Ireland A v Scotland A
It was off to Ashbourne RUFC once again, a second time in the space of three weeks that Grace, Finn and I headed off. This time it was not the All Ireland Rugby League Final but it was the International between Ireland A v Scotland A.
To my delight the ground was as it was the last time - well organised and catering for all. After the kids had gorged themselves on their lollypops (Daddy of the Year I am) the kids sped off full of sugar to the bouncy castle area. This left me to watch the game unfold. I thank you Ashbourne RUFC!
After the Anthems were played (all 3 of them) it was time to get the game on. Scotland kicked off into the teeth of the wolfhounds and the wind. Ireland immediately got on the front foot with a couple of settling hard forward runs and a helping offside penalty or two.
Within the first 6 minutes some quick hands by Ireland down the right gave us a glimpse of their game plan. Shifting the ball to the right wing on this occasion resulted in a knock on but the signs were there that this could be a try-fest.
The first to cross the line was the loose forward for Ireland, Guilfoyle but a correct call from the referee ruled that out with a forward pass.
The first 10 minutes really showed how strong the wind was as Scotland struggled to make headway getting over the half way line. Although Scotland were coming up with some strong defensive hits Ireland were camped in the Scottish half for much of this period. The pressure told on 11 minutes when some good passing play by Ireland resulted in the left centre Hargreaves slipping through and scoring 15 metres in from the left edge. Up stepped Dunne the full back to slot over the conversion. 6-0 Ireland.
The next 10 minutes followed much the same with Scotland trying to get some territory but having to do much of the hard defending within their own half. Eventually Ireland made their chances stick. On 20 minutes with a neat grubber kick by Ireland's number 7, Cox, the ball was fumbled by Scotland on the try line and pounced on by Ireland's right centre Hughes. Dunne then swept over the conversion. 12-0 Ireland.
On the next few sets with 24 minutes gone Ireland were back over following a superb kick chase for the centre Hargreaves to grab his second of the day over on the left side. Dunne clips the post and fails to add the conversion. 16-0 Ireland.
Credit to Scotland they were never giving up and you could see they were calming their plays and making less mistakes With some big direct running from the Scottish forwards they had a brief spell in the Irish half. Following a repeat set they attacked on the left which was closed down with a huge hit from Ireland centre Hughes, which raised the home support. Scotland however were in no mood to dwell on this and with a quick shift to the right they found a gaping hole in the middle of the Irish Defence and crossed for their first try of the day scored by Vernon on 28 minutes. With an easy kick slotted over it was game on! 16-6 to Ireland.
As a result of this Ireland shook up their attack and brought on who I thought was a contender for man of the match. Off came Kelly who was having a superb game and on came the fresh legs of 14 Mikey Russell. It was a good call from the Irish coaching staff as the Scottish big men were jaded from all the defensive work they had done up until this point. Russell added pace around the rook and seemed to speed the game up. The pay off was on the 33 minute mark when Stewart, on debut, crossed on the right side. Dunne missed the kick which made it 20-6 Ireland.
Russell proved his worth again just 3 minutes later when Ireland found their way up to the Scottish try line. From a play the ball 3 meters out Russell darted through the gap like terrier down a rabbit hole. Dunne picked up the conversion to leave the half time hooter sounding at 26-6 to Ireland.
Time to check the kids hadn’t damaged either themselves or the bouncy castle, get a drink and get ready for the second half. I wasn’t convinced that a 20 point advantage was enough to get Ireland home. The wind had gotten stronger and at the start of the game I had in my mind put the wind advantage down for 12 points at least. Ireland had used the wind in the first half very well with some superb kicking, could Scotland do the same and win the territory?
The start of the second half and Scotland got off to a flyer. They forced Ireland into a drop out and got a repeat set. From this the pressure told and the winger Ramsey scored on 43 minutes. Again the conversion hit the post and failed to go over. 26-10 to Ireland.
With both teams making some simple mistakes the game closed up. I could however sense Ireland getting more confidence playing into the wind. Scotland also didn’t help themselves by making simple errors early in their sets gifting Ireland territory. It was such an error that got Ireland rolling again in the second half. Ireland had put a grubber kick in to be chased close to the Scottish line. This was regained by Scotland but some rush play saw them lose the ball on tackle one. Number 2 Foster for Ireland regained and the pressure was back on Scotland. The hard grafting back rower Hall scored on 54 minutes under the sticks in the following set. 32-10 to Ireland.
A stand out player for Scotland, 21, came on and had some impressive runs skittling a few of the Irish out of his way. On the back of one of his runs Scotland were able to pressure the right side of Ireland but some scramble defence from Ireland managed to bundle the Scots into touch.
Unfortunately Scotland again were guilty of gifting Ireland possession. Ireland were on the attack in the 61st minute on the left side. A loose pass by Ireland resulted in the ball going to ground. If Scotland could have held this ball they may have gone all the way back down the other end. However the ball was spilled and some neat skills from Ireland centre Hargreaves scooped the ball through his legs for Kenny who had a simple run in. 36-10 Ireland
From here the game was over. Two further tries from Ireland in the 71st minute by Hughes and Gill on 79 minutes saw the final score Ireland A 44 - Scotland A 10.
Deserving man of the match no. 13 Brendan Guilfoyle. His hard hitting in defence and powerful running lines were sure to contribute to his accolade. Some stand out performances from 10 Matty Hadden, 9 Wayne Kelly, 14 Mike (the Terrier) Russell, 3 Hughes, 4 Hargreaves and 13 Brendan Guilfoyle (MOM) proved too much for Scotland to handle.
Another great day at Ashburne RUFC and the bonus is the kids had a blast too. Well done Ireland Rugby League!
Ireland: Casey Dunne, Alex Foster, Adam Hughes, Brad Hargreaves, Mark Kenny, Sean Rees, Adam Cox, Ben Rowley, Wayne Kelly, Matty Hadden, Lemeki Vaipulu, Chris Hall, Brendan Guilfoyle INTERCHANGE: Michael Russell, Curtis Stewart, Gareth Gill, Matthew Cahoon
Tries: Brad Hargreaves (2), Adam Hughes (2), Curtis Stewart, Mikey Russell, Chris Hall, Mark Kenny, Gareth Gill
Conversions: Casey Dunne 4/8, Wayne Kelly 0/1
Scotland: Grant Walker, Dominic Wallen, Gregor Ramsey, Stuart Fee, Tom Aplin, Sam Herron, Dave Vernon, Stuart Gray, Aaron Robertson, Lance Tallet, Colin Jarvis, Thomas Murray, Shane Clark INTERCHANGE: Kyle Matheson, Alistair Maxwell, Matthew McNee, Cory Adams
Tries: Dave Vernon, Gregor Ramsay
Conversions: Stuart Fee 1/2
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