Wicklow fall to strong Gorey

Seconds bow out in Arklow

GOREY RFC WICKLOW RFC 33 5

THEY scored a few tries in the final fifteen minutes to add a bit of gloss to the victory but in reality Gorey RFC’s defence built the foundation to win the game.

Their two first half tries came from two attacks while they absorbed and repelled the Wicklow RFC pressure for the rest of the half along with also controlling the territorial battle.

It was a weekend of Cup games for Wicklow which didn’t go their way and for their Seconds team the inability to cross the try line, either out wide or when their forwards were near the try line, was the major stumbling block.

That may qualify as the most obvious statement of fact ever recorded, a team lost because they couldn’t score, but that lack of incisive play inside the Gorey 22 handed the impetus back to the north Wexford side.

In the opening ten minutes Gorey set out their stall with a lightening quick line speed that pushed Wicklow backwards all of the time. Their defensive effort was helped by Wicklow taking their time to set up an attack and then moving the ball from side to side, allowing Gorey to create their defensive line.

Whenever Wicklow inched their way into the Gorey 22 they were forced back out again. They shovelled the ball right and then left, always crashing into what seemed like a brick wall.

On a couple of occasions they broke through and laid siege on the try line, camped within the five metre line. The defence held steadfast however and didn’t dare concede a penalty. The ball would be passed out to the backs and either Wicklow would lose ground or be forced over the side line for a line out.

When Gorey attacked in the tenth minute it was a different story. Their forwards were always able to eek out an extra metre or two and stay on the front foot. They came close before Kilkenny referee Gerry Clarke awarded them a five metre scrum.

Number 8 Shane Stokes picked the ball from the base of the scrum and bounced off a couple of tackles but was stopped just short of the line. Nobody could stop prop Ciaran Allen however and he got the first try of the game underneath the posts. There was no problem with the conversion.

Normal service resumed after that and Wicklow continued to attack without much success. It was on the half hour mark when their efforts were eventually rewarded with a try made by one prop and finished by the other.

The tighthead bundled his way through three or four tackles before he was finally dragged down to the ground on the Gorey 22. That created some momentum for Wicklow and with the Gorey defence on the back foot winger Tim Spencer almost got over. The loosehead prop couldn’t be stopped though and Wicklow were back in the game, behind by 7 points to 5. The conversion was missed.

Gorey replied with a try just before half time. Wicklow were penalised for not rolling away at the breakdown and the penalty was kicked well inside the 22. Gorey’s forwards kept plugging away at the line and they got over just to the right of the posts. Once again the conversion was nailed by Gorey.

That made it 14-5 at half time and Gorey were happy to soak up the Wicklow pressure for the second half, content in the knowledge that their try line would not be breached. The next score of the game came in the 67th minute, full back Jack Willoughby dotting the ball down in the corner. That try was made by a quick penalty that Garett Bater tapped to himself on the half way line and he almost ran in a try himself.

In the final ten minutes Stanley Hayden scored two tries and Gorey march on the Seconds Final.

Gorey RFC: Jack Willoughby; Tom Cleary, Robert Harrington, David O’Neill, Joseph James Naughton; Cian Hadden, Garett Bater; William Rothwell, Eoin Walsh, Ciaran Allen; Mark Whelan, Laurence Kinsella; Ben Mason, Stanley Hayden, Shane Stokes. Replacements: Barry Doyle, Richard Deering, Tommy New, Zack Sinnott, Reece Hughes.

Wicklow RFC: Allen Byrne; Stuart O’Callaghan, Russell Andrew, Ross O’Toole, Tim Spencer; Shane Byrne, Dennis James Higgins; Dave Quinn, Stefan Nixon, Seamus O’Brien; Simon Norton, Niall Higgins; Ben Armstrong, Andrew Doyle, Cillian Ballesty. Replacements: Paddy Jameson, Tom Maguire, Darren Byrne, Simon Breen, Benjamin Mangan.

Referee: Gerry Clarke (Kilkenny)