Buccs U-19s claim Connacht Cup with win over 'Wegians

BUCCANEERS U-19's bounced back from last week's Connacht League final defeat to overcome Galwegians 20-14 in a fine Connacht Cup final replay in front of a decent attendance at Corinthian Park, Galway, on Sunday. A scintillating first-half display put the midlanders firmly in the driving seat while gallant Wegians refused to throw in the towel and battled gamely to the bitter end. In the original final on Easter Monday, Buccs were perhaps a mite fortunate to force a replay when Conor Keogh got in for a last minute levelling try on a foul afternoon of wind and heavy rain. But the replay proved a total contrast for Buccs as they grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck from the start and were rampant in most departments on a rock hard surface. They had first advantage of the breeze and slope and quickly set about their business to gain the upper hand, helped in no small measure by the availability of key performers Mark Dolan and Daniel Qualter, which was crucial as injuries ruled out William Walesch and captain Stephen Feery. Overall, there was a far greater urgency and cohesion about Buccs endeavours and they soon carved the Galwegians' defence open when Jack Carty's pass to Dolan cleverly switched direction. The scrum-half made ground before chipping over the cover to win the race for a tonic early try wide on the left. On 17 minutes, Dolan demonstrated his eye for an opening in a superb break and then he had the strength and conviction to drive over the try-line at the posts for a wonderful second try. Callum Boland, who had missed the earlier difficult conversion, duly added the points and Buccs already had their tails up 12-0 ahead. They continued to pile on the pressure on the city side and Liam Claffey got a block on an attempted 'Wegians clearance that led to a penalty from the subsequent scrum. Boland landed an excellent placekick while both he and Carty then made ill-judged drop goal attempts as the Athlonians turned the screw. Virtually all the play was heading towards the Galwegians 22 at this stage and Brendan Fagan was held up after another swash-buckling break, but the flanker soon reaped reward for his alertness and will to chase. Full-back Boland initially made good ground in the final move of the half before linking with out-half Carty whose diagonal chip towards the left corner was well read by Fagan and he streaked in to touchdown as the 'Wegians' defence failed to take responsibility. Although Boland could not add the conversion from out wide, Buccaneers held a healthy 20-0 advantage at the break. In hindsight, this was to prove the key score. The midlanders restarted brightly Keogh and Boland combining neatly up the left flank but, after doing all the difficult work, the full-back knocked on when a fourth Buccs try looked certain. Galwegians gave notice that they were not about to cave in when their No. 8 was stopped within touching distance of the Buccaneers try-line and they enjoyed lots of territory and possession but lacked a real cutting edge in the face of aggressive yet disciplined defending. But, on the hour mark, Buccs nodded off in midfield and Andrew Fallon quickly capitalised to open the scoring for the light blues, Tadgh Leader's conversion from in front of the posts narrowing their arrears to 20-7. This lifted 'Wegians noticeably while Buccs had allowed their concentration to drop. They found it hard to reaffirm their authority and should have been more composed in retaining possession as they now gave their supporters some anxious moments. Nevertheless, they continued to put the tackles in and Galwegians didn't get through as easy again, a thundering tackle by prop Enda O'Brien epitomising Buccaneers spirit and commitment. The losers managed a second try six minutes into added time with Rory Cunningham barrelling through and outhalf Leader converting with the last kick of the match to narrow the margin to 20-14. But Buccaneers were transformed from the drawn match and were full value for this memorable triumph against a very game Galwegians squad. Dolan and Boland were in sparkling form in the backline with Qualter also inspiring until an injury curtailed his influence. Carty showed some deft touches and astute line-kicking while Fagan, O'Brien and match captain on the day Killian Donnelly put in tremendous shifts for the winners as did team captain Feery when he entered the fray. All in all, the overall squad performance augurs well for the future. BUCCANEERS: C.Boland; J.Maguire, E.Keena, L.Claffey, C.Keogh; J.Carty, M.Dolan; S.Dowling, P.Hewitt, E.O'Brien; E.Casey, N.Quigley; K.Donnelly (captain), B.Fagan and D.Qualter. Replacements used:- J.Crompton (for Hewitt, inj.), S.Feery (for Quigley), C.Greene (for Maguire), C.Fitzgibbon (for Claffey), R.Henshaw (for Keena) and C.Haughian (for Fagan). REFEREE: Daithi Flood. (Connacht).