RAINEY II 24 – 7 LETTERKENNY
Pre-season Friendly 22 August 2025
L Quinn (1*Try) K Bopoto (1*Try) A Montgomery (1*Try) J Cappell (1*Try, 2*Conv)
Under the glow of Friday night floodlights, Rainey 2nd XV hosted Letterkenny 1sts in a spirited encounter designed to showcase fringe talent to the coaching hierarchy. The Magherafelt men didn’t disappoint, delivering a performance full of grit, flair, and promise.
From the outset, Rainey’s intent was clear. The opening 20-minute quarter saw relentless carries from back-row trio Montgomery, Currie, and Millar, punching holes in the Letterkenny defence. Despite the pressure, the visitors held firm—until a well-worked lineout set the stage for the breakthrough. After a series of bruising phases, scrum-half Lorcan Quinn sold a dummy and sniped through a gap to dot down. Out-half James Cappell added the extras.
Letterkenny responded in the second quarter, capitalising on Rainey’s discipline lapses to march upfield. A quick tap from five metres out and slick hands across the pitch opened space for a converted try to bring it back to all square at 7–7.
But Rainey weren’t done. Fullback Jac Lloyd Evans, doubling as scrum-half, launched a box kick deep into Letterkenny territory. A sliced clearance gave Rainey a chance, and they pounced. A rapid lineout, a thunderous carry from Prop Thomas McNicholl, and silky hands from Browne and O’Kane stretched the defence. Prop Kundai Bopoto finished the move with a powerful burst under the posts. Cappell’s drop-goal conversion made it 14–7 at the break.
The second half saw wholesale changes, slightly blunting the tempo but not the drama. Ten minutes in, winger Daniel Ennis McManus intercepted and sprinted clear, only to be hauled down agonisingly short. From the ensuing lineout, Montgomery seized a loose ball and bulldozed his way over for a well-earned try. The conversion drifted wide.
In the final quarter, Cappell turned footballer, hacking through a loose ball and diving over for Rainey’s fourth and final try. With the conversion missed, the scoreboard read 24–7.
Letterkenny mounted a late siege, camping on Rainey’s line for nearly ten minutes. But the home side’s defence was resolute. A forced knock-on gave Rainey a scrum on their own five-metre line, and No8 Montgomery fittingly ended the night by booting the ball into touch.
