Senior Rugby
Squad detailsThis year's Senior Squad at Down High is made up of 60 players and 3 competitive teams.
Coaches: Mr Gunson, Mr McKillen, Mr Knox & Mr Carson 1st XV Manager: David Rea Squad training: Monday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons. |
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The 1st Xv squad are very kindly sponsored by 'Square Seven' . Click on link to find out more.
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News
One point agony....again!
Photo courtesy of Chris Halpin/Mourne Observer
Northern Bank Subsidiary Shield: Down High 9 Wallace High 10
Following their recent agonising Schools Cup defeat by Ballyclare (10 -9) fate dealt Down High another cruel blow on Saturday when they lost to Wallace High in the Subsidiary Shield competition by the same narrow 1 point margin. Again this was a match when Down High were arguably the better side but they continually made errors, many unforced, which prevented them from dominating the play and closing out the game when it was there for the taking.
Wallace kicked off and the early exchanges were evenly contested with an aggressive Wallace pack more than matched by the Down High eight who were particularly impressive in the scrums where Stuart Orr and Patrick Gifford provided a solid base. Unfortunately the Down High lineout was not functioning quite so well and Down High proceeded to lose their first three throws allowing Wallace to capture undeserved possession.
As the first half went on Down High began to settle and looked like dominating with Matthew McKeown and Chris McBurney carrying well but self inflicted mistakes kept handing possession back to Wallace who were more than willing to move the ball wide and attack the Down High flanks.
On 33 minutes the deadlock was broken when Down High were awarded a penalty 30 meters out to the right of the posts after Wallace were adjudged to prevent release of the ball at a ruck. Justin Rea converted to give Down High a slender 3 -0 lead and despite spending the last few minutes of the half camped on the Wallace line Down High failed to capitalise and went into the break only 3 – 0 ahead.
Wallace made a positive start to the second half but the Down High defence held strong and soaked up the pressure and on 42 minutes were awarded a penalty in front of the posts which Justin Rea kicked to increase the Down High lead to 6 – 0.
Down High collected the restart and looked to move the ball wide but unfortunately the final pass was spilled, the Wallace fullback gratefully collected the ball and countered attacked from 50 meters out beating the Down High defender and putting his openside flanker clear to score a fine breakaway try. The Wallace centre, despite scuffing his kick, added the conversion and suddenly Down High found themselves 7 – 6 down – having done very little wrong.
On 53minutes Wallace moved further ahead through a penalty straight in front of the posts when Ben Shields collected a kick ahead and having beaten a couple of man was tackled and penalised for not releasing, leaving the score 10 -6 in favour of the boys from Lisburn.
Justin Rea missed a difficult penalty chance on 56 minutes but made amends a few minutes later when Wallace were penalised at a ruck and he converted from left of the posts to take the score to 10 – 9 and set up a nail biting finish.
With 10 minutes remaining on the clock Wallace were making great use of their driving maul and were camped on the Down High line and they spurned a try scoring opportunity when their No 8 dropped the ball over the line but the Down High defence held solid with big hits from Tommy McConnell, John Donnan and Sean Walsh, who, having came on as a replacement, had an outstanding second half.
A penalty to Down High relieved the pressure and a long kick to the corner took play into the Wallace 22 but as the Down High team prepared for a final assault the referee blew the final whistle – several minutes early, or so it appeared given the amount of second half stoppages, leaving the final score Down High 9 Wallace High 10 – heartbreak for the second match in a row.
Following their recent agonising Schools Cup defeat by Ballyclare (10 -9) fate dealt Down High another cruel blow on Saturday when they lost to Wallace High in the Subsidiary Shield competition by the same narrow 1 point margin. Again this was a match when Down High were arguably the better side but they continually made errors, many unforced, which prevented them from dominating the play and closing out the game when it was there for the taking.
Wallace kicked off and the early exchanges were evenly contested with an aggressive Wallace pack more than matched by the Down High eight who were particularly impressive in the scrums where Stuart Orr and Patrick Gifford provided a solid base. Unfortunately the Down High lineout was not functioning quite so well and Down High proceeded to lose their first three throws allowing Wallace to capture undeserved possession.
As the first half went on Down High began to settle and looked like dominating with Matthew McKeown and Chris McBurney carrying well but self inflicted mistakes kept handing possession back to Wallace who were more than willing to move the ball wide and attack the Down High flanks.
On 33 minutes the deadlock was broken when Down High were awarded a penalty 30 meters out to the right of the posts after Wallace were adjudged to prevent release of the ball at a ruck. Justin Rea converted to give Down High a slender 3 -0 lead and despite spending the last few minutes of the half camped on the Wallace line Down High failed to capitalise and went into the break only 3 – 0 ahead.
Wallace made a positive start to the second half but the Down High defence held strong and soaked up the pressure and on 42 minutes were awarded a penalty in front of the posts which Justin Rea kicked to increase the Down High lead to 6 – 0.
Down High collected the restart and looked to move the ball wide but unfortunately the final pass was spilled, the Wallace fullback gratefully collected the ball and countered attacked from 50 meters out beating the Down High defender and putting his openside flanker clear to score a fine breakaway try. The Wallace centre, despite scuffing his kick, added the conversion and suddenly Down High found themselves 7 – 6 down – having done very little wrong.
On 53minutes Wallace moved further ahead through a penalty straight in front of the posts when Ben Shields collected a kick ahead and having beaten a couple of man was tackled and penalised for not releasing, leaving the score 10 -6 in favour of the boys from Lisburn.
Justin Rea missed a difficult penalty chance on 56 minutes but made amends a few minutes later when Wallace were penalised at a ruck and he converted from left of the posts to take the score to 10 – 9 and set up a nail biting finish.
With 10 minutes remaining on the clock Wallace were making great use of their driving maul and were camped on the Down High line and they spurned a try scoring opportunity when their No 8 dropped the ball over the line but the Down High defence held solid with big hits from Tommy McConnell, John Donnan and Sean Walsh, who, having came on as a replacement, had an outstanding second half.
A penalty to Down High relieved the pressure and a long kick to the corner took play into the Wallace 22 but as the Down High team prepared for a final assault the referee blew the final whistle – several minutes early, or so it appeared given the amount of second half stoppages, leaving the final score Down High 9 Wallace High 10 – heartbreak for the second match in a row.
Northern Bank 4th Round: Down High School 9 -10 Ballyclare High School
Photo courtesy of Chris Halpin/Mourne Observer
Down High hosted highly fancied Ballyclare High School in a hard fought Schools Cup 4th round match on Saturday – this is uncharted territory for Down High who have reached this stage for the first time but they showed that they very much deserve to mix it with the top schools sides in Ulster and but for a last minute try by Ballyclare it is Down High who would be in the quarter final draw.
Down High kicked off with a slight breeze at their backs and quickly put Ballyclare under pressure but a couple of unforced errors allowed Ballyclare to settle and take play back towards halfway.
On 11 minutes Down High were awarded a penalty just inside the Ballyclare half and Justin Rea stepped up to slot over a mammoth 45 meter kick to give Down High a 3 – 0 lead.
Down High regained possession from the restart and worked their way back into the Ballyclare half with good driving by the pack where Matthew McKeown, John Donnan and Stuart Orr were prominent but despite creating some excellent positions Down High failed to capitalise and allowed Ballyclare to clear their lines.
On 27 minutes Down High were awarded a penalty 35 meters out and to the right of the posts which Justin Rea duly converted to extend the Down High lead to 6 – 0.
At this stage Down High looked to be in control and were making excellent use of the breeze as they looked to play the corners and make Ballyclare defend but they failed to exploit some excellent positions and came away without a much needed try. Just before half time Ballyclare worked their way back up field and were awarded a penalty after Jason Patterson, attempting an intercept, was adjudged to have deliberately knocked on. Ballyclare chose to kick for touch and from the resulting lineout a catch and drive forced play towards the Down High line but the defence was solid with excellent tackling by Chris McBurney and Patrick Calvert recapturing possession and allowing Rea to kick to touch and relieve the pressure as the half time whistle blew with Down High holding a deserved 6 – 0 lead.
The second half began with a deep Ballyclare kick which was collected by Ben Shields who used his searing pace to run the ball out of defence and set up a ruck outside the Down High 22, the ball was recycled and a left foot prod by Justin Rea was followed up by Luc Bonnargent and Ben Hale and from the resulting ruck Ballyclare were penalised for preventing release, the penalty kick fell short but Ballyclare failed to clear and were again penalised to the right of the posts – this time Rea made no mistake with the kick to take the Down High lead to 9 – 0.
With 46 minutes gone a Ballyclare penalty took play deep into the Down High 22. From the resulting line out Ballyclare caught and drove and created a rolling maul which resulted in a try near the corner – the Ballyclare outhalf failed with the conversion but his team were back in the match with the score at 9 – 5.
Down High hit back but Rea missed a long range penalty attempt and Ballyclare cleared to take play back into the Down High half.
On 63 minutes Down High created the move of the match - they were awarded a scrum on their own 22 – Matthew McKeown broke and fed Aaron Cairns who passed to Justin Rea who produced an excellent chip kick for Jack Calvert to run onto – Calvert was tackled on the Ballyclare 10 meter line, the ball was recycled to substitute Kelvin Hamilton who went on a storming run and was unlucky to be held up by solid Ballyclare defence. Again Ballyclare cleared and 3 minutes later they were awarded a kickable penalty but with time running out they knew that only a try was good enough so they kicked to touch to set up a line out deep in the Down High 22. Down High defended well but after a couple of Ballyclare phases they had Jack Calvert harshly yellow carded for hands in the ruck. Ballyclare ran the penalty and made their extra man count as they forced their way over for what was to be the winning try with 1 minute left on the clock.
Ballyclare collected the restart and ran down the last few seconds before clearing to touch to end the match.
Down High were understandably distraught at the fashion of this defeat but they can take great pride in their performance and should now feel comfortable with the reputation that they have deservedly earned which places them amongst the top teams in Ulster Schools Rugby. They now move into the Subsidiary Shield competition where they face another titanic struggle when they entertain Wallace High School in 2 weeks time.
Down High see of Foyle to enter final 16 of Schools Cup!
Photo courtesy of Chris Halpin/Mourne Observer
Down High opened their Northern Bank Schools Cup account with a home game against Foyle & L/derry College on Saturday morning. This is the first time that a Down High side has been seeded to join the competition in the 3rd round after a run of impressive results so far this season.
Down High kicked off and immediately Foyle gave notice of the threat that they could pose when their impressive centre collected the ball and brushed past the flailing Down High defence to make a 30 yard break before being well tackled. Down High reclaimed the ball and attacked the opposition 22 and were rewarded with a penalty after Foyle infringed at a ruck which Justin Rea converted from the right of the posts to give Down High an early 3 – 0 lead.
Neither side was able to impose themselves on the match and after 8 minutes Down High infringed at a ruck and Foyle equalised from the resulting penalty taking the score to 3 – 3.
Down High appeared to be suffering from stage fright and were failing to live up to the high standards that they have set in recent matches – too often the ball was in the opposition hands and when Down High did reclaim it they invariably lacked the necessary discipline to retain possession for more than one or two phases. However on 16 minutes after a series of drives by the forwards Down High won a second penalty which Justin Rea converted to take the score to 6 -3 in Down High’s favour but immediately from the restart Down High conceded another penalty which Foyle duly converted to level the scores once again 6 – 6.
This seemed to help settle Foyle and they dominated the next 10 minutes – moving the ball wide at every opportunity and stretching the Down High defence. On 29 minutes Foyle were rewarded for their endeavour when Down High captain Matthew McKeown was penalised for hands in a ruck but fortunately for him and his team the Foyle place kicker pulled his penalty attempt and the score remained 6 – 6.
In the last play of the first half good carrying by Kelvin Hamilton and Tommy McConnell took play deep into the Foyle half and when they were penalised for offside Justin Rea struck his third successful penalty to leave Down High with a 9 – 3 halftime lead.
Foyle started the second half strongly upsetting Down High's momentum and after 44 minutes they reduced the deficit to 3 points when they were awarded a penalty in front of the Down High posts. A further period of pressure saw Foyle being awarded 2 kickable penalties which they missed leaving Down High hanging on to their slender 9 -6 lead.
Down Highs best period of the game followed and good surges from John Donnan and Chris McBurney set up a ruck outside the Foyle 22 – the visitors were at last penalised for preventing release of the ball and from the resulting penalty Justin Rea struck again to record his fourth penalty and take the score to 12 – 6 in favour of the home team.
On 55 minutes Down High’s Ulster U19 representative Stuart Orr was introduced to the action – this was Stuart’s first appearance for 8 weeks following an ankle injury and he immediately brought fresh energy to the Down High pack and after a series of drives by the forwards Patrick Calvert forced his way over for an unconverted try to take the Down High lead to 17 – 6.
At this stage Foyle knew that they would have to score at least one try if they were to get anything out of the game and they therefore turned down a couple of kickable penalty opportunities preferring to run the in search of a 5 point score but the Down High defence was resolute and despite losing Jack Calvert to a yellow card with 3 minutes remaining they held on for a welcome if rather laboured 17 – 6 victory and moved into the 4th round of the cup for the first time in the school’s history where they will face cup favourites Ballyclare in a home draw on Saturday (11.00am kick off).
Down High will hope that they have conquered their schools cup nerves and look forward to the challenge on Saturday when only their best will be good enough and if they can deliver a cup upset could be on the cards.
The team and management send their appreciation to the Down High parents association who donated £100 from their catering enterprise at the match last Saturday towards the 2011 1st XV tour to Canada.
Down High kicked off and immediately Foyle gave notice of the threat that they could pose when their impressive centre collected the ball and brushed past the flailing Down High defence to make a 30 yard break before being well tackled. Down High reclaimed the ball and attacked the opposition 22 and were rewarded with a penalty after Foyle infringed at a ruck which Justin Rea converted from the right of the posts to give Down High an early 3 – 0 lead.
Neither side was able to impose themselves on the match and after 8 minutes Down High infringed at a ruck and Foyle equalised from the resulting penalty taking the score to 3 – 3.
Down High appeared to be suffering from stage fright and were failing to live up to the high standards that they have set in recent matches – too often the ball was in the opposition hands and when Down High did reclaim it they invariably lacked the necessary discipline to retain possession for more than one or two phases. However on 16 minutes after a series of drives by the forwards Down High won a second penalty which Justin Rea converted to take the score to 6 -3 in Down High’s favour but immediately from the restart Down High conceded another penalty which Foyle duly converted to level the scores once again 6 – 6.
This seemed to help settle Foyle and they dominated the next 10 minutes – moving the ball wide at every opportunity and stretching the Down High defence. On 29 minutes Foyle were rewarded for their endeavour when Down High captain Matthew McKeown was penalised for hands in a ruck but fortunately for him and his team the Foyle place kicker pulled his penalty attempt and the score remained 6 – 6.
In the last play of the first half good carrying by Kelvin Hamilton and Tommy McConnell took play deep into the Foyle half and when they were penalised for offside Justin Rea struck his third successful penalty to leave Down High with a 9 – 3 halftime lead.
Foyle started the second half strongly upsetting Down High's momentum and after 44 minutes they reduced the deficit to 3 points when they were awarded a penalty in front of the Down High posts. A further period of pressure saw Foyle being awarded 2 kickable penalties which they missed leaving Down High hanging on to their slender 9 -6 lead.
Down Highs best period of the game followed and good surges from John Donnan and Chris McBurney set up a ruck outside the Foyle 22 – the visitors were at last penalised for preventing release of the ball and from the resulting penalty Justin Rea struck again to record his fourth penalty and take the score to 12 – 6 in favour of the home team.
On 55 minutes Down High’s Ulster U19 representative Stuart Orr was introduced to the action – this was Stuart’s first appearance for 8 weeks following an ankle injury and he immediately brought fresh energy to the Down High pack and after a series of drives by the forwards Patrick Calvert forced his way over for an unconverted try to take the Down High lead to 17 – 6.
At this stage Foyle knew that they would have to score at least one try if they were to get anything out of the game and they therefore turned down a couple of kickable penalty opportunities preferring to run the in search of a 5 point score but the Down High defence was resolute and despite losing Jack Calvert to a yellow card with 3 minutes remaining they held on for a welcome if rather laboured 17 – 6 victory and moved into the 4th round of the cup for the first time in the school’s history where they will face cup favourites Ballyclare in a home draw on Saturday (11.00am kick off).
Down High will hope that they have conquered their schools cup nerves and look forward to the challenge on Saturday when only their best will be good enough and if they can deliver a cup upset could be on the cards.
The team and management send their appreciation to the Down High parents association who donated £100 from their catering enterprise at the match last Saturday towards the 2011 1st XV tour to Canada.
Firsts see off Bangor!
On Saturday Down High travelled to face a Bangor side which has delivered some fine performances so far this season. This was always going to be a serious examination for the Down High boys and they passed with flying colours!
The match was dominated by a strong wind blowing down the pitch and having won the toss Down High elected to play into the elements in the first half and they turned in an excellent disciplined display restricting Bangor to a 3-0 half time lead. The Down High pack was particularly impressive during this period showing tremendous strength and aggression as well as discipline as they retained the ball for numerous phases with effective picking and driving in the loose and great strength and organisation in the set pieces. Young Kelvin Hamilton playing in place of injured Ulster U19 representative Stuart Orr again excelled together with second row forwards John Donnan and Tommy McConnell and No 8 Chris McBurney who all carried and retained the ball superbly, ably supported by the rest of the pack.
In the second half, playing with the strong breeze Down High began to take the upper hand with Justin Rea using the wind to keep Bangor under pressure in their own half which resulted in a try through Chris McBurney, converted by Rea taking the score to 7-3.
Down High continued to threaten and scored a penalty which Rea struck beautifully to take the score to 10-3.
Bangor continued to compete and when they spread the ball the Down High defence looked a little vulnerable but managed to remain intact before returning to encamp in the Bangor 22 metre area and finish a very physical and hard fought match as worthy winners.
The match was dominated by a strong wind blowing down the pitch and having won the toss Down High elected to play into the elements in the first half and they turned in an excellent disciplined display restricting Bangor to a 3-0 half time lead. The Down High pack was particularly impressive during this period showing tremendous strength and aggression as well as discipline as they retained the ball for numerous phases with effective picking and driving in the loose and great strength and organisation in the set pieces. Young Kelvin Hamilton playing in place of injured Ulster U19 representative Stuart Orr again excelled together with second row forwards John Donnan and Tommy McConnell and No 8 Chris McBurney who all carried and retained the ball superbly, ably supported by the rest of the pack.
In the second half, playing with the strong breeze Down High began to take the upper hand with Justin Rea using the wind to keep Bangor under pressure in their own half which resulted in a try through Chris McBurney, converted by Rea taking the score to 7-3.
Down High continued to threaten and scored a penalty which Rea struck beautifully to take the score to 10-3.
Bangor continued to compete and when they spread the ball the Down High defence looked a little vulnerable but managed to remain intact before returning to encamp in the Bangor 22 metre area and finish a very physical and hard fought match as worthy winners.
Firsts beat Friends at the Swamp!
On Wednesday Down High played Friends School at home and enjoyed a comprehensive 32 – 10 victory which included periods of outstanding controlled rugby.
Justin Rea opened the scoring with a penalty to give Down High an early 3-0 lead and after further sustained pressure Friends conceded two more penalties which were duly converted by Rea. Having established a decent lead Down High then began to spread the ball and were rewarded with a fine try by Luc Bonnargent after an excellent Aaron Cairns break to take the score to 14-0. A further try by Cairns left the halftime score 19-0 to Down High.
The second half saw Down High continue their dominance and Justin Rea broke through to score an early try and added a further penalty to extend the Down High lead to 27-0. Injuries to Rea and influential skipper Matthew McKeown saw them retire and this coincided with a little loss of direction by the Down High team which allowed Friends to hit back with an unconverted try taking the score to 27-5 but Down High were not finished and replied with a try through Patrick Gifford. A late Friends try left the final score at 32-10.
Justin Rea opened the scoring with a penalty to give Down High an early 3-0 lead and after further sustained pressure Friends conceded two more penalties which were duly converted by Rea. Having established a decent lead Down High then began to spread the ball and were rewarded with a fine try by Luc Bonnargent after an excellent Aaron Cairns break to take the score to 14-0. A further try by Cairns left the halftime score 19-0 to Down High.
The second half saw Down High continue their dominance and Justin Rea broke through to score an early try and added a further penalty to extend the Down High lead to 27-0. Injuries to Rea and influential skipper Matthew McKeown saw them retire and this coincided with a little loss of direction by the Down High team which allowed Friends to hit back with an unconverted try taking the score to 27-5 but Down High were not finished and replied with a try through Patrick Gifford. A late Friends try left the final score at 32-10.
2's Lose 5-15 in Doey-town!
The seconds suffered a narrow loss at Coleraine Inst in the first round of the second XV cup on Wednesday. The game was very evenly fought with each team scoring two tries. In the first half, Luca Rea threw a dummy to break the Coleraine line around their 22 and showed great pace to finish the move he started. In the second half Adam Hale barged his way over after a period of sustained pressure from the Down pack. Sadly these efforts weren't enough as Coleraine added a conversion and a penalty to their two tries.
Ultimately it disappointing to exit the cup at this early stage but several boys can be very proud of their performance including man of the match Jack Rafferty who caused the home team a host of problems throughout the game.
Ultimately it disappointing to exit the cup at this early stage but several boys can be very proud of their performance including man of the match Jack Rafferty who caused the home team a host of problems throughout the game.
Horsin' around
Given the prolonged bout of cold weather we've been having recently and the resulting lack of outdoor space available to the senior squad, training was shifted to Tullymurry Equestrian Centre this Wednesday past. Training took place in Tullymurry's large indoor arena which allowed the boys to stretch their legs and get a chance to run through some of their set piece plays in preparation for the game scheduled for this weekend against Sullivan. The school would like to thank the Turley family for kindly making this space available.
DHS 1st XV 29 -12 Regent 1st XV
On Saturday Down High 1stXV continued their impressive start to the season with a fine win away to Regent House 1stXV. Down High were missing a couple of key players through illness & injury but despite this they started very aggressively and only their own careless errors prevented them from notching up early points.
The breakthrough came on 20 minutes when good handling created space for Ben Shields who outpaced the Regent cover to score in the left corner to give Down High a deserved 5 – 0 lead.
Seven minutes later Aaron Cairns gathered from a loose ruck and his mazy run broke through weak Regent defence enabling him to score under the posts. Justin Rea converted to give Down High a 12 – 0 lead.
This was followed up 5 minutes later when a typical Matthew McKeown pick and drive earned him Down Highs third try taking the score to 17 – 0.
Regent were camped on the Down High line for the last 5 minutes of the first half but Down High defended very solidly and managed to clear their lines to take a 17 – 0 lead into half time.
Regent started the second half with renewed effort whereas Down High seemed to lose a bit of their earlier intensity and some weak fringe defence allowed Regent back into the game with an unconverted try taking the score to 17 – 5. This score spurred Regent on and after further pressure they moved within 5 points with a converted try.
One of Down High’s weaknesses this season has been their error rate with persistent unforced mistakes gifting possession and territory to the opposition however with the score at 17 -12 and Down High under the cosh they rediscovered their structure and began to use their possession wisely with Justin Rea kicking effectively for position and the chasing line putting the opposition under pressure. This ultimately led to Down High scoring 2 tries in the last 10 minutes, Aaron Cairns scoring his second with another impressive break, Justin Rea adding the straightforward conversion and then on full time Down High were awarded a lineout deep in the Regent 22 after a fine kick and chase, they secured possession from the lineout and after a fine catch and drive John Donnan forced his way over in the corner to leave the final score 29 -12.
This was overall a fine display and yet another step forward from the promising Down High 1stXV who have lost only 3 times in 12 games so far this season. The boys know that there is plenty of room for improvement and will work very hard over the next few weeks to rectify their weaknesses and eliminate the potentially fatal error rate as the Schools Cup competition begins to loom on the horizon.
The breakthrough came on 20 minutes when good handling created space for Ben Shields who outpaced the Regent cover to score in the left corner to give Down High a deserved 5 – 0 lead.
Seven minutes later Aaron Cairns gathered from a loose ruck and his mazy run broke through weak Regent defence enabling him to score under the posts. Justin Rea converted to give Down High a 12 – 0 lead.
This was followed up 5 minutes later when a typical Matthew McKeown pick and drive earned him Down Highs third try taking the score to 17 – 0.
Regent were camped on the Down High line for the last 5 minutes of the first half but Down High defended very solidly and managed to clear their lines to take a 17 – 0 lead into half time.
Regent started the second half with renewed effort whereas Down High seemed to lose a bit of their earlier intensity and some weak fringe defence allowed Regent back into the game with an unconverted try taking the score to 17 – 5. This score spurred Regent on and after further pressure they moved within 5 points with a converted try.
One of Down High’s weaknesses this season has been their error rate with persistent unforced mistakes gifting possession and territory to the opposition however with the score at 17 -12 and Down High under the cosh they rediscovered their structure and began to use their possession wisely with Justin Rea kicking effectively for position and the chasing line putting the opposition under pressure. This ultimately led to Down High scoring 2 tries in the last 10 minutes, Aaron Cairns scoring his second with another impressive break, Justin Rea adding the straightforward conversion and then on full time Down High were awarded a lineout deep in the Regent 22 after a fine kick and chase, they secured possession from the lineout and after a fine catch and drive John Donnan forced his way over in the corner to leave the final score 29 -12.
This was overall a fine display and yet another step forward from the promising Down High 1stXV who have lost only 3 times in 12 games so far this season. The boys know that there is plenty of room for improvement and will work very hard over the next few weeks to rectify their weaknesses and eliminate the potentially fatal error rate as the Schools Cup competition begins to loom on the horizon.
DHS 2nd XV 16-7 Wellington 1st XV
Kelvin Hamilton: 1 Try
Luca Rea: 1 Conversion , 3 Penalties
Luca Rea: 1 Conversion , 3 Penalties
DHS 1st XV 15-7 Friends 1st XV
This result brought closure to a very successful week for the DHS 1st's after they'd defeated Friend's next door neighbours Wallace on the previous Wednesday afternoon.
The boys have a week off next week and the opportunity to address some of the weaknesses that have been shown up in recent performances.
The boys have a week off next week and the opportunity to address some of the weaknesses that have been shown up in recent performances.
