AIL Division 1A
Nenagh Ormond 3
Ballynahinch 24
By James Kirk
Newly-promoted Nenagh Ormond provided a potential banana skin for Adam Craig and his Ballynahinch side as they continue to bounce back from their heavy home defeat to Terenure. Given the tough run of fixtures ahead, five points was the target on Saturday.
Jon Rodgers made his first AIL start in the back row, while fellow young gun Ryan Connolly maintained his place at lock. Sam Warwick and Stephen Campbell also remained in the squad as Craig continues to reward players in form for the high-flying second 15.
The excellent artificial surface in Nenagh meant the match was under no threat from the bad weather sweeping across the south of the island. Ballynahinch made the perfect start, with in-form prop Tom McAllister crashing over from close range after just four minutes.
Nenagh responded with a period of pressure but had just a ninth-minute penalty to show for their efforts. They were made to pay midway through the half when an excellent break from Conor Rankin put Aaron Sexton in space, and he cruised home with trademark ease.
Leading by nine points at the break, Ballynahinch all but sealed the result early in the second half when Bradley Luney scored. However, the bonus point try proved elusive until Warwick again showed his eye for the tryline, backing up last week’s hat-trick in the Bateman Cup semi-final with the crucial fourth try. This gave his side a maximum haul of points to take north on the long journey home.
The squad has a welcome week off before a season-defining run of eight fixtures across ten weeks. They take on three of the current top four in the table, home and away, and have two blockbuster cup finals to look forward to. Squad depth will be tested to the maximum, and Craig will be delighted with the young stars he has promoted to the squad so far. Everyone will be needed as the season ramps up over the Christmas and New Year period.
Ballynahinch Squad:
1-20: Matthew Burke, Claytan Milligan (C), Tom McAllister, Declan Horrox, Ryan Connolly, Zack McCall, Jon Rodgers, Bradley Luney, Chris Gibson, Paul Kerr, Ethan Graham, Mark Best, Matthew Booth, Aaron Sexton, Conor Rankin, Josh Hanlon, John Dickson Jnr, Stephen Campbell, Sam Warwick, Rhuari Meharg, Pierce Crowe.
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