Instonians 2nd XV 14 City of Armagh 3rd XV 47

Saturday 22nd January 2022
Report by Trevor Knipe

Having lost to Clogher Valley the previous week it was vital that City of Armagh Thirds returned to winning ways in last Saturday’s match against Instonians Seconds at Shaw’s Bridge. With Con Oliver standing in as captain and Teddy Sloan as referee, the home side kicked off on a dry pitch ideally suited to open rugby. With some players unavailable, Dylan Poyntz and Philip Nicholl were brought in as props and both settled seamlessly into the Armagh style of play, bringing stability and power to the pack.

The first fifteen minutes were played between the 22’s with neither side being able to put together an incisive series of phases, but a breakthrough came when an Instonians’ flanker came in with a cynical late tackle on an Armagh winger. David O’Hagan put the penalty into touch and was also on hand to carry the ball over the try line for a 5-0 lead.
Armagh impressed the spectators with the way they were able to steal the ball on the Instonians’ lineouts with Mark Muldrew, Con Oliver, James Johnston and Ross Finlay harassing the opposition at every opportunity. Stuart Megaw, Andrew Winder and Matthew Allen also made several telling tackles to disrupt the Instonians advance. It was from a turnover that O’Hagan secured his second try with a chip over the home defence, which he chased himself and touched down in the corner. His conversion secured a 12-0 lead for Armagh.
Instonians struck back minutes later when a cross field kick bounced cruelly, evading Adam Magowan and allowing Instonians in for a converted try, reducing arrears to 7-12. A feature of the game was the number of penalties conceded by Instonians and the way Con Oliver caught the opposition off guard with his characteristic tap penalties gaining yards of forward momentum. Such a penalty and the following phases of controlled play allowed Dillon Fox on the wing to go in to the right of the posts for a try, converted by O’Hagan, for a 7-19 half time lead.

A bonus point fourth try came early in the second half when Gareth Megaw ripped the ball from an Instonians forward and launched himself forward and over the line for a score, again converted by O’Hagan. Unfortunately scrum half Trevor Girvan sustained a blow to his shoulder in the build-up and had to leave the field for the remainder of the match. Andrew Winder moved from 10 to scrum half with O’Hagan moving to the back line and Fox going to full back. Andrew Knipe came on to the wing to join Matthew Allen, Stuart Megaw and Adam Magowan. It was Magowan who scored next, making amends for his earlier defensive error, as he ran from his own half, evading the defence to score in the corner. Again O’Hagan added the two points.
An Armagh scrum on the opposition 22 saw Con Oliver and the pack making it almost to the try line, where Mark Muldrew, who would later be named as Armagh Brewing Company Man of the Match, scored beside the posts with O’Hagan again converting. RJ McCall replaced Adam Edgar at hooker and James McCall came on for Gareth Megaw at 8 and although Instonians scored a second
well-crafted try, it was Armagh who finished in style when Con Oliver crowned his day as captain with a try close to the final whistle. Again O’Hagan converted for a handsome 47- 14 win against an Instonians side that never gave up hope and provided a real challenge for Armagh.

This Saturday the team take on Malone Thirds at the Palace Grounds in the first round of the Crawford Cup. The team would appreciate lots of support from the touchline. The squad also want to thank Coach Dave Eakin for his input at training during the week and on match days which has proved invaluable.