TERENURE COLLEGE 27 BUCCANEERS 21, Lakelands Park
Scorers: Terenure College: Tries: Robbie Smyth, Kevin O’Neill, Jake Swaine, Adam Clarkin; Cons: Jake Swaine 2; Pen: Jake Swaine
Buccaneers: Tries: Rory O’Connor, Callum Boland; Con: Luke Carty; Pens: Jack Carty 3
HT: Terenure College 5 Buccaneers 15
Terenure College bounced back from last week’s defeat at Clontarf to see off the challenge of 14-man Buccaneers, emerging as 27-21 bonus point winners of Saturday’s Division 1A tie at Lakelands Park.
With Jack Carty’s younger brother Luke leading the charge, bottom side Buccs built a 15-5 half-time lead in pursuit of their first win of the league season. However, a Kevin O’Neill try kicked Terenure back into gear and they were able to claim their fifth victory of the campaign.
The Pirates broke the deadlock after kicking a penalty to touch in the seventh minute. A powerful surge from the pack almost produced a try but when the ball was spread out towards the right corner, out-half Carty was there to score in clinical fashion. He missed the conversion before ‘Nure increased their attacking threat as the first half developed.
Former Leinster Academy star Sam Coghlan Murray was stopped short at the end of a promising 24th minute move by the hosts. Nonetheless, with the ball worked into a more central position, hooker and captain Robbie Smyth was in the right place to drive over and make it five points apiece.
Darin Claasen’s Buccs side had other ideas and a late rally before the interval produced 10 points. A sweeping move across the back-line ended with winger Rory O’Connor sprinting over for a try which was converted by Carty, and the Connacht Eagles number 10 also landed an expertly-struck penalty for a 15-5 advantage.
What has been hugely frustrating for the reigning Division 1B champions this season is their second half performances. They have fallen away in games and had wretched luck at times. Terenure resumed in better fettle, with replacement Conor Weakliam adding considerable spark to the back-three.
After several phases inside the Buccs 22, it was ‘Nure scrum half O’Neill who squeezed over for a much-needed try, converted by Jake Swaine. Into the final quarter, O’Neill’s half-back partner James Thornton was heavily involved in the build-up to another incisive passage of play which saw lively winger Swaine touch down out on the right.
Swaine’s touchline conversion dropped short at 17-15, but when Buccs replacement Eoghan Maherwas given a straight red card 13 minutes from the end, Terenure sensed that there was an opportunity for them to push on. Their bonus point try arrived just moments later through Maher’s opposite number, Adam Clarkin (pictured below), and a terrific Swaine kick stretched the lead to nine points.
It was a shootout between Carty and Swaine for the remainder as Buccs fought hard to take home a losing bonus point. Carty initially knocked over a 77th minute penalty, Swaine cancelled that out with his third successful strike of the day for 27-18, but Carty fired over a last-minute penalty into a tricky breeze to make sure his side did not come away empty-handed.
TERENURE COLLEGE: James O’Donoghue; Jake Swaine, Marc Hiney, Ted O’Donoghue, Sam Coghlan Murray; James Thornton, Kevin O’Neill; Cian Madden, Robbie Smyth (capt), Schalk Jooste, Michael Melia, Alex Thompson, Kyle McCoy, Paddy Thornton, Eoin Joyce.
Replacements: Adam Clarkin, Giorgi Turbalaze, Cathal Deans, Conor Weakliam, Mark O’Neill.
BUCCANEERS: Alan Gaughan; Callum Boland, Shane Layden (capt), Alex Hayman, Rory O’Connor; Luke Carty, Frankie Hopkins; Martin Staunton, John Sutton, Conan O’Donnell, Ruairi Byrne, Peter Claffey, Ronan Farrell, Evan Galvin, Simon Meagher.
Replacements: Eoghan Maher, Niall Farrelly, Rossa Dooley, James Mitchell, Darragh Corbett.