Banbridge edge thriller again as Naas become embroiled in relegation battle
Naas 31
Banbridge 40
Ulster Bank AIL Division 1B
By Mark Herbert
When these sides met earlier in the season they produced some tremendous rugby and, in the process, accumulated no less than 77 points between them. Last Saturday when they again met it was a similar story with a tally amassed of 71 points, but unfortunately for Naas it was another victory for the Ulstermen.
The game was played on one of the best days weather wise for a long time, allowing both teams to play the open rugby that suits them best.
Naas started well, and Peter Osborne gave them the lead after five minutes when kicking a penalty awarded after the Banbridge backs were caught offside. Within four minutes Banbridge responded. John Hume made a decent break taking play into the Naas 22, and from the subsequent ruck Andrew Morrison sneaked down the blindside to score.
However, they only led for six minutes. Following good pressure by the Naas pack, Max Whittingham made a sniping break, and when he was stopped Cillian Dempsey was on hand to take the pass and score. Peter Osborne added the conversion and Naas were in front 10-5.
An Adam Doherty penalty for Banbridge reduced the deficit on 19 minutes, and Naas were lucky not to go behind on 27 minutes. Again, it was the impressive Hume who made a great break, but John Porter was unable to hold his pass with the try line beckoning.
However, the reprieve only lasted five minutes. A loose kick out of defence was gathered by Banbridge and they immediately ran it back at Naas. Some brilliant handling and off loads created a big overlap out wide and saw Michael Cromie score. The conversion by Doherty gave the visitors a 15-10 lead.
Banbridge looked sure to be in front at the interval but Naas had other ideas. Following a line-out they set up a maul which drove the Ulstermen right back. When it was halted Naas quickly moved the ball out to the backs and Peter Osborne was able to dive over to score. The latter also added the conversion to give Naas a 17-15 half-time lead.
Naas lost this game in the first ten minutes of the second-half, with the concession of three quick tries leaving them with a mountain to climb. They suffered a body blow within two minutes of the resumption, when John Porter intercepted and ran half the length of the pitch to score. Naas were stunned by this and still in a state of shock they conceded another two quick tries by Adam Doherty and Andrew Morrison. Doherty converted two of these and Banbridge had raced 34-17 clear.
The game was almost over now as a contest, but great credit must go to Naas who never stopped trying to the very end. Tries by Max Whittingham and Cillian Dempsey sandwiched another Doherty penalty, and with Osborne converting both Naas had reduced the gap to 37-31 with four minutes remaining. However, referee Joy Neville did not endear herself to the Naas supporters when she harshly penalised the home side for a late tackle, giving Doherty the chance to extend the lead and deprive Naas of a losing bonus point.
The Ulsterman made no mistake and with Johne Murphy narrowly missing with a drop goal effort in injury-time defeat was confirmed for Naas on a 40-31 scoreline.
Although disappointed with the loss, Naas had the consolation of scoring four tries, and the point for this could be vital in the coming weeks in their battle against relegation.
Next up for Naas is a trip to Cork next Saturday for a meeting with UCC, with a 1.30pm kick-off.
Naas
Peter Osborne, Fionn Higgins, Fionn Carr, James Cherrington, Niall Delahunt, Johne Murphy, Max Whittingham, Jordan Duggan, Graham Reynolds, Conor Doyle, Paul Monahan, David Benn, Cillian Dempsey, Will O'Brien, Paulie Tolofua.
Replacements: Cathal Duff, Stephen Lackey, Andrew Kearney, Warren Larkin, Ross Bailey Kearney.
Banbridge
Adam Doherty, John Porter, Andrew Morrison, James Hume, Adam Ervine, Johnny Little, Jason Gribben, Michael Cromie, Peter Cromie, Tom O’Toole, Chris Allen, Stephen Irvine, Caleb Montgomery, Nick Hayes, Greg Jones.
Replacements: Jonny Weir, Stu Cromie, Mike Bentley, Neil Kilpatrick, Conor Field.