Rainey 2nd XV 35–29 Letterkenny 1st XV Saturday
SolarFix NI Junior Shield — First Round
Try Scorers: C Kennedy, J Mawhinney, A Currie, D O’Conor, A Brown
Conversions: J Cappell (5)
Rainey 2nd XV welcomed Qualifying 2 side Letterkenny to Hatrick Park for the first round of the SolarFix NI Junior Shield, with the home side eventually coming out on top in an entertaining encounter that saw the lead change hands several times before Rainey secured a 35–29 victory.
The Rainey side included a number of returnees from last season’s squad, while there were also opportunities for several players to step up and make their mark.
Among the starters were new wingers James Mawhinney, who joined the club this season and Stephane Lloyd-Evans who featured predominantly for the 3rds XV last season before stepping up to 2nds XV rugby towards the latter stages of the campaign. There was also a start for Luke Caskey, last season’s Rainey Endowed School captain, who lined out in the back row.
Rainey started brightly and opened the scoring through scrum-half Conor Kennedy. After applying pressure from a well-placed box kick, Kennedy followed up with a superb sniping run inside the Letterkenny 22 before crossing for the opening try. J Cappell added the conversion to put Rainey 7–0 ahead.
Letterkenny responded after around ten minutes of sustained pressure on the Rainey defence, eventually finding their way over the line. The conversion was successful to bring the scores level at 7–7.
The home side then began to take control of proceedings inside the Letterkenny half. Following a strong driving maul, Rainey released quick ball to the backs, with winger Mawhinney finishing off a good move by crossing in the corner. Cappell again added the extras, putting Rainey back in front at 14–7.
Letterkenny hit back once more after a misread kick in behind the Rainey defence took a fortunate bounce into the visitors’ favour. They converted the resulting try to level the scores at 14–14, which remained the score at half-time.
Rainey came out firing after the interval and needed just a minute to regain the lead. Following a series of strong carries from the Rainey forwards inside the Letterkenny 22, the home side earned a tap penalty five metres from the line. Lock forward Adam Currie was on hand to finish the move, powering over for Rainey’s third try. Cappell’s conversion made it 21–14.
Letterkenny refused to yield however, and responded with a converted try of their own to level the game once again at 21–21.
The momentum then swung towards the visitors. Letterkenny capitalised on their opportunities and added another try, although the conversion was missed, to move into a 25–21 lead.
From the restart, they then worked their way back up the field and forced Rainey into an infringement. The visitors made no mistake from the resulting penalty, with a well-struck kick extending their advantage to 29–21.
Rainey were now in danger of allowing the game to slip away, but the home side responded with the determination required.
Hooker Dominic O’Conor got Rainey back into the contest, crashing over from a pick-and-go after sustained pressure from the forwards. Cappell converted to bring Rainey within two points at 29–27.
The comeback was completed soon afterwards.
Rainey won a scrum penalty against the head, and the backs produced a well-executed line move, with centre A Brown finding the space to cross the whitewash and dot down.
Cappell calmly added the conversion, completing his perfect afternoon with the boot and putting Rainey back in front at 35–29.
The home side then showed the defensive resolve required to see out the remaining stages and secure a hard-fought six-point victory.
It was a hugely entertaining contest between two sides who refused to give up, with the lead changing hands several times throughout the afternoon. Rainey will be pleased with the character shown to recover from an eight-point deficit and finish the game strongly to progress in the SolarFix NI Junior Shield.
There were several excellent individual performances, with special mentions going to prop Deaglan McErlean and scrum-half Conor Kennedy, who both put in tremendous shifts in attack and defence.
Hooker Dominic O’Conor also deserves recognition for his hard-working performance, particularly at scrum time, while back-row forward Luke Caskey impressed with some excellent defensive work.
Overall, a strong comeback from Rainey 2nds XV, who can take plenty of positives from a game that tested their character right until the final whistle
