Energia All-Ireland League Frustrating loss under lights
Away defeat to Corinthians for Sligo Rugby Club’s senior men’s team Energia All-Ireland League Division 2B – Round 10 Galway Corinthians Sligo Rugby Club 10 7
FRIDAY night lights, yes, but disappointed Sligo were left to rue the resumption of their Energia All-Ireland League Division 2B campaign.
Their first fixture of 2024 ended in defeat as they lost away to Galway Corinthians, 10-7, in a floodlit fixture played at Corinthian Park, Cloonacauneen.
All the game’s scores came in the first-half as the hosts kept their 10-7 interval lead intact during the scoreless second period. With 15 minutes left Sligo got across the try line but the ball wasn’t grounded due to stubborn Corinthians defenders and a goal-line drop out was awarded by the referee.
Corinthians, who are second in the table, made the brighter start and a fifth minute try from Adam Nash – following a lineout maul – put Sligo on the back foot.
But within 10 minutes Sligo had gone in front. The move for their only try was started by a strong carry from James O’Hehir and the subsequent ruck led to smart play from Ryan Feehily and Philip Carter – they combined
The number of games that Sligo have lost in Division 2B of this season’s Energia AIL. to set up Hubert Gilvarry for a welltaken five-pointer.
Euan Brown’s conversion put Sligo 7-5 ahead and in a tough contest where the respective defences stood firm, Sligo wouldn’t score again.
Corinthians got their second unconverted try through winger Michael O’Reilly, who scored touched down in the 28th minute, and that was that in terms of the night’s scoring, although the intensity didn’t let up.
In the second-half Hubert Gilvarry was a threat as Sligo, who had Ambrose Bamber back after injury, kept going in an effort to take something from the game.
Next up for Sligo is this Saturday’s hosting of Dublin club Skerries (Hamilton Park, Strandhill, 2.30pm). The sides met as recently as December 9 – a fixture at Skerries’ Holmpatrick grounds – and matters finished 14-14. In that game Sligo appeared on course for what would have been a fifth win of the game given that they led 14-0 after a wind-assisted opening period – there were tries from Philip Carter and Gary Duffy, with Euan Brown converting both. But Sligo failed to score in the second-half and the hosts found a way back.
Skerries are currently eighth in the standings – four places behind Sligo and also 11 points worse off. Last Saturday they endured a 40-0 home hammering at the hands of Wanderers. This was a fifth loss in 10 games for Skerries, who have won just twice this season. Sligo, who remain fourth in the standings but without a win since a 21-20 defeat of Belfast Harlequins on December
2, will hope to inflict
Skerries’ sixth defeat of the 2023-24 season.
Sligo Rugby Club senior men’s team (v Galway
Corinthians): Hubert Gilvarry (1 try),
Finn Bamber, Ethan Faitaua, Ryan Feehily, Philip Carter, Euan Brown (1 con), Brendan Cunningham, Kuba Wojtkowicz, Ben Hynes, Tom Gormley, Archie Maclean, Ciaran Cummins, Daire Byrne, James O’Hehir, Ambrose Bamber
Replacements: Matthew Earley (c), Eoghan Lang, Rob Tiernan, Brian West, Julian Leszczynski
STANDINGS
Instonians Corinthians Wanderers Sligo Dungannon Rainey Malahide Skerries Harlequins Dolphin
D 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 3 1 0
F A Diff BP 483 211 272 10 327 130 197 7 395 219 176 10 238 242 -4 8 218 224 -6 8 265 322 -57 9 190 303 -113 4 173 301 -128 1 205 344 -139 5 190 388 -198 3