Down High 1st XV 32  Portadown College 7

Down High 1st XV bounced back from their recent Schools Cup disappointment to record a comprehensive 32 -7 victory in the Schools Bowl Competition against a Portadown side that had beaten the local boys twice earlier in the season.

Down High kicked off playing into a slight breeze and had the better of the early exchanges but it was Portadown who opened the scoring on 14 minutes when they sliced through weak Down High midfield defence to touch down under the posts for a converted try and a 7 -0 lead. Down High hit back and worked their way back into the Portadown twenty two after good work from Chris Martin and from the resulting ruck Ricky Gill nipped over from 5 meters to score Down High’s opening try. Justin Rea added the conversion to level the scores. Down High further increased their lead just before half time when they moved the ball left from a scrum on half way and Luc Bonnargent made an excellent break fending off several would be tacklers before releasing Luca Rea to finish off an excellent move in the right hand corner. Justin Rea landed the conversion and Down High took a 14 – 7 lead into the interval.

In the second half Down High had the breeze in their favour and took advantage to keep Portadown pinned in their own half. With 45 minutes gone Justin Rea increased the lead with a well struck penalty from 40 meters and 5 minutes later added a second after Portadown were penalised 30 meters out to the left of the posts, taking the score to 20 – 7. Portadown hit back and put together several phases to work their way deep into the Down High twenty two but the visitors defence held solid and when it looked like Portadown may have created a scoring opportunuity in the corner Luca Rea intercepted a potentially scoring pass and showed good pace to sprint 70 meters to score his second try in the corner and take the score to 25 – 7 with 5 minutes remaining on the clock. Down High played controlled rugby to run down the clock but were still able to extend their lead further when, with the last play of the match, Justin Rea received quick ball from a ruck 10 meters out and cut through to score a try to the right of the posts. Rea converted his own try to take  his personal tally to 17 points and leave the final score 32 – 7.

This was a much improved performance by the Down High boys with Thomas Donnan, Ben Hale and Tommy McConnell prominent and they now face Belfast Royal Academy in the Schools Bowl semi-final at Roughfort next Saturday.

Down High 1st XV  0    Coleraine Inst  3

 Down High’s record of losing tight Schools Cup matches continued on Saturday when a flat performance against Coleraine Inst saw the visitors leave with the narrowest of victories. Down High had chances to score and dominated territory and possession but they were unable to unlock a resolute Coleraine defence and when two long range penalties rebounded off the crossbar it was clearly not going to be their day.

The opening period was typical committed Schools Cup rugby with big carries and tackles from both sides but with 15 minutes gone Coleraine were awarded a penalty after a late tackle on the left winger. The kick was converted to give the visitors a crucial 3 – 0 lead. Down High hit back and had a chance to equalize with a penalty on the left hand side 30 meters out but Justin Rea narrowly missed from a difficult angle and with 5 minutes of the first half remaining they received another setback when Kelvin Hamilton was forced to retire with an ankle injury being replaced by David Johnston.  Down High continued to press until the interval but uncharacteristic errors and failure to retain the ball at the breakdown meant that Coleraine were comfortable in defence and took a 3 – 0 lead into the half time break.

The second half saw Down High dominate both possession and territory but they were unable to breach the visitors defence. Good breaks by Jack Calvert and Luc Bonnargent and big carries by Rob Long came to nothing as the final pass went to ground or possession was turned over at the ruck. With 48 minutes gone Down High were awarded a penalty 35 meters out, regular kicker Justin Rea was injured in the build up and it was Luca Rea who took the kick and was unlucky to see the ball rebound of off the crossbar. The home team continued to press but a combination of poor decisions and unforced errors meant that Coleraine were always able to clear their lines. Then with 3 minutes left on the clock Down High were awarded a penalty 45 meters out to the right of the posts and this time it was Justin Rea’s kick that rebounded off the crossbar. Coleraine regained possession and wound the clock down to close out the narrowest of victories.

Down High now move into the Schools Bowl and will be hoping for a better performance from a team that has shown great potential all season but underperformed on Saturday when it mattered most.      

Down High 1st XV 54  Larne Grammar 0

Down High 1st XV would probably have benefited from a sterner challenge as they prepare to face Coleraine Inst in the Schools Cup next Saturday (11.00 am) but they made the most of a game against a disappointingly weak Larne side and retained structure throughout to record a comprehensive 54 point victory.

The opening score came with 8 minutes gone when Kelvin Hamilton broke through a number of weak tackles to score under the posts, Justin Rea added the conversion to give the home team an early 7 – 0 lead. The weak tackling from the opposition continued and 5 minutes later it was Ricky Gill who took advantage and sprinted in from 30 meters for the second try, Justin Rea  added the conversion to take the lead to 14 – 0. Down High resisted the temptation to try to run everything and instead stuck to disciplined patterns and were rewarded again with 23 minutes gone when the ball was moved quickly from a ruck, Luca Rea opted to go for the line and was rewarded with a try to the left of the posts, Justin Rea added the extras to take the score to 21 – 0. Ben Hale scored 2 tries before half time, the first came after Down High won a 5 meter scrum against the head and Hale dived over, the second saw him on the end of a fine handling and with both tries converted by Justin Rea the halftime score stood at 35 – 0.

The second half saw a period of token resistance from Larne but with 47 minutes gone Down High moved the ball wide to release Luc Bonnargent who made good ground before feeding Jack Calvert who finished under the posts, Justin Rea again landed the conversion  taking the score to 42 – 0. Bonnargent then grabbed a try for himself after another excellent move which saw the ball pass through several pairs of hands and with the last move of the match Chris Martin collected a pass and found himself with the space to run in from 20 meters, Justin Rea converted taking the final score to 54 – 0.

Coleraine Inst will undoubtedly provide very much tougher opposition next week but Down High will be confident that they can rise to the challenge and importantly coaches John Gunson and Charlie Knox have no injury worries as they sit down to select the squad for the match.

Down High 1st XV 21  Bangor Grammar 3

Down High travelled to Bangor on Saturday and despite being starved of possession for long periods they were resilient in defence and clinical when attacking opportunities presented themselves and ultimately came away with another impressive victory.

Down High had the best of the early attacks but Bangor had the first opportunity to open the scoring but failed with a straightforward penalty after 10 minutes. Errors and lack of discipline by Down High presented Bangor with possession which they then retained for several phases but the visitors defence was outstanding with strong tackling and excellent organisation ensuring that the their line remained intact. With 25 minutes gone Down High managed to get their hands on the ball and work their way up the field and when Bangor infringed at a ruck Justin Rea landed the resulting penalty to give Down High a 3 -0 lead which triggered an excellent period from the visitors and after the hardworking Ben Hale won a loose ruck the backs moved the ball smartly to the left to create an overlap but Luca Rea was denied a try in the corner when the referee was unsighted and could not confirm the touchdown. Bangor cleared their lines and were rewarded with a penalty which they successfully converted to leave the scoreline tied at 3 – 3 at halftime.

The second half saw Down High play some of their best rugby of the season, they began to use the ball wisely and Justin Rea began to control the match with some fine kicking to the corners one of which saw Luc Bonnargent following up and his hit on the Bangor fullback reclaimed the ball which the Down High backs moved quickly to the left where Ryan Smyth showed strength to finish in the corner to take the score to 8 – 3.

The forwards were beginning to gain the upper hand, competing hard in the loose and despite struggling in a few scrums were more than a match for the larger Bangor pack with Rob Long putting in his best performance of the season well supported by Jamie Ross, Chris Martin and the rest of the pack.

The try of the match came on 55 minutes, Justin Rea made a break and when he was tackled he flicked the ball to Kelvin Hamilton who made ground before offloading to Luca Rea who committed the last defender before popping the ball to Bonnargent  who finished the move with a try in the corner to extent the lead to 13 – 3.

Down High were now in control and a Justin Rea penalty extended the lead to 16 – 3 and with only seconds remaining on the clock the visitors were awarded another penalty inside the Bangor 22 which they opted to kick for touch and from the resulting lineout the forwards worked a well rehearsed catch and drive move which saw Sean Walsh score in the corner to leave the final score 21 -3.

This performance will give the team confidence ahead of next weeks final dress rehearsal for the Schools Cup which sees Down High host Coleraine Inst the following week.

Down High 1st XV began their build up to the Schools Cup on Saturday with a convincing win away to Banbridge Acadamey. The Down High boys needed to bounce back following a poor performance and heavy defeat against Ballynahinch U19’s over the Christmas holidays and whilst the win at Banbridge was far from perfect at least there was significant improvement in terms of commitment and desire to win.

Down High started strongly with a slight breeze in their favour and they took a 3 point lead on 13 minutes when Justin Rea landed a penalty after the home team infringed at a ruck. This gave the visitors the confidence to try and move the ball wide at every opportunity but they failed to capitalize on a number of promising phases with the final pass being spilled on at least three occasions but with 24 minutes gone everything clicked into place and when Banbridge missed touch, Ryan Smyth fielded the kick and the Down High backs quickly moved the ball left to find Rory Martin who showed great footwork to beat the last defender to score in the corner. Justin Rea added the conversion to take the Down High lead to 10 – 0. From the restart Down High seemed to lose concentration and their failure to compete aggressively and secure ball at the breakdown let Banbridge back into the game and they kicked a penalty to reduce the deficit to 10 – 3. Then on the stroke of half time Down High infringed at a ruck to gift Banbridge a further 3 points with a penalty in front of the posts to leave the score at the interval 10 -6.

From the restart Down High upped their game and Rea began to test the opposition with a number of well placed kicks and following good work by Ben Hale the ball was secured and Jamie Ross forced his way over for a try in the right corner to increase the lead to 15 – 6 .Shortly afterwards when Banbridge were penalized 30 meters out Down High turned down the opportunity to kick for posts and instead went for touch. Thomas Donnan won the resulting lineout and the backs executed a well rehearsed move to put Jack Calvert over from short range. Justin Rea added the extras to extend the Down High lead to 22 -6.

The ever reliable Tommy McConnell reclaimed possession from the restart and Down High worked their way back upfield and following a ruck on the Banbridge 22 the ball was moved right and Ryan Smyth showed great strength to score in the corner taking the score to 27 – 6. The last 10 minutes saw several substitutions on both sides which slightly disrupted the pattern of play and the match ended with no further points added to leave the final score 27 – 6 and give Down High a confidence boost ahead of a tough fixture away to Bangor next Saturday as the preparation for the Schools Cup continues.  

 

Picture: Try scorers for Down High at Banbridge on Saturday. (left to right;  Ryan Smyth, Jamie Ross, Jack Calvert, Rory Martin)

Down High 1st XV 21   Sullivan 1st XV 10 

Down High notched up another impressive victory with a 21 – 10  win against Sullivan on Saturday. This was a very competent performance by the home team who, despite being under pressure for significant periods of the game, displayed great patience and control to build a match winning lead.  

Sullivan kicked off playing with a slight wind advantage and from their first attack took an early 3 -0 lead when Down High were penalized in front of the posts. Down High regained possession from the restart and threatened the Sullivan line but the final pass was spilled out wide and Sullivan cleared their lines. With 11 minutes gone Down High won a five meter scrum and moved the ball smartly to the right creating space for Jamie Thompson to score in the corner and give the home side a 5 – 3 lead. The lead was short lived and when Down High were robbed of possession Sullivan exposed weak midfield defence to cut through for a try under the posts, the conversion was added giving the visitors a 10 – 5 advantage. Sullivan continued to attack but the Down High defence was solid and well organized and soaked up the pressure and as half time approached Down High were awarded a penalty to the right of the posts, Justin Rea landed the kick to leave the half time score 10 -8 in favour of the visitors.

The second half began with Sullivan once again slightly on top but the Down High defence remained solid and when Sullivan tried to move the ball wide Luca Rea intercepted a flat pass and ran in from 40 meters to score under the posts, Justin Rea added the conversion to give Down High a 15 – 10 lead. Sullivan tried to work their way back into the match but they became more and more frustrated by the aggressive Down High defence with Tommy McConnell and Ben Hale landing some big hits. With  55 minutes gone Down High moved further into the lead when Sullivan were penalized following a Kelvin Hamilton trademark barging run, Justin Rea landed the 35 meter kick and the home side eased further ahead 18 – 10. The growing maturity of the Down High performance was clear when from the restart they regained possession and concentrated on retaining the ball keeping Sullivan pinned inside their own half and from a lineout on the Sullivan five meter line the Down High forwards worked a catch and drive which resulted in Sullivan being penalized at the ruck, Justin Rea landed the kick to increase the lead to 21 – 10 with five minutes remaining.

Sullivan launched an all out attack in the closing minutes and despite having Luca Rea sin binned for a deliberate knock on the Down High defence remained solid and they closed the match out for what, in the end, was a confident, well constructed victory.   

 Down High 1st XV 42  Carrick Grammar 0

Recent results by both teams suggested that this would be a reasonably straightforward encounter for the Down High boys and so, in the end, it proved to be but the home team made reasonably hard work of their victory with a number of unforced errors and missed chances meaning that it was only in the closing minutes that the winning margin really became convincing.

Down High were missing a number of key players and when Carrick made searing breaks with their first couple of plays it looked like the form book may have done them an injustice but with their first real attack Down High took the lead when the ball was moved quickly to the right to create an overlap for  Ryan Smith to stroll over from 5 meters, Luca Rea added the conversion to leave the score 7 – 0.

Down High regained possession from the restart and quickly worked their way deep into the Carrick half where Kelvin Hamilton collected a pass and proceeded to brush off three defenders to score under the posts, Luca Rea converted to give Down High a 14 – 0. The home team failed to capitalize on the early domination and the remainder of the half was a scrappy affair punctuated with numerous stoppages but on the stroke of half time Roger Birt brought the game to life scoring under the posts after a fine individual break, Rea added the extras to leave the half time score 21 – 0.

The second half saw a mini revival by the Carrick team when they produced their best rugby of the match was this was well contained by solid Down High defence and the home team soon regained domination of possession and territory but opportunities were wasted through conceding cheap penalties and poor ball retention meant that it was the 51st minute before the home side increased their lead when Luc Bonnargent scored under the posts after an incisive Jack Calvert break, Rea added the conversion to take the Down High lead to 28 – 0. That seemed to deflate the Carrick boys and their weak defence allowed Roger Birt to waltz his way through for his second try which was converted by Rea to take the score to 35 – 0. There was still time for a final flourish which saw Roger Birt complete his hat trick when he outpaced the Carrick defence to touchdown beneath the posts, the conversion was added leaving the final score 42 – 0.

The task will be much tougher next week when Down High host a much fancied Sullivan Upper 1st XV and with the Schools Cup looming there is much work to be done to fine tune what is proving to be a Down High team with great potential.    

Down High School 18  Portadown College 20

A hard fought encounter ended with the visitors taking the spoils after a nail biting finish saw Down High unable to capitalize on a wind advantage in the second half and in the end they fell short by two points.

Having won the toss Down High elected to play into the wind and for most of the first half this looked to be the correct decision as the home team retained possession and defended well and strung together several excellent phases of play.

Portadown opened the scoring on 16 minutes when having lost a scrum against the head Down High were penalized for offside and the visitors took advantage with a straightforward penalty kick to establish a 3 – 0 lead. From the kick off Down High regained possession and a series of drives and carries took play into the Portadown twenty two and Justin Rea levelled the scores with a penalty to the left of the posts.

Portadown used the wind to move play back into the Down High half and when Jack Calvert was penalized at a ruck Portadown converted the kick to move ahead 6 – 3. From the restart Down High again captured possession and proceeded to put together their best period of the match with good carrying by Kelvin Hamilton, Ben Hale and Tommy McConnell taking play to within 5 meters of the opposition line and from the resulting ruck Thomas Donnan drove over for a well deserved Down High try. The conversion was missed but Down High led 8 -6.

The wind again helped Portadown take play deep in the Down High half but the home defence looked solid and well organized until a series of unforced errors culminated with a Portadown penalty five meters out and a quick tap saw them score their first try of the match which was converted to move the visitors back into the lead 13 – 8 after 30 minutes. Down High again moved back up the pitch and, as half time approached, were pressing Portadown back into their own 22 when Rory Martin was dispossessed after a fine break and Portadown broke away to run 70 meters for a try under the posts which was converted to leave the visitors holding a 20 – 8 lead at the interval.

Down High used the wind well at the start of the second half and soon reduced the deficit with a Justin Rea penalty taking the score to 20 – 11. Down High continued to press but too often opportunities were wasted through individual errors and poor ball retention but with eight minutes remaining Down High were awarded a penalty five meters out and Jack Calvert scored under the posts from the quick tap. Justin Rea added the extras to leave the score 20 -18. Despite having the territorial advantage for the last few minutes Down High were unable to manufacture the necessary opportunity to seal the match and were left rueing missed opportunities as the full time whistle sounded to the relief of Portadown who finished with a 20 – 18 victory.

Down High 1st XV 20  Regent House 6

Down High 1st XV continued their progress with a convincing 20  - 6 win against a Regent House team who have already claimed several impressive scalps so far this season.

Down High kicked off playing with the breeze and after 2 minutes were awarded  a penalty when Regent strayed offside, Justin Rea converted the kick to give the home side a 3 – 0 lead. From the restart Down High committed a similar offence to allow Regent to tie the score with a penalty in front of the posts. Down High regained control of the match but mistakes prevented them from adding to their total until the 23rd minute when Rea kicked a second penalty from long range to give Down High a 6 – 3 lead which they maintained until half time.

In the second half Down High faced a stiffening breeze and conceded an early penalty after infringing at a ruck to gift Regent a simple 3 points to tie the score at 6 -6. This seemed to act as a trigger for the Down High boys to up their game and they strung together a few excellent phases of play, retaining the ball and eventually working their way into the Regent 22. From a lineout the forwards worked an impressive catch and drive and released the ball for the backs to run a well rehearsed move which, after good work from Rea, resulted in a simple try in the corner for Jamie Thompson. Rea added the conversion to give Down High a 13 – 6 lead.

Down High regained possession from the restart and following good carries by Jack Calvert and Kelvin Hamilton they worked their way deep into Regent territory and were awarded with a 5 metre scrum from which Ricky Gill danced his way over the line for a fine score which was converted by Justin Rea  to take the score to 20 – 6.

Down High played very sensible rugby to close out the game and were very good value for their victory after an excellent team performance.

After representing Ulster Schools  against Connacht & Leinster Justin Rea retained his spot at out half  and will play against Munster schools this weekend at Thomond Park in Limerick.

On Friday year 13 student Kelvin Hamilton got fantastic news that he'd been called up to play for the Ulster  U19 Schools squad heading to England to play the Exiles on Sunday.  Kelvin will join former Down High Student Matthew McKeown  on this squad.

A number of past pupils from Down High have also been playing on older representative sides of late. John Donnan and Aaron Cairns have played for Ulster U20's and Matthew McKeown with the U19s. Match reports from some of their recent games can be found here.