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 Exposure to the elements is no novelty for Connemara men Skerries….10 Someone was making the point on the radio the other day that if winds had been a little less strong off the Old Head of Kinsale 400 years ago - or if the winds had even been on-shore rather than off-shore - the course of Irish history would have been utterly changed. What he was saying, one presumes, is that wars are often decided by things other than brilliant strategy or doubtless courage. Rugby matches, similarly, are frequently resolved by things other than scintillating tries or uncompromising tackles. Take the little patch of ground on which Higgy choose to place his non-kicking foot in the 77th minute of Saturday's game at Rockalyoke. Any other spot and the ball would have been dispatched safely through the clubhouse window. But this little patch, for reasons unknown and unknowable had all the adhesive properties of a banana skin. The ball skewed laterally off the second-row's boot. Twenty players descend on it like Afghans disputing over a food parcel. The whole shebang heaves over the try-line. The referee calls for a video replay….from himself. Half a minute later the verdict comes through - TRY! Has the course of Skerries history been utterly changed? No. Not exactly. But at least it is now possible to use the words Skerries and relegation in the same sentence without being made feel that you are Canon Furlong casting doubt on the divinity of Christ. The winds blew lustily off the sea at Rockalyoke on Saturday but exposure to the elements is not a novelty for Connemara men. Rumour was rife, in fact the visitors had made the journey by currach. But it was on the pitch that they proved their durability. McNAMARA'S ribs failed to survive an early buffering and BEGGS emerged from self-imposed exile to dominate a large part of the first half with his cultured line-kicking. More than once O'SULLIVAN demonstrated his entrepreneurial skills and around the country there is talk of forming a support-group for the growing number of victims of his side-step. K HARRILL, the new back row, is not classically sculptured but has the more relevant asset of a good dynamo and he was in the vanguard of many of the home teams forays. The vibrant O'CONNOR was credited with the score when his pack stampeded over the line in the 18th minute and Full-back O'SULLIVAN made a timely intervention to obtain a fluent try on the half-hour. WHERITY untypically missed conversions from right and left compounding an early penalty failure from mid-field and when CASEY struck a superb penalty across the wind for the visitors before the break the omens were clouded. A casual observer would have distinguished the team challenging for promotion from the one languishing in the basement. Connemara displayed near manic focus at the break-down, rarely coughed up possession and always left the pill on the plate fro the NO.9. Skerries by contrast were stricken with the half-second hesitancy that ends in turnovers and DUFF often looked as if he was sifting the rubble at Ground Zero. Most of the high-velocity rugby, therefore, was all-black. In the circumstances Skerries achievement in taking the match down to the wire suggests they have the steel to surmount their present plight. Midway through the second half left-wing CASEY took Connemara within two points of the home total. Skerries reaction was positive and inspiring. O'NEILL and KELLEGHER in particular were omnivorous in the tackle and Lord Holmpatrick's colours, after a long confinement, began to show again in the opposing half. When it looked as if the siege was lifted BEGGS had a kick charged down and HIGGINS attempt to redeem it miscarried. As a reward for tenacity Skerries had to be content with a single bonus point. Soon after the whistle HIGGINS was on the phone to Dermot O'Leary about the possibility of a quick and clandestine, Lawlor-style exit for himself and BEGGS. But those two good servants of Skerries rugby know that the best way to consign their contretemps to oblivion is to prepare themselves for the supreme effort over the six remaining matches. One gets the impression that there is a gathering campaign against relegation. The appeal will be made at all masses. Lift the Goats! Evolution of Score |
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