style and substance

Sligo U15s 0-48 Ballina U15s

On a difficult day for rugby Ballina U15s travelled to Sligo in the first of the return games in the league and emerged with a well-deserved win.
After an easy win against the same opposition in September, it was a case of guarding against complacency and being highly-driven and accurate from the start.
Both teams had to adjust to the strong winds which made handling and kicking a bit of a lottery, but the Moy boys settled well and weathered Sligo’s initial pressure.
They then swept the ball wide, driving deep into the opposition 22, only to to be held up. A short series of quick rucks followed and Darragh Walsh finally touched down to the left of the posts for the opening try of the day. This was Darragh’s first try for the team and won't be his last. Harry West converted the try and after 10 minutes Ballina were 0-7 up.
The home side jogged back to the restart, knowing that unless they applied themselves it would be a long afternoon, so they rucked their way up the pitch, but Ballina repelled their drives again and again.
In the 19th minute, Ballina broke up field and with quick hands and feet Sam Callinan touched down for the second try of the day, converted by Harry West for a 0-14 lead.
Undeterred, Sligo again attacked the Ballina line, but once again the Moy boys held them out and drove them slowly back up the field.
The ball ended up in touch on the 10 yard line for a lineout to Ballina. The throw was perfect to the back of the lineout into the wind, which was a risky tactic, but if you don’t try you don’t learn.
This unleashed a frenzied drive up the centre and Alex Hennigan smashed his way through the defence to touch down out wide for a 0-19 lead. This was a score which underlined the quality of this side.
Just before half time Ballina broke up field once again and the ball ended up in Sam Callinan’s hands. He broke wide and sped down the wing with the home team scrambling to stop him. They failed to do so and he crossed the whitewash in the corner with the defenders in his wake. This left the scoreboard reading 0-24 at half time.
The visitors were well clear, but each score had been hard won as the Sligo side had improved immeasurably since the September meeting. Ballina management urged the team on and made a few changes in tactics before sending them back into the fray.
After the resumption, the Moy boys broke the back of the opposition nearly straight from the kickoff with a sweeping move which Harry West finished out wide for a 0-29 advantage.

The rest of the second half followed much in the way of the first, but management rang the changes to give game time to the bench. This didn't weaken the charge and the scores still came with Sam Callinan scoring two more and Alex Hennigan adding one. Iarla Quinn added two conversions and Ballina were out of sight.
As the match moved on, Sligo started to attack Ballina in close, taking it up through their big players and this tactic proved to be successful in terms of territory, but the boys in green were up to the task and although Sligo got up to the line, each time they were driven back.
Ballina refused to yield a score and threw body and mind in front of the Sligo boys.

Eventually, the Ballina line was breached out wide but the ball was knocked on before the touch down and Ballina were awarded a scrum. Moments later the final whistle sounded and Ballina had recorded a 0-48 victory.

This was a wonderful performance and all the players should be proud of their contributions. The attack options were varied and intelligent, the defence was monumental with no boy taking a backward step. The rucking was ferocious and it would have been easy to lose focus and get loose once the score went up but this team are made of stern stuff.
Management will go to sleep happy tonight!
The next challenge will be an appointment in Wales against Bridgend Athletic RFC in two weeks time. Good luck guys!

BALLINA: Daniel Boland, Darragh Walsh, Patrick Morrin, Sean Murphy, Jack Gawley, Alex Hennigan, Ciaran Boland, Hedd Morgan, Davin Feeney, Harry West, Iarla Quinn, Sam Callinan( c), Liam Golden, John Ginty, Paul Brennan
Replacements: Liam Connor, Eoin Fox, Aaron O’Malley, Harry Regan, Cormac Jackson, Mark Barrett