Rainey ES progress to semi finals
On Wednesday 24th February the ‘P Keenan Road Surfacing’ sponsored Rainey ES travelled to Regent House for the replay of the Quarter final of the Danske Bank Subsidiary Shield. Rainey and Regent had played out a hard fought draw on Saturday and on the evidence of this game there was very little between the teams.
Rainey knew a good start was important, so elected to play with the wind. An excellent kick off from Matthew Smyth forced Regent back to their own line. Good work at the breakdown resulted in a Rainey turn over. Great driving work by Wallace Bruce and William Drennan set up a scoring opportunity for Lorcan Quinn who darted through a gap to score. Lorcan stepped up to convert his own try to give Rainey a 7 0 lead.
Rainey continued to dominate both possession and territory but couldn’t get the second score they deserved. They put themselves into some excellent positions but crucial mistakes in key attacking areas let them down. Regent were finding it difficult to get into the game but a missed tackle in midfield gave the Regent centre the opportunity to run in a try. The conversion was kicked and the scores were level at 7 7. This gave Rainey a warning but to their credit went back on the attack. A great carry from Matthew Gordon set up Neal Hastings who powered forward but was held up over the line. With the Magherafelt boys attacking at every opportunity Regent cleared their lines with a few loose kicks. These kicks were dealt with expertly by Matthew Mulholland and Adam Hunter who put Regent under pressure with clever counter attacking. With half time approaching Regent were penalised after a fine break from Matthew Smyth. Lorcan Quinn converted the penalty to make it 10 7 at half time.
Playing into the breeze Rainey put pressure on Regent right from the kick off. They were playing with real purpose forcing Regent deep into their half. The intensity of the Rainey defence, particularly from centres Andrew Brown and Mark Mulholland, was a real positive for the visitors. Rainey forced Regent into a number of errors and Andrew Nevin capitalised with a number of strong runs. As the half progressed the enthusiasm within the Rainey ranks grew and many of the line breaks were well supported, in particular, Andrew Hawe continuing many promising breaks.
The variety of the Rainey attack was causing Rainey problems. A well timed back move involving Andrew Brown and Mark Mulholland put Michael Lynn in space. Michael beat his opposite man before being stopped illegally. Rainey kicked to the corner and from the lineout Anton Lupari drove over the line for an important try. Lorcan Quinn kicked an excellent conversion into the wind to increase the lead to 17 7. A lapse in concentration at the kick off gave Regent a penalty which they converted to make it 17 10.
Rainey responded positively to this set back going straight back on the attack. Many super breaks, especially by Adam Thornton and Anton Lupari, kept Rainey on the front foot. With time running out Rainey kept Regent deep in their own half. However, with full time approaching a couple of Regent penalties put the home team into the Rainey 22 for the first time in the match. With the ‘last play’ called Regent caught Rainey on the hop to score in the corner. To the relief of the large traveling support the conversion was missed and the final whistle sounded. Rainey had deservedly won 17 15.
This was a very mature and professional performance from Rainey. They dominated Regent throughout and never gave them time to settle. There was a lot more energy in this performance and they showed much more variety in attack. They will need more of the same when they play Down HS in the semi-final.
Other results this week included a comfortable win for the U12s over Foyle College. The U14s also had a big win defeating Carrickfergus GS. The U13s lost narrowly to Carrickfergus GS.
On Friday 4th March the U13s and U14s travel on their tour to Dublin. They play High School, Dublin on Saturday 5th March before going to watch Leinster play Ospreys in the Pro 12. The U12s also play on Friday. They travel to Belfast to play Grosvenor GS before going to watch Ulster play Zebre.
On Saturday 5th March the 1st XV play Down HS in the Quarter-Final of the Danske Bank Subsidiary Shield. The game is at home with a 11.00am kick off. All support welcome.
Below…..
Photo 1 – Damien Lynn of ‘John Lynn Heating and Plumbing Ltd’ presenting new Hoodies to Rainey 1st XV players Michael Lynn and Cameron Stewart
Photo 2 – Andrew Nevin launches another attack
Photo 3 – Anton Lupari breaks from a scrum
Photo 4 – Neal Hastings beats a defender
