Dublin University Football Club (DUFC) began the season last night with a Leinster League fixture away to Old Belvedere. Despite a superb comeback in the second half, the deficit from DUFC’s mistake-riddled first half was too much for the visitors and they fell to a 40-36 defeat at Anglesea Road.
Old Belvedere started the match well, with a quick try from a well-placed kick to touch. Seven points down after five minutes, DUFC lost their composure. They struggled to keep possession against an aggressive Old Belvedere defence.
But a short period of possession was all that DUFC needed to get back into the game, as a penalty won from a scrum was coolly smacked over by fly-half James Fennelly, recently returned from a spell abroad. The support for Old Belvedere got louder, and after another five minutes the hosts were once again putting pressure on the Trinity defence.
DUFC will want to forget the rest of the second half. They faced a barrage of aggressive running and tackles and ended up conceding four more tries, the best of which came near the end of the half. After a period of sustained pressure in their 22, Old Belvedere turned the ball over and stormed up the pitch, finishing the half in style with their fifth try.
Things did not look good for Trinity going into the break and they worsened at the beginning of the second half. Great passing from Old Belvedere allowed them to breach the Trinity line for a sixth time. The rapturous crowd spurred on the home team, who were brimming with confidence as the conversion flew over the bar, all but guaranteeing the win.
DUFC finally found a sense of urgency lacking in their earlier play around the hour mark, as a Billy O’Hora interception sparked a Philip Murphy try, converted well by Fennelly. They continued to struggle to retain possession, as a number of lineouts failed to lead to clear-cut chances due to handling errors.
With the balance of the game shifting, Old Belvedere’s concentration dropped as DUFC’s hard work started to pay off. A maul from a lineout on the home side’s 22 was forced over the line and converted to cut the lead to 23 points. A comeback still looked unlikely but Trinity stuck at it. With high pressure from DUFC right from kick-off, they regained possession and scored another try just a few minutes later.
DUFC looked a completely different side. Passes were finally sticking. Another try, this time from Joe Horan, brought Trinity closer to a potential comeback, all but silencing the crowd.
Good play from DUFC’s forwards forced a fumble within the Old Belvedere 22 and a superbly weighted kick from Fennelly to the corner was picked up by Darragh Porter for undoubtedly DUFC’s best try of the night. The conversion meant that Trinity were a single score behind Old Belvedere, who looked rattled.
But Trinity fell just short of the mark, losing a crucial lineout towards the end of the game and allowing Belvedere to retain the ball for the remaining seconds of the match. The home side forced a penalty and kicked to touch, ending the match 40-36 in favour of the home side.
Trinity now take on Clontarf in College Park on Thursday. After a preseason trip to Galway and a tough match in Anglesea Road, they should be well prepared to take on their northside opponents.
