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Gaudeamus igitur!
Skerries
35 Gaudeamus igitur! Given the current neglect of classical studies and the continuing disaffection of church-goers there may be few who recognise the phrase. Some of those who do may consider it an impertinence, if not a profanity, to salute the re-birth of a rugby team with the formula that is used to salute the birth of a deity. But it is not every week that the Goats score five tries and thirty-five points. And it is not every Saturday that a Fingal formation upscuttles a team from the conurbation down the road. Let us rejoice therefore! The Goats, it would seem, did all they had to do during the week in the area of mental laundering. The spectre of life in the dungeons of junior rugby was summarily banished, all memory of the Bad Dream at Banbridge was excised. But the major catalyst on the day, on the park, wore shirt number 11 and answered to the name of KEANE. DEREK. When the great Stanley Matthews was playing on the wing for Blackpool F.C. it was a common sight at half-time to see supporters of the tangerines shifting enbloc from one side of the ground to the other. Such was their eagerness to see the artist at work at close quarters. A similar mid-match migration may become a feature at Holmpatrick if the No. 11 continues to play as he is playing. Not that KEANE can be categorised precisely as an artist. He is, rather, brutally and beautifully blunt. His preferred route is Channel One, his customary modus operandi is liquidation of the tackler. He is seriously sharp – if one was to cross Ben Johnson with a Bull in a China Shop one would not come up with a more serious menace to opposing rearguards. In his present form KEANE is quite simply inspirational and his hat.-trick of tries on Saturday was a fitting monument to his influence on the game. Skerries had first use of a diagonal wind and KEANE C quickly put three points on the board with a well struck penalty kick. Monkstown subsequently pilfered a ball on a home put-in at scrum and discovered that the Skerries defensive door, left wide-open up north, was still sadly ajar. DOYLE scored to give his side the lead. Skerries riposte was born of fortuity. A ball carelessly thrown across the back-line bounced well for EARLY and he made a decisive 40 metre run to the threshold of the try-line. When held-up he linked with the fast following HEWITT and the young colt effaced the last defender with a subtle sway of the hip to score at the posts. KEANE C converted. Skerries second try after 26 minutes bore, by contrast, the stamp of planning. KEANE intervened early and directly in a back movement and bulldozed his way to paradise, offering two bonus points to his homonym at out-half. The Goats were now applying consistent pressure and after two attackers had been repelled the ball fell to KEANE. Although closely chaperoned the winger blasted his way to the line. As if to say this is how you do it. BUTLER had been binned for verbal indiscretion just before the break. With diminished forces and facing a sturdy wind from the sea Skerries ambition was to contain. Their aspirations were exceeded. DUFF threaded a low ball across the wind to the touchline and as the visiting wing focused on a capricious bounce his mental radar registered the imminent arrival of KAMIKAZE KEANE. Putting personal safety first he abdicated, leaving the rampant goat to race away for his hat-trick. If there is such a thing as terrorism in rugby this was it. The score was a liberating one – Skerries went on to play some of the rugby that everyone knows them capable of and KEANE, C kicked a further penalty to cement the lead. A firm sod on Saturday served to underline the view that pace is the leitmotiv of this Skerries pack. The heavy artillery O’CONNOR, GRIMES and ROONEY all showed their ability as runner/carriers although PG might care to review his dietary arrangements on match day. A cursory examination of the deposit he left on the Shenick touchline midway through the second half indicated that he may have had one sausage too many in his late breakfast. As night fell early over Holmpatrick the game continued and in a brief show of recalcitrance Monkstown managed a converted try. Those who persisted in peering through the gloom will have been privileged to see young SHERLOCK add a polished postscript to the afternoon. Swatting off a stand-up tackler wide out on the touchline the replacement flanker ran on to take his score in magisterial fashion. Coach HEENEY was close to being dewy-eyed on Saturday night. A 66/1 cross-treble at Uttoxeter would not have made him any happier.
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