BANN GAIN LOSING BONUS AGAINST QUEENS
BANBRIDGE 1STs 17 Queen's  20 
March 7, 2009

Irvine drives with Thompson in support

“Every little helps” – the Banbridge supporters may well have tried to re-assure themselves with this mantra after their team picked up a losing bonus point in Saturday’s All-Ireland League game at Rifle Park.

But on further reflection they will know that a badly-needed win was there for the taking after Bann had raced into a 17-5 lead with just 25 minutes gone. Admittedly that bonus point lifted them level with Sunday’s Well to share second-bottom place in Division Three. But the win that their early efforts suggested was within their capabilities would have done so much more to lift the spectre of a play-off to avoid relegation.

Bann couldn’t have asked for a better start. The kick-off was fumbled by no less than three Queen’s players and out-half Richard Finlay won the race to touch down the loose ball deep inside the in-goal area. Neville Farr kicked the tricky conversion and four minutes later added a more straightforward penalty to really get his side up and running.

Playing into the wind, the students were making life even harder for themselves with a rash of handling errors. But they did manage to put together a period of pressure after Bann had been penalised on their own 10 metre line. That culminated in right winger Luke McDowell crossing in the corner for an unconverted try.

Bann bounced back to take the upper hand, adding a second try after 24 minutes. From a scrum on the half-way line, Finlay put in a neat cross-field chip which Packie Downey did well to collect at full stretch. The right winger raced inside the Queen’s “22” and found Adam Waugh with a well-timed pass. Flanker Geoff Thompson came steaming up in support to collect Waugh’s pass and touch down under the posts. Farr’s conversion took his side 12 points clear.

Queen’s reduced the deficit when Ian Porter kicked a penalty on the half hour, but there was nothing in the students’ play to suggest that they could mount the sort of free-flowing rugby normally associated with student sides.

Still that nine point interval lead looked tenuous as Bann turned to face the elements. Both sides started the second half a player short, with Colin Bickerstaff and Queen’s full-back David McIlwaine having been yellow-carded just before the break.

Just eight minutes into the second period Porter landed another penalty, from 24 metres out, to bring his side within a score of Bann’s tally. The sides briefly returned to full strength before Queen’s again found themselves understrength when lock forward Michael Ferguson was rather harshly yellow-carded for a high tackle.

But Bann were unable to make their numerical advantage count – indeed a scrum against the head during the period of Ferguson’s absence brought to an end a passage of play that had offered their best chance of scoring after the break. With neither side apparently capable of stringing together any worthwhile attacking moves, and the referee too frequently having to resort to the use of the whistle, play became increasingly ragged.

However Porter’s third penalty, in the 65th minute and from all of 43 metres, had the alarm bells ringing among the Bann ranks. And when he brought his side level just two minutes later with another fine effort from 33 metres out, it was all looking rather ominous for the home side.

Bann had a chance to re-gain the lead in the 75th minute. With Farr having been replaced at scrum half by Jeff Dodds, Finlay stepped up to try his luck with a penalty from 36 metres but his effort was way off-target.

The game looked like petering out in a draw but when Bann were penalised again with just three minutes remaining, this time just outside their 10 metre line, Porter struck the kick between the posts for the fifth time to claim the win that kept his side in contention for promotion. It capped another fine display by the Queen’s scrum-half who started his rugby career at Rifle Park and has since moved on via Banbridge Academy to become part of the Ulster Academy.

His former club-mates now continue their battle at the other end of the table. Their destiny will be decided by visits to Ards (28th March) and Waterpark (18th April) and a home game against Nenagh Ormond on Easter Saturday.

Meantime Sunday’s Well have a home game against Barnhall before travelling to Suttonians and Old Wesley. With so little to separate the teams in Division Three in terms of ability, it’s difficult to forecast the outcome of any of those games. Bann have the apparent advantage of a final game against doomed Waterpark, but they will not want to be travelling on the last Saturday of the season needing a bonus point win to guarantee their survival in the senior ranks.

Coach Andre Bester will be keeping the squad hard at work over the next three weeks while the Six Nations Championship rules out any action at AIL level. And he will be focusing their thoughts firmly on the next game up at Ards, with wins at the North Down venue never easy to come by.

Darren Cochrane runs at the defence

Andrew Davidson gets to the ruck