Wanderers seal final spot
THE WEXFORD Wanderers Under-17s played Birr/Tullamore in the Leinster rugby league semi-final recently.
Birr/Tullamore started with the wind at their backs and with their strong forward division, they put Wexford on the back foot for the opening ten minutes.
Wexford, to their credit, defended well and It took ten minutes for Birr/Tullamore to register their first score from a crucial turnover by their back row ten metres from the halfway line.
From this turnover, the ball was passed through hands to score the first try, and it was then converted to leave Birr/Tullamore 7-0 ahead.
Wexford didn’t lie down, but they were pushed back to their own ’22 again and conceded a penalty which was converted (10-0).
Wexford’s first try came from a penalty on the halfway line. The ball was passed to Josh O’Connor who switched play and with strong running powered over under the posts, converted by Ben Stafford (10-7).
Birr/Tullamore got a foothold in Wexford’s ’22 and after some good play crashed over for a try after sustained pressure to increase their lead to 17-7.
Wexford’s second try came after some strong running from Brian Deeny, breaking through and beating the Birr/Tullamore defence to crash over for a fine try converted by Ben Stafford (17-14).
Wexford going in at half-time knew they had a game on their hands, and when the referee blew for the start of the second period, they needed to start strong if they were going to break down this Birr/ Tullamore team.
The Offaly crew were back on the scoreboard again with a fine drop goal from 30 metres out to make it 20-14.
The fourth try came from a set move by the Wexford forwards. The ball was passed out to Ben Stafford who chipped it ahead, and the Birr/Tullamore defence was put under pressure by Barry Ryan and Jack Abrams. Josh O’Connor, with some strong running, crossed the line for a try converted by Ben Stafford to give Wexford a 21-20 lead.
It didn’t take long for Wexford to register on the scoreboard again. Josh O’Connor with some strong running broke through and beat defenders, passing out the ball and then the forwards crashed over for a try converted by Ben Stafford (28-20).
Wexford had now settled into the game, confidence was sky high, and when the referee blew for the re-start, they had a spring in their step.
It seemed as if Wexford could sense that they had the upper hand and it was displayed with their excellent running and inter-passing throughout the field. Wexford were back on the scoreboard again with good forward play from Brian Deeny and Barry Ryan, and then the ball was popped to Rúairí Fenlon before Chris Glover crossed over with a try in the corner (33-20).
Wexford now controlled the game and added another try before the end for a 38-20 win.
There was some strong defending, especially in the wide channels by Feidhlim Roche, Diarmuid Barry and Luke Corish. The centre pair of Chris Glover and Josh O’Connor were hard to break down with their strong runs and solid defensive work.
Forwards Barry Ryan, Rúairí Nunn, Brian Deeny, Aaron Culleton and Ben McGuinness also played their part, but increased workrate will be needed throughout the team to combat stronger opposition in the final. They will be looking forward to the task.
Wanderers: Luke Corish, Garbhan McCormack, Diarmud Barry, David Avtin, Jack Abrams, Ryan Doyle, Aidan McDonnell, Chris Glover, Harry McLoughlin, Aaron Culliton, Seán Kelly-Komalofe, Louis Richard, Carlos Sasaran, Luke Walsh, Callum Cleary, Ben McGuinness, Conor Kelly, Rúairí Fenlon, Ben Stafford, Feidhlim Roche, Josh O’Connor, Barry Ryan, Rúairí Nunn, Brian Deeny, Sam Audsley, Philip McGrath.