Ballymena’s Ricky Andrew and Scott Gibson struggle with DUFC’s Neil Hanratty
Rory McCarthy
Deputy Sports Editor
DUFC – 25
Ballymena -11
Trinity kept their winning ways up with an underwhelming victory over Ballymena RFC in College Park on Saturday. DUFC came into the game on the back of an encouraging performance against St Mary’s RFC last Friday in the Leinster League semi-final. For DUFC to match the intensity and accuracy of that performance would have taken a monumental surge in energy after only a 6-day turnaround from such a bruising encounter with the Division 1A champions. Tony Smeeth and Hugh McGuire never allow complacency against struggling teams or meekness against top teams but there will be a real sense of missed opportunity in not securing a bonus point.
Ballymena had a very tough start to their season playing two promotion candidates in UCD and Malone, but their early season stats make for a bad reading. They had prior to kickoff scored a paltry 8 points but even more worryingly they conceded 85 points in two games. Trinity surely must have felt that, given their form, a bonus point was a viable objective.
The first half was a poor affair with both Ballymena and Trinity appearing ponderous in attack and inefficient in the set piece. Trinity never tested a flat-footed and slow Ballymena side enough and the only real bit of excitement was Neil Hanratty’s excellent break that was called back for an initial forward pass. Ballymena had an early opportunity for three points from Scott Gibson, who pulled his kick just to the left. Trinity played their best rugby when they sought to go around Ballymena’s slow midfield and from the missed kick, Trinity’s outhalf Cathal Marsh demonstrated how to achieve this, with a searing break from the in-goal area up to the opposition half. However, Trinity became stale and unimaginative in attack, on a number of occasions.
Ballymena with their big pack were more than willing to get involved in trench warfare, with Stephen Mulholland, John Andrew and David Whann all relishing the release of Trinity’s forwards up their channels. Ballymena had their own occasional flourishes into Trinity’s half and were it not for Brian DuToit’s excellent poaching work at the breakdown they could have seriously troubled Trinity. DuToit might lack the heft and bulk of some of his braai bred brethren from Natal but the young Afrikaner has excellent footwork and agility in contact. His tackling is not only brave but it is also technically excellent and he is always tactically aware in collisions.
Trinity finally got on the scoreboard with Warren Larkin flopping over from close range after a series of close pick and go’s from the Trinity front five. Marsh added the extras and just before half time Gibson closed the deficit with a penalty. It was 7-3 at half time.
There wouldn’t have been a need for major hairdryer treatment from Smeeth at half time but McGuire was doing his best to bring about a self-inflicted aneurism consistently bemoaning Trinity’s fetish for kicking the ball time after time once their play became narrow and slow. DUFC brought on Alan McDonald for Pierce Dargan at the half and the ex-Edinburgh backrow immediately made his presence felt with some typically thundering tackles.
Ballymena drew first blood in the half with John Andrew peeling off from a maul to dive in for a try despite Marsh’s tackle. McGuire by this stage was somewhere in between a stroke and heart failure through irritation and Trinity responded to his problem with a great team try. From a DUFC scrum in the Ballymena 22, Mick McLoughlin fed Paddy Lavelle who thundered up through the soft Ballymena cover defence. After good carries from Larkin and Ian Hirst, Marsh fed Niyi Adelokun who dived over in the left corner. Marsh’s conversion made it 14-8.
Trinity brought on Ariel Robles to centre and moved Dave Fanagan to scrumhalf and these changes brought them much more width in their play and both had an immediate impact. After a truly dazzling and endless passage of play at which Robles and Marsh were intrinsic in, Trinity got a penalty for Ballymena killing the ball. Marsh made it 17-8 but Gibson responded immediately after Trinity went in the side to make it 17-11.
Following Jack Kelly’s excellent turn-over, Marsh added another penalty before Robles scored one of the easiest try’s that he will finish; he simply ran straight at the opposition and the Ballymena midfielder defended like a man who was distracted looking for his car keys! Robles was as bemused as the Ballymena coach and went over to make it 25-11. Trinity went into overdrive looking for a fourth try and it seemed a certainty after Marsh’s long winding pass was sent to Robles who was unmarked and looked a dead cert to score. However he couldn’t hold the ball and with a knock-on the referee blew the final whistle.
To end the game in such a fashion naturally left the Trinity team with a feeling of disappointment. That shouldn’t be the over-riding sentiment for the students, who managed to secure a good result despite a rather unconvincing and stuttering performance. Trinity now have to prepare to their first and only trip to Munster this season when they take on Bruff next Saturday. A repeat of this performance in Limerick won’t suffice and one imagines McGuire will be equally animated throughout the week at training as he was on Saturday to underline this point. Nonetheless, Trinity march on with three wins from three.
