Westport RFC 6 :: Sligo RFC 14
Sligo made it five wins from five in the Connacht Junior league division 1A with a well deserved victory over the Westport Bulls at a rain soaked Carrowholly on Sunday .With conditions making it difficult to play expansive rugby Sligo managed to score two tries without reply from the home team.
Sligo kicked off and immediately tried to impose their running game on the mayo men but did not gain any reward for their adventure. Westport countered and some good tactical kicking gained them a foothold in the Sligo 22, where the referee penalised the visitors for holding on, on the ground. Home outhalf Eddie Walsh took full advantage with a well struck penalty to give his team a 3-0 lead after three minutes.
Sligo responded well to this early setback and some good play by the pack coupled with fine kicking by full back Jack Macklin gave them the territory they required. Their rewarded arrived on 10 minutes when second row Jamie Bowes stole a Westport lineout and immediately set up a maul. An infield drive ensued before the ball was moved to the awaiting James Wilson. Wilson ran straight at the bulls defence. A quick ruck was formed allowing scrum half Billy Leahy to release his backline. Paddy Pearson fed centre Jordan Farrington before full back Jack Macklin injected some pace. Macklin off-loaded in the tackle to the looping Pearson who cut through the final defence and touched down to the left of the uprights. Macklin added the extras to give the north-westerns a 7 -3 advantage.
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Westport again went on the hunt for points and used their kicking game to good effect to pin Sligo back in their own half. In the 20thminute a good backline move by the bulls down the short side almost breached the visitors defence but winger Ted Mulvaney stood firm and snuffed out the immediate danger. Sligo were still not out of trouble and moments later the referee awarded the home team a penalty on the Sligo 22. Walsh elected to go for the posts and his effort seemed destined to bisect the posts but it came back into play off the right hand upright. James Wilson reacted quickest and pounced on the loose ball before off loading to prop forward Adrian Mc Hale. Mc Hales powerful drive took Sligo out of their own 22 and allowed Pearson to clear.
Sligo almost added to their total on the stroke of half time when a promising backline move was halted inside the Westport half. Flanker Peter Mullan carried on the charge before setting up a ruck on the Westport 22. The retreating Westport defence infringed at the ruck and the referee awarded Sligo a penalty. Sligo elected to kick but Macklin’s effort drifted to the left of the uprights to keep the score at 7-3 to Sligo going into the break.
Westport kicked off the second half and immediately tried to put Sligo under pressure, but despite their best efforts, fine defence by Sligo’s forwards with prop Jason East particularly prominent ensured that the visiting line was kept intact. However , the Bulls came within one point of Sligo in the 57th minute. Sligo No 8 Trevor Sweeney’s fine drive out of defence was stopped on the 22. Westport were quickest to react at the breakdown and forced the penalty. Walsh made no mistake with his chipped effort to put the narrowest possible margin between the teams with a quarter of the match remaining.
Sligo upped their effort and forced their way back into the Mayo teams half. Westport tried to carry the ball forward through their pack but time and time again were forced backwards by the excellent Sligo defence. This huge defensive effort reaped it reward on 64 minutes when Sligo were awarded a penalty on the home 10 metre line. Pearson’s well judged line kick placed the lineout 8 metres from the try line. Hooker Gary Conneely’s accurate throw was taken by Wilson and the Sligo pack rumbled towards the line. The maul was hauled down but the ball was quickly recycled allowing Leahy to release Pearson. The outhalf gave a huge pass to veteran centre Gavin Foley who expertly straightened the line to make space for Macklin to cut through the cover and touch down to the right of the posts. Macklin added the extras’ to his try to move the score to 14-6.
Sligo were now in the ascendancy,the forwards were troubling the Westport scrum and had taken apart the Westport lineout. Westport gamely tried to gain some momentum through their pick and drive game but the Sligo pack’s defence stopped the drive at every opportunity and ensured that the final moments were played out in the home teams 22.
The Sligo backroom team of coach Simon Galvan and manager Dave Leonard will be delighted with this result as Sligo have not defeated Westport away from home in the Junior league since both teams turned Junior in the late 1990s.
Next weekend sees Sligo take a well deserved break before travelling to Tipperary on the 31st of October to take on Munster Junior league club Clonmel RFC in the first round of the All Ireland Junior Cup.
Sligo: Jack Macklin, Ted Mulvaney, Jordan Farrington, Gavin Foley, David Gerrity, Paddy Pearson, Billy Leahy, Adrian Mc Hale, Gary Conneely, Jason East, James Wilson, Jamie Bowes, Peter Mullan, Cathal Culhane, Trevor Sweeney. Replacements: Ross Mannion, Martin Feeney, Andrew feeney.
Westport: D Keane, J O Malley, J Mc Hugh, A Kilroy, E Joyce, E Walsh, C Southgate, M Kennedy, P Kennedy, P Conway, A Mullowney, R Martin, P Corcoran, C Hastings, J P Walsh. Replacements: B Prendergast, M O Brien, M Gilligan.
Referee: P Flood (CBIRFU)
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