DUFC 29
Blackrock College RFC 11
Blackrock out-half David Godfrey (left) spills the ball under pressure from DUFC’s Jack Kelly.
Rory McCarthy
Deputy Sports Editor
Trinity got their UBL campaign off to a flying start with a bonus point win over Blackrock RFC in College Park on Saturday.
The final score, 29-11, was a fair reflection of Trinity’s dominance in the game, with Brian DuToit named Man of the Match. DuToit turned in a typically ferocious and committed performance getting umpteen turnovers and covering tracts of ground in loose play.
The game started in slow and scrappy fashion with Rock using their physical pack to good use. Former Leinster players Paul Ryan and Des Dillon were instrumental in their initial prowess in the set-piece and their strength caused Trinity a good deal on problems in building momentum and establishing any sort of pattern on the game.
Rock opened the scoring first when Trinity infringed in the maul and the metronomic David Godfrey added three points. Trinity continued to try and play good rugby, with David Joyce kicking accurately and intelligently to pin Rock back, however Trinity could never exert enough pressure to break Rock’s defence. Furthermore Rock’s persistent cynicism and indiscipline in giving away penalties resulted in Trinity being unable to build phases to stretch the Rock defence.
Finally Joyce opened his account, when Rock were pinged for sealing off, just outside the 22. From there Trinity displayed the attitude that made them champions last year. Under the cosh from a prolonged period of Rock possession in their 22, Godfrey looked like he might unlock the Trinity defence. Former DUFC scrumhalf Billy Glynn playing for Rock this season, was having a good impact in the Rock build-up when his pass to a forward runner, was picked off by Ciaran Wade. Wade who judged his timing to perfection sprinted away and was closed down by Jan Simon-Byrne. He kicked the ball long and Neil Hanratty scorched upfield. The old adage of a kick only being as good as its chase rang true and Hanratty thumped the Rock fullback as he picked up the kick. The ball bounced loose from his possession and Ariel Robles was on hand to gather the loose ball and dot down. Trinity had turned a sustained period of pressure against them, into points at the other end.
Then Trinity found another gear just before the half drew to a close. Godfrey added a penalty for obstruction off the restart but Trinity would not let the swing in momentum slip away. That made it 8-6 but just before half time DuToit turned over the ball and showed good pace to get outside the Rock defence before passing it off to Jack Dilger. Dilger still had some work to do but he showed good pace and movement to saunter away from the Rock cover defence to score under the posts with Joyce adding the extras. That made it 15-6 at half-time.
Just before the break Hanratty hit a switch off Wade and thumped into Paul Ryan at full speed and the Rock backrower was clearly shook by the hit. He was up to then their most committed forward, but the knock clearly affected him and denied Rock a good outlet of ball carrying momentum in the second half. Paddy Lavelle who had a good afternoon in shutting down the Rock midfield with some tidy tackling, got his first run early in the second half, slicing through and offloading to DuToit, who again seemed to be engaging in some sort of rugby equivalent of teleportation showing up wherever Trinity made a break.
They would have scored but for a solid cover tacke from Glynn outside the Rock ‘5. Rock turned it over, but Godfrey scuppered the clearance and Trinity had a lineout in prime position in the Rock 22. Paddy Carroll and Jack Kelly, who were surely targeted for some special attention, both performed excellently out of touch and their lineout went wide to Wade who popped a subtle inside pop to Pierce Dargan. He battled over to score with Joyce again adding the extras to make it 22-6. Trinity then off the kick-off shunted downfield again with manic aggression and Martin Kelly dived over from close-range to score, securing the bonus-point making it 29-6. Rock now began to start exerting some pressure but it became very difficult for them. Their captain Cian Culleton, played with a injured wrist and together with Paul Ryan and Des Dillon battled hard.
Rock grabbed a try of their own with Scott-Lennon diving over in the corner and Godfrey adding the touchline conversion to make it 29-11. However it was to be Rocks’ last say on the game, as both teams, clearly tiring from the first game of the league began to make errors. Aside from the energizer bunny DuToit who looked as if he could have played another 160 minutes afterwards, the final whistle came as welcome relief.
An old expression from the days of school rugby is you can’t knock the Rock. You can’t, but you can beat them. And Trinity did just that. The game was far from perfect, and Trinity will need to improve aspects of their rucking and their scrummaging for the tougher tests this year. It’s not by any means an ideal start for Blackrock and the Stradbrook boys could be in for a tough year as theu look to be lacking the necessary for this level.
DUFC will have to be content with a bonus point win that leaves them third in the table. It is however a long season and eyes would have been cast at UCD’s huge win up in Belfast where they demolished Belfast Harlequins 48-20.
As Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said ‘Great is the art of beginning, but greater is the art of ending’.
DUFC
Tries: Robles, Dilger, Dargan, Kelly
Pen: Joyce
Conv: Joyce (3)
Rock
Tries: Lennon
Pen: Godfrey
Conv: Godfrey
