SLIGO KEEP UP SURGE FOR THE THE PLAY-OFFS
Energia All-Ireland League Division 2B – Round 13 Sligo Rugby Club
Dolphin RFC 23 0
LAST Sunday Irish rugby fans were marvelling at how their heroes in green pulverised Italy in a Six Nations fixture and kept the outclassed Italians scoreless. Sligo Rugby Club’s senior men’s team also prevented their opponents from scoring the previous day, Saturday, when impressing in a 23-0 home defeat of Cork’s Dolphin.
This win – Sligo’s seventh from 13 games – reinforces fourth place in the standings and if this surge is maintained in their remaining five fixtures then a place beckons in the play-offs.
The winners scored 20 points in the second-half of this Energia All-Ireland League Division 2B fixture at Hamilton Park, Strandhill.
Downbeat Dolphin, although held scoreless, at least managed to deny Sligo a try bonus point, with the home side having to make to with three second-half tries. Ethan Faitaua, Ben Hynes and Finn Bamber notched Sligo’s five-pointers, with kicker Julian Leszczynski supplying two penalties and one conversion.
Julian Leszczynski’s first-half penalty – a 30th minute score – ensured Sligo would lead 3-0 at the break against opponents who are second from bottom in the table. Dolphin, who beat Sligo by a point when they met in Cork last November, were powerful in the front row and so looked to utilise this size advantage but Sligo’s intelligent rugby would eventually prove too much for the visitors.
Cohesive work from forwards and backs resulted in three wellworked tries – there was clever play from Ryan Feehily and Philip Carter for Sligo’s opening try, scored by Ethan Faitaua, and the second try of the day was due to hooker Ben Hynes determination.
Brendan Cunningham, Ryan Feehily and Julian Leszczynski were central to Sligo’s third try – Euan Brown provided the assist for scorer Finn Bamber.
Sligo were without Kuba
Wojtkowicz, who was on international duty with
Poland in the Rugby Europe Championship, and team captain Matthew Earley took over at prop forward in Kuba’s absence.
Gary Duffy returned to the team after injury and among the replacements was dual status player Aidan Healy (Ballyhaunis RFC), who made his Energia AIL debut off the bench.
Another encouraging aspect of recent weeks has been the form of Brian West, while there are a variety of players able to step up and get scores.
The Porter Ford-sponsored Sligo are on the road this weekend – they head to Dublin club Malahide for a round 14 fixture at Estuary Road (2.30pm). Sligo, who will again be cheered on by their travelling support, including the famous throng of the ‘magic bus’, are looking for a fourth successive win.
When they previously played Malahide this season – a round five fixture at Hamilton Park on
November 11 – Sligo scored five tries in a 31-12 victory.
Malahide are currently eighth in the standings with four wins and nine losses. Their most recent game was last Saturday’s 45-21 away loss to Wanderers.
Sligo Rugby Club senior men’s team (v Dolphin): Euan Brown, Finn Bamber (1 try), Ethan Faitaua (1 try), Ryan Feehily, Philip Carter, Julian Leszczynski (2 pens, 1 con), Brendan Cunningham, Matthew Earley, Ben Hynes (1 try), Tom Gormley, Archie Maclean, Gary Duffy, Brian West, James O’Hehir, Ambrose Bamber Replacements: Eoghan Lang, Aidan Healy, Ciaran Cummins, Daire Byrne, Cathal Finneran
STANDINGS
P W 13 13 13 11 13 10 13 7 13 5 13 3 13 4 13 4 13 3 13 2
L F A Diff BP 0 626 261 365 13 2 495 272 223 12 3 399 171 228 11 5 315 264 51 10 8 332 367 -35 11 9 251 303 -52 10 6 232 378 -146 2 9 249 392 -143 4 10 212 518 -306 4 10 245 430 -185 5