Match Report: Connemara v Ards 08-03-08
Connemara 33 Ards 13 8th March 2008
Connemara went a long way towards securing their place in AIL division 3 with great win over 5th on the table Ards in a very wet and blustery Monastery Field. This was a postponed fixture that was fixed to clash with the Ireland-Wales game which meant that due to weather and the International match the crowd was well down on what would be expected for a fixture of this importance.
In one sense the result was not such a great surprise as Connemara have been playing well in the last few games, narrowly beaten by table toppers Bruff and Banbridge and a good away win against Derry City.
Connemara were playing into the strong wind in the first half and started well Ards looked very ordinary in the early stages despite the fact that they had a huge pack and were playing with a very strong wind .
The Connemara plan was to keep the ball in hand against the wind. This they did and it seemed to work but at times they seemed to be living dangerously. However, they went ahead with a Troy Nathan penalty and this was followed by an excellent piece of play which saw John O’Brien sprint in on the right after some excellent play by Sean Joyce and Paddy O’Toole who drew his man before giving O’Brien the ball for a first class try.
This was no more than Connemara deserved. The conversion was missed leaving the score 8-0.
At this point Ards seemed to wake from their slumber and started to play the rugby that saw them beat Rainey OB 46 -27 in their last outing.
They were rewarded with a penalty leaving the score 8-3. At this stage Ards took over and sensing their dominance decided to go for touch on a few occasions when they might have taken the points.
At half time the home side lead 11-3.
Within minutes of the second half Connemara were in for a second try from Alan Keogh after some great handling by Connemara, score 18-3.
Things were looking good at this stage but Connemara seemed to rest on their laurels and things started to go wrong or at least things were not going well. They conceded penalty after penalty and before Connemara knew what was going on the score was 18- 13. This came from a well worked try which was converted and a converted penalty. Ards were right back into the game. For a while Connemara was under the cosh but a penalty in 25th minute of the second half put a bit of light between the sides, 21-13. Ards now started to show some of the skills that got them to 5th spot on the table but despite their best efforts they failed to break down the home defence.
With only 3 minutes of normal time to go Emmett Ferron got in for a try leaving the score 26-13.
Could the home team do what they had failed to do all season and collect a bonus point for 4 try’s?
Ards were not giving up and were putting on a lot of pressure on the home defence when Kevin Keogh intercepted a pass and made a break for the line he was supported by the ever alert and youthful Bernard Keaney who took the pass and went in under the post for the all important try which was converted by Troy Nathan. The ref blew the final whistle and with the score 33-13. It was a great day for rugby in Connemara and almost certainly ensures Senior Rugby will continue at the Monastery field next season. (P. Walshe)
