Lift the Goats!

Skerries 26
Bangor 6

It seems that the old adage about riding a bicycle is not applicable to rugby. The precept, that is, that once you have learned to do it you never forget. The Goats played some very creditable rugby during a torrid second half at Rifle Park. Yet here they were, a mere four weeks later, giving the impression that they had forgotten it all. The fragility of the half-time lead had the effect of jogging memories however three second-half tries produced the bonus point that keeps the team in contention as the league leaders come around Tattenham Corner.

In exoneration, or at least mitigation, of that disjointed first-half display, it could be said that Bangor remained true at all times to a tradition established in their glory days of the eighties. Back then, long before it became the norm, they were a team that invested heavily in demolition, Ashley Armstrong, a scum-half as wide as he was high, was the one who made the hard yards and a fire and brimstone pack stoked by the bearded Morrow was promptly on his heels. If the ball happened to stray into midfield Maxwell, a centre with the virtues of a dump truck, devoured it ravenously and began the process of attrition all over again. On Saturday the men in blue and yellow, aided now by the new liberalism at ruck and maul, were equally adept in the art of suffocation. So anarchic were the break-downs that they invariably ended with hooves pointing skyward at bizarre angles. With the smoke sweeping down from the club-house chimney one was put in mind of the mass barbecues of Cumbria. These were the reefs on which Skerries aspiration to fluency frequently foundered.

At the first word of the Foot and Mouth restriction on rugby, Burke the long-serving prop had gone home and let the air out of his chest with an audible hiss. No one yet knows when he intends to re-inflate and on Saturday he was replaced by 19 down, joins with owen, to kick the ball high in the air and chase (5). HYNES, without the Z, but full of beans, was getting his first AIL start at scrum-half, leaving the mercurial DUFF to chomp at the bit in the dug-out. From a position of peril at the beginning of the season, when KEANES decision to go to sea with the Buccaneers left the squad without a full time No.9, the situation has evolved to the point where there are now two scrum-halves of genuine quality.

Skerries initial forays gave promise of reward but after an exemplary build-up the ball was unaccountably surrendered in the tackle. CONNOLLY then had the misfortune to injure himself in scoring a disallowed try and BRADY took over at centre. BANGOR twice attacked with menace, the first time courtesy of an intercept and then by kicking through low behind the defence. GARRY snuffed out the first threat with a comprehensive tackle and then HYNES quick wit was evidenced by an expedient fly-kick and pursuit.

It was now the turn of the lofty GREY to come centre stage. The No.8 is acquiring a freakish ability to fashion scores from the most improbable and congested beginnings. The first stride seems quite innocuous but it is the one that affords him his initial liberty. By the time the second and third strides have been taken the defense is desperately trying to make up lost time. Thereafter the futility of the chase gains general acceptance and the long fellow lopes away to the line. But has he joined the O'Driscoll school of touchdowns? His grounding of the ball on Saturday was the source of some doubt. Those with qualms of conscience should remember however that, unlike a case where the ball is already over the line, downward pressure is not required when the ball is carried over, ( devoted surfers can consult the laws of the game on the on-line site of the New Zealand Herald ) . Lawless converted that 22nd minute try and soon after the right wing sent SCANLAN scurrying away to the in-goal area. Alas, an intrepid touch-judge signalled that the full-back had marginally trespassed on the touch-line and the score stayed 7-0. JOHNSTON kicked a pair of penalties for the visitors and with no further scores before the break Bangor were buoyant.

The abiding memory of the second-half is, no, not the coruscation of the tries but the seemingly interminable siege of the visitors fortress towards the close of the third quarter. Five times in succession Skerries were awarded a penalty on the threshold of the line, five times, like an obstinate child repeating the same pained plea for sweets, the ball was tapped into the corner , five times Skerries were repelled with a clout in the ear. Had HIGGINS not scored eventually in the wake of a scrum there would assuredly been tears. The indelicate question must be asked, Has this team got a short penalty move? Why, at least as a variant , is the option not taken of spreading the defense to make it more porous. Answers on a postcard please to the head grounds man who is worried about excessive demands on a few square meters in the sea corner.

Out-half DEMPSEY played a pivotal role in the securing of a bonus point. First his decisive pass to EARLY close to the line allowed the captain to explode in, under the posts. Then his emphatic break out of defense was decorated with a millimetrically precise pass to QUIRKE, free and in full flight on the left. A spectacular score diminished only by the puerile dance routine which ensued. Triumphalism is for Emperors, it is less becoming for rugby players.

Five teams are now locked in contention for two promotion places. Will, as much as skill will be a determining factor. The challenge is sizable but Skerries fate, at least, is still in their own hands. If they can continue to win their matches they can't fail. Lift the Goats!