Match Result
- Result: Galwegians Firsts 5 - Cork Constitution 25
- Venue: Temple Hill on Sat Nov 29th 2008
- Competition: AIL Division 1
Match Report
Galwegians suffered a very disappointing defeat away to League champions Cork Con in Temple Hill on Saturday, thus bring a four-game winning streak in competitive action to an abrupt end. The Blues have only ever once overcome Con in the All-Ireland League, which was at the same venue in 2004, but in truth they never looked like emulating this as they played second fiddle for most of this contest. And for all that they had their chances to come away with something, but a succession of unforced errors and missed opportunities cost them dearly.
The Blues made a disastrous start when for the second consecutive season they conceded a try to Con in the first 3 minutes, when some slack defending allowed back Richie Lane finish in the right-hand corner. Despite having the upper hand in the possession stakes, Wegians found it hard to gain a foothold, as a powerful Con pack featuring Munster duo Timmy Ryan and Billy Holland had them under pressure in the scrums.
Indeed back-row Holland, one of the heroes of Munster’s recent tilt at the All Blacks, made his mark when he crossed for a second try after 21 minutes, giving the home side a comfortable 12-0 cushion. The Blues had chances to open their account in the first-half but full-back Rob O’Beirne was wide with a couple of penalty attempts to see the margin remain 12-0 at the break.
Wegians started well in the second-half, and on 54 minutes they gave themselves real hope when centre Chris Brigl broke through the cover to score a try, with O’Beirne landing the conversion to reduce arrears to 12-7. However rather than build on the momentum, it was the hosts who responded the better. Prompted by another of Munster’s All Black heroes Jeremy Manning who was pulling the strings, they soon regained their dominance.
Richie Lane added two penalties to stretch their lead to 18-7 as the game went into the final quarter. And with Wegians then having to chase the game, Con wrapped things up just before full-time when scrum-half Duncan Williams showed clinical finishing to score his side’s third try, with Lane’s conversion completing the scoring, ensuring that Wegians went home empty-handed.
Next up for Wegians is another fixture against a Cork side when they entertain Dolphin at Crowley Park next Saturday (Dec. 6th @ 2.30pm).
