Defeated by Seapoint

SLIGO RFC SEAPOINT RFC 12 22

SLIGO remain at the top of Division 2C despite suffering a 10 point defeat to Seapoint RFC who were sitting at the bottom of the table.

In bitterly cold conditions, Sligo 1st XV and their many travelling supporters were warmly welcomed to Glenageary, South Dublin.

The teams were deadlocked for the first 20minutes, and the game had become a dogged, energy-sapping battle of the breakdown.

However, it was the home side who started the stronger, and scored first, but failed to convert the try.

This spurred Sligo into action and 13 minutes later, Matthew Cosgrove went over the line for Sligo’s first score. This was duly converted by Jack Keegan and was followed 10 minutes later by another well-worked play and Rooney touched down to give the away team a 5-12 lead at half-time.

However, things did not go as planned for Sligo in the second half. Although the scrums and line-outs were evenly contested throughout, Sligo’s running game met strong resistance from Seapoint and the home-side swiftly capitalised on the many handling errors, scoring two tries in quick succession, bringing the score to 15-12 with 25 minutes still to go on the clock. Sligo continued to battle hard, but were unlucky with a few key turnovers, losing possession, and giving Seapoint the opportunity for another try with 6minutes to go. Scrum-half Ryan Feehily came close to securing the losing bonus point for Sligo but was tackled into touch in the dying seconds of the game.

Although disappointed to come away empty-handed, other results in the league meant that Sligo stayed top of the division with 2 points to spare. Next Saturday, 2nd December sees the final home game of the year, when Sligo take on 4th placed Bangor in Hamilton Park at 2.30pm. This is another crucial game, with the return fixture taking place the following weekend in Bangor. All supporters are encouraged to come out and get behind their team.