Down High entered this game, away to local rivals Regent, on the back of a lack lustre win against Wellington. While the result was important, a good performance was even more sought after.
Down High started the game well and had the lion’s share of territory and possession in the initial encounters. However the Regent defence held firm as they consistently soaked up or spoiled the visitors’ attack. As the half progressed Regent evened things up and indeed they were first to score after a Down High clearance kick failed to make touch and the home team backs attacked wide for well executed but unconverted try.
Shortly after this initial score, Down High responded with a fantastic midfield break from Paddy Wright who rounded the covering defence before distributing to Toni Rushe who came onto the ball at pace for a certain score. The conversion was missed.
For the remainder of the half the game became quite scrappy, however Down High were able to enter the half time break with a 3 point lead after Paddy Wright landed a long range penalty right on the blow.
The second half was another scrappy affair with both teams giving up possession and forcing errors from each other. Regent were first to score about 15 minutes into the half when they exploited a numerical advantage on the blindside. The conversion fell short.
The final score of the game came with about 10 minutes to play. Again it came from a perceptive break from Paddy Wright who spotted a gap in the Regent defence and used his pace to make big inroads into the Regent half. When the covering defence got across to him he made a great inside pass to Roger Birt who had come in off his wing and was able to stride away from any defensive cover.
All in all Down High were glad to come away with the win but know there are areas of their game that need fine tuned if they are to perform to their full potential.
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The 2nd XV had a con beating Regent by 29-5.
Down High started the game well and had the lion’s share of territory and possession in the initial encounters. However the Regent defence held firm as they consistently soaked up or spoiled the visitors’ attack. As the half progressed Regent evened things up and indeed they were first to score after a Down High clearance kick failed to make touch and the home team backs attacked wide for well executed but unconverted try.
Shortly after this initial score, Down High responded with a fantastic midfield break from Paddy Wright who rounded the covering defence before distributing to Toni Rushe who came onto the ball at pace for a certain score. The conversion was missed.
For the remainder of the half the game became quite scrappy, however Down High were able to enter the half time break with a 3 point lead after Paddy Wright landed a long range penalty right on the blow.
The second half was another scrappy affair with both teams giving up possession and forcing errors from each other. Regent were first to score about 15 minutes into the half when they exploited a numerical advantage on the blindside. The conversion fell short.
The final score of the game came with about 10 minutes to play. Again it came from a perceptive break from Paddy Wright who spotted a gap in the Regent defence and used his pace to make big inroads into the Regent half. When the covering defence got across to him he made a great inside pass to Roger Birt who had come in off his wing and was able to stride away from any defensive cover.
All in all Down High were glad to come away with the win but know there are areas of their game that need fine tuned if they are to perform to their full potential.
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The 2nd XV had a con beating Regent by 29-5.