DOWN High produced a nail-biting display in a hard-fought victory over Belfast Royal Academy on Saturday in Downpatrick.
Conditions were extremely blustery, although the wind was going across the pitch, causing both sides equal problems.
Down High were clearly dominant in the opening quarter, but several attacks lacked a clinical edge and despite lots of pressure, the scoreboard remained in a steady state. In these opening minutes, BRA did enjoy a sustained period of play in Down High territory, but the home town defence was watertight.
Back at the other end Ben Gibson was unlucky not to get points when he was adjudged to have been held up over the line after a period of play close the BRA line.
Finally, around 20 minutes into the half, the pressure turned into points with Joe Charles driving over from short range for an unconverted try.
It was the second half before Down High added to their tally. This time the pack provided the platform with a very convincing driven maul.
Having driven towards the BRA line at great pace, the referee felt the BRA infringement to stop the maul was so stark that he marched under the posts, awarding Down a penalty try to take the score line to 12-0.
With a reasonable buffer, the local lads did lift their foot a little off the gas.
A few BRA replacements made a big impact and in a relatively short space of time the North Belfast outfit had scored two converted tries, giving them a 14-12 lead.
With 10 minutes to go, Down, now chasing the game, had to produce something special. And that they did.
Winger Jonathan Graham was the player to touch down, reaching out to score on the back of some great work in the maul by the dominant Down pack.
The conversion attempt from out wide fell short leaving Down with a slender 17-14 lead and around six minutes of play left.
The closing exchanges were tense with BRA making their way into Down territory on a few occasions, but a few vital pieces of defensive play saved the day, one of these being a crucial turnover from replacement David Corrie.
The referee’s final whistle on the back of a BRA knock-on was greatly welcomed by the large home support.
Down have now drawn Bangor Grammar in the semi-finals — a side they have both beaten and lost to earlier in the season.
Down High School 17
Belfast Royal Academy 14
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