City of Armagh 4XV 14 v Ballyshannon 0

Saturday 20th November 2021
Ulster Rugby Regional League South Two
Report by Gareth Graham
Photos by Ellen Knipe

City of Armagh 4XV welcomed Ballyshannon 1st xv to Armagh in what would be their final league game this side of the New Year. The game took centre stage at the Palace Grounds with a strong supporting contingent in attendance, Armagh were very appreciative for this support.

Armagh’s debutant out half Dillon Fox got the game kicked off, with the hone side playing towards the town. Ballyshannon made many attempts to try to exit their half but with strong tackling from all across the Armagh side, they failed to do so. The only exit option they had, was to kick the ball which was caught by Armagh fullback Aron McKenna who went on a pulsating run beating many Ballyshannon defenders. With a final pass from Aron, winger Alex McNiece was able to beat the Ballyshannon fullback and touch down under the posts for Armagh’s first try of the afternoon. The conversion was added by Aron McKenna. Similar to Armagh’s opening score, another kick was gathered by Aron McKenna from the restart who again went on another darting run, passing the Ballyshannon defence to what we thought was Armagh’s second score of the afternoon. Unfortunately this try was not given as Aron was deemed to have placed a foot in touch however the Armagh side were playing with confidence and belief.

Armagh continued to hold possession in the Ballyshannon half with some strong carries by another debutant, Bas Du Toit breaking the Ballyshannon line. Some pin-point passing from the Armagh backline managed to set up a two-on-one situation with the Ballyshannon fullback. Armagh prop Phil Matthews unselfishly made the pass but unfortunately Centre, Scott Armstrong was unable to finish. For the final 10 minutes of the first half Ballyshannon bombarded the Armagh half with driving runs from their backline. Armagh’s defence held strong and kept Ballyshannon from scoring, with a notable try saving tackle made by Willie Coleman. Eventually Armagh were able to turn the ball over to end the half.

Half-Time Score: City of Armagh 4th XV 07 v Ballyshannon 0

Armagh started the second half in a similar fashion, with a quick penalty shortly after the re-start taken by out-half, Dillon Fox who kicked deep into the opponents 22, gaining the Armagh side major yards. After a few phases ,Armagh were able to turn over the ball to set up some strong carries from Kyle Gallagher and Gareth Graham which drove Armagh up to the oppositions five metre line. With one final push, Phil Matthew crashed over the line for Armagh’s second and ultimately final score of the afternoon. Aron McKenna added the conversion to leave the scoreline at 14-0 to the hosts. From the restart Armagh controlled possession with the forwards all making strong runs at the Ballyshannon defence. On the halfway line, the Ballyshannon defensive line was broken by Mark Muldrew, supported superbly by Jack Gilpin and clean ball was provided to scrum half Andy Gray. From this attack, the ball was passed through the silky hands of the Armagh backline and Rory McCreesh sent Alex McNiece off down the wing past the Ballyshannon defence. Some five metres short of the tryline, Alex was bundled into touch somewhat awkwardly by the Ballyshannon centre who was making the try saving tackle, which unfortunately resulted in a rather nasty looking ankle injury to Alex. In the best interests of safety and wellbeing both team’s captains and the referee decided to call the game up prematurely.

Full-Time Score: City of Armagh 4XV 14 v Ballyshannon 0

This game concluded Armagh’s Minor League Campaign for the year, with the team finishing in a very credible third place following three wins and three defeats. They will now enter a new league competition in 2022 with some fresh opposition. In the meantime the 4th XV’s focus turns to the McCambley cup campaign which is due to commence in the coming weeks. Everyone at City of Armagh RFC would like to wish Alex McNiece a speedy recovery from the injury he sustained during the game.

City of Armagh line-up: P. Matthews, G. Graham ©, P. Gillespie, P. Renaghan, B. DuToit, K. Gallagher, N. McKee, M. Muldrew, A. Gray, D. Fox, A. McNiece, S. Armstrong, R. McCreesh, W. Coleman, A. McKenna,
Replacements: J. Parr, J. Gilpin, D. Loughran, M. Matier, L. Hamilton.