guirrine, with Waters moving to out-half and Foley in to the base of the scrum.
Wanderers opened the scoring with a penalty from Waters after five minutes to settle the nerves as the clock started its countdown to the finish. Moments later however, New Ross showed they were not a spent force when almost from the re-start they scored an unconverted try in the corner.
Wanderers reverted to the effective driving forwards play which had paid off handsomely in the opening period and it again yielded results, with ‘Hedge’ O’Leary crossing under the posts to give Waters an easy conversion after a number of drives from Rowe and the other forwards.
Worryingly New Ross again attacked from the re-start and scored a second try to prevent Wanderers racing away with the game. Wexford continued to utilise the bench, introducing Walshe and Gannon for Toomey and Cardiff, while Jones rolled in for Kinsella.
As the game entered the final quarter the Wexford backs started to come back into the game with strong runs by O’Neill, Murphy and Waters who managed to loop the New Ross defence to score in the corner. Unusually he missed the conversion.
In the last five minutes he made amends with a penalty kick to leave the match finish on a scoreline of 39-10 in Wanderers’ favour. The victory was Wanderers’ first in the Provincial Towns Seconds Cup in over a generation, and indeed the last time the club featured in the competition was in April, 2008, when, after getting a walkover against Clane, they faced beaten finalists Tullow in a last 16 clash in Tullow, losing narrowly 12-10.
Such is the positive strength around Senior men’s rugby at Park Lane that at this stage Wanderers are currently building the nucleus of a third XV to compete in the Anderson Cup in April.
Meanwhile, the date for the club annual dinner dance in the Talbot Hotel has been announced as March 17 which will give rugby supporters an added reason to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this year.
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Team: Bob O’Leary, Graham Grant, Jason Guirrine, Pat Toomey, Rory O’Connor, Nick Jones, Alan Kinsella, John Rowe, James Bolger, Conor Foley, Callum Murphy, Noel Richards (capt.), Richie Waters, Owen Cardiff, Aaron O’Neill. Subs. - Aaron Smythe, Chris Vickery, James Byrne, John Gannon, Chris Walsh.