Down High are unlucky

Down High are unlucky

1 March 2017

DOWN High School’s Medallion XV travelled to Dungannon on Saturday for the Danske Bank Medallion Bowl final against their rivals from Fermanagh.

The two sides had never met at any stage of their junior school rugby fixtures, so the outcome was very hard to predict. 

Despite having the lion’s share of both territory and possession, Down High came off second best and only had a Charlie Gibson goal in the first half to show for their considerable efforts.

Enniskillen, to their credit, had an excellent defensive performance and consistently thwarted the Down attack.

For long periods Down High applied pressure on the Fermanagh lads and varied their tactics, carrying the ball directly at moments and moving the ball wide at others in an attempt to break through

On the few occasions when they did break through the initial line of defence, the Enniskillen cover was superb.

In contrast, the Enniskillen attack was clinical and when they broke the Down line, they generally scored.

In the first half they scored three tries to lead 19-3 and in the second they added two more tries. 

Whilst there was great disappointment in the Down ranks at the final whistle, the boys recognised that there were many positives to their performance and they had been beaten by a very strong side.

They also took great consolation in their efforts to get to the final in the first place. 

Down High U-14s and U-13s also travelled to Royal School Dungannon for fixtures on Saturday.

The U-14s won 22-7 while the U-13s lost 19-12.

This Saturday the first XV travel to Omagh Academy for their Subsidiary Shield semi final showdown. The two sides have met twice this year with Omagh winning the first fixture and Down High winning the second.

The local lads know they will need to be at their best if they are to achieve their goal of securing a place in the final of this competition for a third consecutive year. 

Kick off is at 11am. 

Down High School 3

Enniskillen Royal 33

MEDALLION BOWL FINAL