Wegians ease relegation fears in style

Date Published: {J}

GALWEGIANS gave their survival prospects in Ulster Bank Division 1b an enormous boost when, for the second game in succession, they secured maximum points against student opposition.

Three weeks ago, they did a demolition job on UCD in Crowley Park and, on Saturday, it was the turn of the hapless UCC to suffer at the hands of the dominant Blues at the Mardyke.

The foundations for this win were once again laid in the Galwegians pack, and they set the tone early on. By the end of the first quarter, the visitors were well on top, courtesy of two well-taken tries scored by centre Colin Conroy, his second coming on the back of a superb break by his in-form centre partner Brian Murphy.

Out-half Tadhg Leader added one conversion and a penalty, with UCC’s Pat Parfrey responding with a penalty to leave it15-3 to Wegians. Not surprisingly the students’ game plan was to run at every opportunity, and they showed their threat on occasion, underlying the need for the visitors to keep their defensive shape intact.

But the Blues landed a killer blow in the 35th minute, when captain and lock forward Brian McClearn crossed for his third try of the season. Although Leader was wide with the conversion attempt, this left Wegians 20-3 to the good at the break.

Leader added his second penalty shortly after the restart to stretch their advantage to 23-3. However despite their supremacy on the scoreboard, the Galway outfit were not entirely convincing in all aspects of their game, and they soon became complacent as they lost their focus. The students, to their credit, never gave up the chase, and they soon crossed the whitewash when winger Joe Holland went over for their first try.

For more, read this week's Connacht Sentinel.