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Battling Skerries come close... Boyne 19 October 24th, 2009
When The Leinster Branch decided to create a top tier Leinster League this would have been just the type of game they were wanting to see. The current second-placed team barely scraping past the team that currently lies at the foot of the league, in a great game of rugby played with passion and no little skill. If Skerries continue in this vein they will not be in their current league position for much longer. After last weeks disappointment against Dundalk, the hardy few who made it to a wet and windy Boyne were treated to a much changed attitude from this Skerries side. The conditions, a vertical wind blowing in their face for the first half, dictated that Skerries would be on the back foot from the off and so it proved as Boyne played these conditions like an extra man. In fact it took them less than 5 min’s to register a score when out-half Brian Collins dropped a goal following a scuffed 22 drop-out from Skerries out-half McGahan and on 10 min’s Kennedy had added another penalty from in front of the posts following O’Mahony’s sin-binning for deliberately killing play when faced with a three-to-one overlap. When Kennedy landed another penalty, this time from inside his own half, to take the score to 9-0, the omens did not look good for Skerries but, led by their forwards, they worked themselves back into this game with phase after phase of pick-and-go rugby to tie up the Boyne pack and effectively strangled any chance of their back line exploiting available space. In fact Boyne did not get another chance to score until Skerries were deemed to be holding on after a superb nine-phase passage of possession. Kennedy converted to bring the score to 12-0 for the home side. Back to their full compliment Skerries now started to take the game to Boyne and began to search for gaps in the home sides back-line. Good work by scrum-half Robbins and incisive running from Boland and Quirke was being bolstered by the brooding presence of captain Keane, whose return had brought a much needed strength to the Skerries backs. After 30 min’s Skerries got their reward when McGahan landed a penalty in the very difficult conditions to reduce the deficit to 12-3. The Skerries forwards then upped the ante again and following a brilliant piece of work in the maul, Boyne were forced into loose play and when Quirke released Boland, the enigmatic winger still had plenty of work to do from thirty mtrs out, but a feinted pass left him with space to cross the line with his characteristic flourish. McGahan was wide with the difficult conversion but Skerries were right back in this game at 12-8 with half-time approaching. Unfortunately Skerries could not hold on to this momentum for the remaining 3 min’s and as Boyne applied pressure on the Skerries line, Collins took advantage of a gap in the Skerries defence to scuttle over for a try which Kennedy converted to take the half-time score to 19-8 for Boyne. That was the last score for Boyne as Skerries now had the advantage of the wind and with just 4 min’s gone in the second-half McGahan brought the score to 19-11 with a penalty in front of the posts as Skerries pinned Boyne pack in their own half. Things got a little bit fiery after 10 min’s with Boyne’s No. 5 O’Reilly grappling with McGahan on the ground and the No.11 McGann charging in to try to get involved. All this by-passed the referee who gave a penalty to Boyne, who were now showing the signs of constant Skerries forwards pressure. McGahan had a very difficult chance with a penalty from inside the Skerries half but although he had the distance the ball floated wide in the wind. Boyne’s disruptive tactics seemed to be working as the intensity of the Skerries play began to wane and as much as the Skerries forwards showed determination in the first half, this was matched by Boyne in the second. However, the introduction of Dempsey at scrum-half seemed to spur Skerries on, as his sniping runs forced Boyne on the defensive again and following a break from his own 22 from Keane, the ball was released to Boland who fed the supporting Dempsey to score a super try in the corner. With 7 min’s remaining McGahan this time tamed the conditions to bring the score to 19-18. Try as Skerries might they could not force a position from where they could punish Boyne in the final stages of this game, an ambitious and very close drop-goal attempt from O’Mahony being the closest they came. In truth, Boyne played the clock down very successfully, the referee only playing 2 min’s of injury time when Boyne’s No.8 Collins seemed to be pole-axed for least twice that amount. This was an excellent game of rugby where Skerries so nearly came out on top. When they learn to push home their advantages at crucial times they will worry any side in this league. Although the scores came from the back-line today it was the pack who should feel most proud for putting the passion back into this side with Colm O’Shea and the evergreen Packie O’Connor being at the forefront of all-round display from every one of the forwards. With the competitive nature of this league, a couple of back-to-back wins will see this Skerries side in a position much more reflective of its potential, if they take on the lessons learned today. A week may be a long time in politics, but we can easily match that in Skerries! Skerries 15 v. Boyne 24th Oct 1. P. O’Connor Substitutes 16. P. Tanner
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