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U14s enjoy a special day at Buccaneers

U14s enjoy a special day at Buccaneers

WILLIE O'CONNOR6 Feb 2017 - 09:23
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Buccaneers 12- 33 Ballina

The U14s enjoyed a very special trip to Buccaneers on Saturday when they recorded a famous win on the pitch and then experienced the great friendship of rugby football off it.
Buccaneers began the match impressively when getting in for a try and conversion but Ballina were soon back on track when Ciaran Boland created a turnover for the guests to score a fine try courtesy of Sam Callinan.
That concession spurred Buccaneers into action again and they crossed for a try to leave the scoreboard reading 12-5 as half time approached but Ballina were determined to get back on terms and they did so impressively.
A big tackle from Alex Hennigan resulted in Buccaneers spilling the ball. The Ballina boys pounced in it and the ball was quickly moved through the hands of David Feeney, Iarla Quinn and Seamus Mason to Sam Callinan who crossed for a crucial try, which was converted by David Feeney to leave the teams tied at 12-12 at the interval.
The second half was a brilliant period for Ballina. Following a number of rucks which brought them to the Buccaneers 22m line, Fiachna Barrett cross kicked to his winger, Seamus Mason, who used soccer skills to dribble the ball over the try line. However, just as Seamus was about to touch down he was tackled without the ball, resulting in a penalty try. David Feeney converted from in front of the posts for a 19-12 lead.
Buccaneers tried to get back into the game but Ballina defended their try line impressively. Then, Liam Golden kicked from behind his try line and Sam Callinan raced onto it and picked up expertly to score under the posts for a counter-attacking try that delighted the Ballina contingent. Tadhg Staunton converted and the lead was stretched to 26-12.
Ballina were now in charge and after a series of rucks, the ball was moved to outhalf Iarla Quinn. He cross kicked to Fiachna Barrett who caught it in full stride and crossed the line for a highly-impressive score which left Ballina 33-12 winners
The Ballina crew then watched the Ireland game in the Buccaneers clubhouse where they were fed with sandwiches, soup and hotdogs at half time. The true spirit of rugby came to the fore as both teams enjoyed each other's company after a hard fought game, shouting on the Irish team together.
A special thanks to all at Buccaneers for the excellent hospitality.
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