Galwegians enjoyed the perfect start to their Ulster Bank League division 1b campaign when they secured a 25-17 bonus-point win over Dublin University College (Trinity ) at Glenina on Saturday.
Newly-promoted, Galwegians were the only team to score a winning bonus point at the weekend, but they now face a much stiffer test when they travel to Limerick to face Shannon on Saturday.
New coach Matt Brown will need his charges to be more clinical despite leading from start to finish last Saturday. Quick of the mark, they scored a second-minute try when centre Gary O’Brien took a flat pass from outhalf Rory Parata at pace, cutting through the defence to score under the posts. Parata converted for a 7-0 lead, and although he pulled a seventh minute penaltywide of the posts, Wegians extend their lead with a second try after 12 minutes. Once again the backs showed their potency when Matt Dever made the break and Jerome Harrimate finished in the right corner.
The students, however, staged a revival, scoring from their first meaningful attack. Centre and captain Paddy Lavelle took a reverse pass from outhalf Jack McDermott to touch down, with McDermott adding the extras to close the gap to 12-7.
Parata stretched the home side’s lead to 15-7 with a penalty following an excellent scrum before a counterattack from a long-range Trinity clearance was finished by Brian Murphy. Dominating possession, Galwegians added a third try when scrumhalf Caolan Blade sniped over in the left-corner, making it 22-7 at the break.
The visitors, however, staged a second-half revival, kickstarted by captain Lavelle who showed great determination to score in the corner for his second try. While Parata and Harrimate both lost possession with the line at their mercy, only desperate defence kept the visitors out again.
In the end a yellow-card to Trinity winger Tim Maupin for a late tackle on fullback John Cleary allowed Galwegians to regain territory, and they eventually capitalised when Dever scored his third try in two games to seal the game and the bonus point.
GALWEGIANS XV: J Cleary; J Harrimate, B Murphy, G O’Brien, M Dever; R Parata,C Blade; D McHugh, R Fitzgerald, J East; B McClearn, M Cummins; M Towey, P Hackett, A Ryan. Replacements, C Conroy, M Connolly, E Tarmey, J Dinneen, K Kyne.
