Inishowen first win of season over Rainey OB 45 – 7

Inishowen 45        Rainey Old Boys 7

Perfect Start for Inishowen

A Big crowd turned out in Carndonagh to watch Inishowen RFC’s opening game of the season on Saturday, and they weren’t disappointed after a strong display from the home team.
Inishowen seemed fired up from the start and a combination of strong running and good forward play around the fringes led to an early try from veteran second row Neil Gillespie, who barreled over under the posts with only a few minutes on the clock.
This dominance in the forwards continued with Inishowen turning the ball over at the scrum after ten minutes, setting up a try for flanker Enda Callaghan after several breathing- taking phases of play.
Rainey Old boys struggled to gain a foothold in the game and Inishowen continued to dominate territory and possession throughout the opening half. With just minutes to go before the break, Inishowen’s number 8 Allan Pienaar barged his way over the line to send the home team in at half time leading
by 21 – 0.
The rout continued from there, with big Neil Gillespie getting over for his second of the day from his trademark tap and go penalty after some excellent work in the ruck from PJ Callaghan.
A missed conversion from Dermot McGonigle left the score 33 – 0 just beyond the hour mark. With the game over as a contest, Rainey began to see more of the ball and managed to get into the Inishowen 22 on several occasions. Exploiting space out wide, they got over the line for a good score from their full back.
However, this didn’t manage to take a shine off Inishowen’s performance and a brilliant pass from fellow veteran John Kelly sent Neil Gillespie over the line for a famous hat-trick on the last play of the game by Dermot McGonigle, the home team sealed a useful bonus point win of 45 – 7.
The Inishowen team featured a mix of youth and experience with several of last year’s Under-18 players making their senior debuts. The younger lads certainly had no trouble holding their own in terms of physicality, with stunning performances from PJ Callaghan and Finin Diver MacLochlainn.
The excellent performances from the younger players and the big crowd of supporters fed into a rousing atmosphere at the Inishowen’s Moss Road pitch and the home crowd will be hoping for more in next week’s game at home against the much tougher Enniskillen. The game will kick off at 2.30pm and all support is welcome.
Inishowen RFC training takes place at 19.30 Wednesday nights at Carndonagh Community School and all newcomers are welcome to come along.