Needing a win to close the gap on the leaders, Galwegians will look to their home fixture against Seapoint which takes place at Crowley Park on Saturday (2.30pm ).
Still in fifth place and nine points off the leaders in the Ulster Bank League division 2A, Galwegians have only five matches to catch up to ensure one of two automatic promotion spots.
Last weekend it took a last-minute Anthony Ryan try to share the spoils with fellow promotion hopefuls UCC at the Mardyke in Cork on Saturday.
In a highly entertaining game, the students opened the scoring after 30 minutes when a quick tap penalty inside their half caught the Blues’ defence napping, and quick hands saw Daniel Horgan score an opportunist try, which was converted by Sean Og Murphy for a 7-0 lead.
Wegians responded well, and when UCC flanker Johnny McCarthy was sin-binned for pulling down a rolling maul, Galwegians forced the College scrum backwards, leading to another penalty try this season, which Tadhg Leader converted to level matters 7-7.
With the game delicately poised at the start of the second-half, Wegians had an opportunity to kick on when an excellent block down by flanker Ivan Muldoon almost led to a try, only for the ball to beat him to the deadline. However within four minutes the Blues hit the front for the first and only time when more forward pressure forced the students on the retreat, and Leader made a superb interception to race home from halfway and dive under the posts for their second try, which he converted to give the Blues a 14-7 lead.
The students, however, upped the intensity, scoring a second try following a show and go by Luke Duffy who powered over near the posts. Daryl Foley’s conversion levelled the game on 62 minutes, and the home side then hit the front with a third try on 68 minutes following a penalty kicked to the corner. Charlie O’Regan dived in at the corner following patient phase play, giving the students a 19-14 advantage heading into the final 10 minutes.
Wegians tlaid siege on the visitors’ line and were rewarded in the 79th minute when substitute scrumhalf Conor O’Rourke’s long pass created an overlap for stalwart second-row Anthony Ryan to finish in the right-hand corner. Leader had the opportunity to snatch victory, but his touchline conversion drifted to the left and wide.
