12.09.2009 U20 Premier XV v Terenure (H)
| 12/09/2009 | 12:00 | F | St. Marys U21s 1st XV | 6 – 5 | Terenure | Home |
U20 Match Report V Terenure U20
St. Marys College U20 6 Terenure College U20 5
In their first competitive match of the season and watched by an estimated 300 people, (most of whom hung around afterwards to watch the Firsts beat Terenure in the LSL), the U21’s beat Terenure in a “friendly” warm up to the season.
The purpose of these friendly matches is to begin to put some structure on the team, give the coaches a look at the many new comers and to finally allow the guys who have been training since early July to get stuck in.
Roll on- roll-off substitution allowed for all 25 players selected for the match to get a run out. This was positive for both the players and coaches alike but obviously disruptive to the flow of the game and there is no doubt that we were fortunate to win out 6-5 in the end. However win we did (thanks to converted penalties by Ross O’Brien and Ray Crotty) and I’ll take a win any way I can get it.
On a positive note, we dominated up front in the scrums with Wheel, Murphy and Merrideth performing admirably. As expected, McGill hit everything that moved with Devlin at his shoulder. When Jamie O’Reilly replaced Murphy due to injury, he did so with great enthusiasm and so our domination of the scrums continued. While work remains to be done in securing our own ball in open play, the genesis of an excellent pack is evident.
The numerous changes in the back line, while necessary for the coaches to evaluate talent and player positions into the future, is disruptive and led to an absence of any real threat to Terenure. However what was impressive was the commitment to defence by everyone who took the field, which all bodes well for the rest of the season.
It is not my intention to nominate a man of the match going forward but on this occasion, I have to give particular mention to Darah Keller who played an outstanding game and put it up to Terenure at every opportunity.
As I say, a win is a win even if it is not pretty. However there is an abundance of talent in the squad and the coaches will ultimately find the best combination.
Very positive thoughts going forward therefore.