On Saturday, January 25th, Gorey, captained by Sam, travelled to Boyne for their final pool match in the Leinster League. Despite a few players being unavailable, the team adapted well, with some boys stepping into unfamiliar positions. The game kicked off at 12 noon on a bright, dry day. Both teams tested each other for the first five minutes until a Gorey attack saw Alex sidestep his way to a try under the posts, which Harry converted.
A well-claimed kick by Jack C. led to a forward attack by Ronan and Sam, creating a gap for Sam to break through the ruck and score under the sticks, with Alex adding the conversion. From the restart, Boyne applied pressure in Gorey’s 22, but Gorey counter-rucked brilliantly. Thomas seized the opportunity to run 60 meters to score, and Harry, celebrating his birthday, made a wonderful long-range conversion. Boyne continued to press from the restart and, despite committed Gorey defence, managed to score a converted try. The halftime score stood at 21-7.
In the second half, Gorey created great pressure from the restart. Jack R. went close but was denied by one of his own trademark cover tackles. The resulting lineout was stolen by Thomas, who popped a nice ball to a hard-running Ronan, who fought through the defence to score. Almost immediately, a clever kick into space and good chase pressure gave Finn the chance for a steal. He popped the ball to Noah, who bashed through to score. The next ten minutes saw even play from both sides before the forwards produced another wonderful ruck turnover. Finn was on hand to steal again, this time rewarded with a try himself, converted by Alex. Boyne, who never quit throughout, put together a few nice phases and were rewarded with a late converted try. The final score was 38-14.
Finishing this stage of the League unbeaten is a testament to the team’s efforts all season. The coaches were particularly pleased with the improved communication and decision-making from the boys today, as well as their ability to step up in unfamiliar positions and visibly problem-solve throughout the match.
The entire forwards pack was commended for their efforts, with Jack Robins named man of the match. On to our next challenge!
