Weld’s winner leaves Arklow right in the mix

ARKLOW are now in the closing stages of this year’s league and with just three matches left the team headed to the extreme western edge of Leinster to face Birr on Sunday.

Both sides met at the Oval in late November and the hosts came out on top that day by scoring four tries to two. With Birr sitting at the bottom of the table, the Co. Wicklow men travelled with a degree of confidence.

Arklow started well, playing fast high temp rugby and with just six minutes gone, Cian Cooney broke through the defence line and ran from 50 meters out to score the opening try. Cooney missed his own conversion to leave the score 0-5.

Birr soon regrouped and applied massive pressure on the visitors. This resulted in Arklow conceding multiple penalties both from open play and from the scrum.

With 14 minutes gone, Birr kicked to the corner from one such penalty and from the line out they passed across field to push over the try line under the posts, the score 7-5.

The home side now dominated the game with Arklow constantly on the back foot and scrambling to re-organise their defence. The penalty count continued to rise against Arklow and after 22 minutes the referee handed the visitors a yellow card. Birr were relentless and kicked a penalty on 24 minutes to increase the lead 10-5.

Credit should be given to Arklow’s defence during this stage of the game with Eoin Cassien a standout in his tackling and counter play. However, things did not improve for Arklow when they received their second yellow card on 30 minutes and were now down to 13 players.

With two in the bin for Arklow, Birr now exploited the gaps and made life almost desperate for the visitors. The hosts missed a penalty but within a minute of that their efforts were rewarded with a second try; a missed conversion left the score 15-5.

However, Arklow as typical of them refused to lie down and again it was Cassien that lead the way, he gathered the ball inside his own half and ran the rest of the field to touchdown under the posts, Cooney converted and Arklow were now back in the game 15-12 as the half-time whistle blew.

Arklow started the second halve better and were awarded a penalty after 45 minutes, however as Cooney kicked the ball, he pulled up with a muscle injury and played no further role, the situation was worsened when scrum half Conor Healy and winger Shane Haarer also left the pitch injured.

Arklow, however, dominated the game for almost the entire second half but to Birr’s credit they defended strongly. Arklow missed a penalty on 50 minutes but were successful just six minutes later when stand in kicker Sean Weld scored to bring the game level 15-15.

Knowing a draw was not enough to keep promotion prospects alive, Arklow maintained the pressure on Birr and the home side rarely got out of their own half in the second half of the game, but with time passing Birr would not relent.

Finally with just one minute on the clock Arklow’s efforts were rewarded with a penalty, Weld again stepped up to the plate and nailed the penalty over the bar, Birr 15, Arklow 18.

In a tense finish Arklow saw the game out and knowing they had not played their best, they left with the win. Arklow have two games remaining, away to Clane on March 3 and home for their final match against first place Ratoath later in the month.

It’s all to play for.