Strabane RFC 2s vs Inishowen RFC

Saturday 12th January 2019
YOUNG STARS SHINE AS INISHOWEN RUN RIOT IN STRABANE

Inishowen RFC got the New Year off to a flying start on Saturday with dominant win away to Strabane 2s which included excellent performances from Inishowen’s latest crop of young players.
Inishowen were chomping at the bit to get back into action after the Christmas break, and this showed as they came flying out of the blocks in the first half, instantly putting Strabane under pressure with powerful carries from the forwards and snappy running from the backs.
It took no more than a few phases in the forwards before young flyhalf Ultan Doherty put the ball out wide and some great footwork and sharp running allowed Seamus McDaid to run in a great try under the posts. Ultan Doherty converted for a perfect start from Inishowen.
Inishowen came right back into the Strabane half after the restart with another couple of hard carries from forwards Stuart McKeague and Allan Pienaar. Captain Dermot McGonigle was tackled just short of the try line, offloading to Rory Sweeney who looked certain to score but knocked the ball on with the try line beckoning.
Luckily, this error didn’t come back to haunt him as veteran back rower Allan Pienaar burst through in midfield with a powerful run for Inishowen’s second try. Ultan Doherty again converted for a 0-14 lead after just ten minutes.
At this stage, Inishowen were dominant in every aspect of the game. The forwards had full control of the breakdown and 18-year-old back row sensation PJ Callaghan was leading the charge with big tackles and carries. Inishowen had a further boost as powerful flanker Jason Callaghan was back in the side after three months at sea.
Inishowen’s momentum was unstoppable at this stage of the game and Ultan Doherty showed a wonderful sidestep to score under the posts and add seven more points to the scoreline.
The commanding performance from the forwards was giving the Inishowen backline a perfect platform to attack, and they kept putting away their chances with hard running and nifty footwork. 18-year-old flyhalf Ultan Doherty was managing the game like a seasoned veteran and kept pinning Strabane in their 22 with sensational kicking from hand. A huge garryowen from him bounced awkwardly for the Strabane fullback and allowed Inishowen winger Conor Byrne to gather and score under the posts. Another conversion left the score at 28-0 after 25 minutes.
Even the Inishowen front row of Matthew McCrossan, Mickey Joe Doherty and John Kelly were getting in on the act now and were winning regular turnovers at the scrum. One turnover after half an hour in the Strabane 22 allowed Inishowen to get the ball out wide for Dermot McGonigle to score in the corner.
Strabane rarely looked threatening in the first half but did manage to get inside Inishowen’s half on several occasions. Another promising young player in his first senior season, Inishowen fullback Mark Diver, had to make some brave tackles to preserve his side’s clean sheet.
More big carries and excellent backline play brought Inishowen right back down to Strabane’s tryline. Ultan Doherty again showed his class with a sublime dummy pass to score out wide.
Inishowen went in at the break 38-0 in front and their aim in the second half was to keep on the pressure and keep Strabane from scoring. The home side now had their pride to play for and piled on the pressure in a back and forth second half.
Inishowen’s defence was superb, however, pushing back three close range attempts at driving mauls from the lineout.
Towards the end of the game, Jason Callaghan gave veteran scrum half Mark Glasha a sublime backhand offload and Glasha saw space in behind and kicked ahead into the Strabane 22. After a manic chase, the ball was knocked on.
However, the Inishowen front row, now featuring the promising 18-year-old Rhys Roberts, turned the ball over at the scrum once again, allowing Seamus McDaid to score out wide for his second of the game.
The fulltime whistle followed and Inishowen finished up as 43-0 winners to claim the top spot after the first round of the Ulster Regional West league.
The Inishowen side featured five young players playing in their first full season for the senior team and they are already cementing their places in the team.
Inishowen’s next game is another game against Strabane 2s at Moss Road in Carndonagh on 2nd February. The game will kick off at 2.30 pm and all support is greatly welcome.
Ends.
Inishowen:
Matthew McCrossan
Mickey Joe Doherty
John Kelly
Stuart McKeague
Rory Sweeney
Jason Callaghan
PJ Callaghan
Allan Pienaar
Mark Glasha
Ultan Doherty
Conor Byrne
Richie Fearon
Dermot McGonigle
Seamus McDaid
Mark Diver
Rhys Roberts