BUCCANEERS SECONDS 83 MONIVEA 0
Buccaneer’s Seconds finally hit the form they are capable of to inflict a crushing 83-0 defeat on struggling Monivea in their Connacht Junior 1A League game played on the main pitch at Dubarry Park on Sunday.
On a bright but cold afternoon, Buccs were totally dominant from start to finish against a visiting outfit that could not get any momentum.
It took the homesters some time to unlock the westerners defence before Harry Balsiger set the Pirates on their way with a 12th minute try and John Why added a second ten minutes later. The score remained 12-0 in favour of the hosts until the half-hour mark but then Buccs ran in four further tries before the interval. Mathias O’Neill got reward for his energetic breaks with the third touchdown quickly followed by tries by Rory O’Connor, Eoin O’Reilly and a second by Balsiger. Andrew Evans added 5 conversions to give Buccaneers a substantial 40-0 lead at half-time.
Buccs continued to deliver on the scoreboard with Evans getting in on the try scoring act within a minute of the change of ends. The tries continued to flow against the hapless visitors with Ross Murphy-Sweeney securing a hat-trick while O’Connor, Why and Evans added to their tally to complete the rout as Buccaneers finally capitalised on the potential of their youthful squad who now move up to fifth on the league table.
BUCCANEERS:- A.Evans; H.Balsiger, R.O’Connor, R.Teape, R.Murphy-Sweeney; J.Why, E.O’Reilly; J.Kelly (captain ), E.Gallagher, C.Fokam; F.McDonnell, C.Morrissey; B.Fagan, M.O’Neill and R.O’Meara. Replacements used:- Cian Daly, K.Egan, T.Curley, Colin Daly, C.Rooney-Digan, K.Connolly and T.McGann.
BUCCANEERS THIRDS 23 GALWEGIANS THIRDS 21
Buccaneer’s Thirds and Galwegians served up an enthralling Connacht Junior 2A League tie that ended in a welter of excitement as Buccs snatched a 23-21 victory with a final move of the game try at Dubarry Park on Sunday.
Buccs took an early lead courtesy of a Darren Costello penalty but Wegians responded with a smart converted try by their centre. The midlanders responded to the challenge and applied concerted pressure for a spell that was finished off by early substitute Declan Brady whose unconverted try nosed Buccs 8-7 ahead. They continued to force the pace and were rewarded for their efforts when Rory Grenham grounded for a try near the posts, Costello’s conversion giving the hosts a 15-7 lead at the interval.
An injury to a Galwegians prop caused a lengthy half-time delay and we wish him a full and swift recovery. When the play resumed Wegians gradually got a foothold on the proceedings and a converted try left just a solitary point between two hard-working teams. A Brendan Fagan penalty gave Buccs a bit of space on the scoreboard before the light blues dictated territory in the final quarter. The home defence remained steadfast even when Declan O’Rourke was sin-binned.
Then with time almost up Galwegians were awarded what seemed to a scrum for a knock-on by the referee but the visitors quickly tapped and went, catching Buccs off-guard to run in for a converted try at the posts that looked sure to earn the spoils. However, the Pirates restarted promptly and soon regained possession before going through a number of phases in which Alex Hayman’s calm awareness proved vital as they made inroads into the Tribemens’ territory. It looked like their momentum had been halted wide on the left but Karl Turley seized the opportunity to pick from the back of a ruck and dart in on the blindside for a dramatic match-winning try.
BUCCANEERS:- D.Costello; L.O’Connor, A.Hayman, R.Grenham, H.Hughes; D.Fagan, G.Fallon; P.McManus, C.Brill, T.Thompson; G.Kenny, L.Baker; M.Lyons, T.Ward and S.Byrne. Replacements used:- E.Slevin, R.Mahon, K.Grehan, D.Brady, L.Callinan, G.Halligan, K.Turley and D.O’Rourke.
