It’s perfect for Ballynahinch

It’s perfect for Ballynahinch

8 March 2023

BALLYNAHINCH experienced an almost perfect day at Ballymacarn Park on Saturday.

There was a full house for pre-match lunch, the late kickoff kept the tills ringing until late into the night, the match was streamed live by the IRFU from the new purpose-built media centre and Adam Craig’s men put on a show with a six-try demolition of Dublin University, playing some sensational rugby in the process.

Skipper Tommy Donnan and regular hooker Claytan Milligan were out with concussion, so Tom Martin and Josh Hanlon stepped up to start in the pack where they were joined by Ulster releases Cormac Izuchukwu and Matty Rea.

Mark Best returned to midfield and Fergus Jemphrey started on the wing, allowing Ethan Graham to play at his preferred position of full-back.

Hanlon opened the scoring after just five minutes from a textbook 20m driving maul for which forwards coach John Gunson deserves plenty of credit.

The home scrum was also dominant all afternoon, yielding penalties and allowing Ballynahinch to dictate field position.

The students hit back with a penalty, but following a great defensive set full of big hits from the likes of George Saunderson the home side pulled away with two quick tries. 

Bradley Luney walked in the first after some expert hands from Greg Hutley and then a brilliant attacking move from inside their own half involving Best, Cairns and Luney put Ethan Graham under the posts.

Suddenly Ballynahinch were 14 points ahead. As the game approached half time, they continued to repel the students with superb defence and went into the break in complete control.

Ulster Academy scrum-half Conor McKee was introduced early in the second half after a long spell out with injury and made an immediate impact with a well-taken try. 

Hanlon offloaded to the ever-alert Graham, who ran a great angle and managed to find McKee running a classic scrum-half trailing line. He was half tackled but had just enough momentum to score and clinch the bonus point.

Trinity got themselves a foothold in the game with a well-taken try in the corner, but Ballynahinch were far from finished. Izuchukwu showed all his power to carry through a couple of tackles and then offload from the deck to Mckee who raced through to return the favour to Graham who scored his second try despite a tap-tackle.

Hanlon completed the scoring in the corner after Best and Graham had put him into space. He exchanged passes with the impressive teenage full-back and dived over in the corner.

A late Jemphrey yellow card and consolation try for the students could not take the gloss off a superb outing for Ballynahinch.

They gained a point on fourth-placed Young Munster and can travel with confidence to champions Clontarf in three weeks’ time as the league enters the final block of fixtures.

Ballynahinch (1-21): George Saunderson, Josh Hanlon, Kyle McCall, Cormac Izuchukwu, Tom Martin, Matty Rea, Zack McCall (capt), Bradley Luney, Chris Gibson, Greg Hutley, Aaron Cairns, Mark Best, George Pringle, Fergus Jemphrey, Ethan Graham, Nacho Cladera, John Dickson, James Simpson, Conor McKee, Ryan Wilson, Jack Milligan.