Late collapse sees Wicklow bow out
ENNISCORTHY RFC 35 WICKLOW RFC 12
THE only team to have beaten Enniscorthy so far this season failed to repeat the feat as Wicklow were knocked out of the Irish Junior Cup in Ross Road on the Saturday before Christmas.
But the visitors gave their high-flying, league-topping hosts a thorough examination of their credentials before a late collapse gave a cruelly lopsided look to the score-line.
The match postponed due to Storm Deirdre seven days earlier was contested with soft going underground but clear skies overhead.
Both sides lined out short of several regulars, Wicklow shorn of their Kiwi contingent while ’Scorthy kicked off with a majorly re-jigged second row.
The early exchanges were dominated by the locals but out-half Jack Kelly sliced an early attempt at a penalty kick wickedly off line.
Instead it was Wicklow, who overcame their rivals at Marlton on the opening day of the league season, who made the first impression on the score board.
They made scoring look easy as they countered up the left wing and then swung the ball across the field for Simon Breen to touch down at a canter in the right corner.
Niall Earls proved unable to add the conversion from wide out near the touchline but his men were clearly buoyed by the score.
Enniscorthy then resumed their all-out assault on the opposition line only to cough up chance after chance with knock-ons and penalty concessions.
It was only when short-handed, with Killian Lett in the sin-bin, that they landed the long promised punch on 34 minutes.
The equalising try was executed by outside centre Daniel Pim, who zipped like quicksilver from midfield through a defence which had hitherto looked very secure.
This time there was no mistake off the kicking tee as veteran Ivan Poole, on as early replacement for Kelly, landed a neat conversion.
Soon afterwards, Wicklow were left flat-footed by another Ivan – Jacob this time – who raced in from the right with barely a finger laid on him.
The half time came with Enniscorthy 14-5 ahead but Wicklow resumed with zest and purpose, paving the way for Adam Cullen to barge his way over the line.
Earls nailed the conversion to leave a gap of just two points but that was as good as it got for the underdogs.
Three tries, all at the Gort na Gréine end of the ground, opened up a flattering lead and had the homesters leaving the field to a chorus of Christmas cheers.
It did not help the visitors’ cause that winger Dean Leonard was shown a yellow card for a high tackle.
As he watched from the bin, the first nail in the Wicklow coffin was drilled home by Nick Doyle who won line out ball before spinning around and over the line.
The second was claimed by Killian Lett, grounding the ball just beside the left hand post after sustained, pummelling pressure on the Wicklow line.
And then Ivan Poole brought down the curtain on proceedings, racing on to an exquisite through ball, kicked with precision of which Jonathan Sexton would have been proud by number eight Nick Doyle of all people.
The victors earned a place in the cup final against Ashbourne on January 26 in Edenderry. They were also awarded the South East League title for their afternoon’s efforts.