Ulster Bank AIL 16th December 2017
Scorers: Magrath(1*Pen, 3*Conv), J.McCusker(1*Try), McMurray(1*Try), Donaghy(2*Try)

Two opportunist tries from left-wing Andrew Donaghy spared Rainey's blushes as they edged in front to beat third from bottom Sunday's Well 29-21 at Irish Independent Park. While the Old Boys came away with a bonus point, having created very few try scoring chances, the losers were denied a consolation bonus point when, with the last kick of the match, a 51 yard penalty dropped agonisingly short. And they could be excused for even thinking that they might have won the game. Sharper in the loose than Rainey, they kept the ball in hand well to cause problems and the outcome was in doubt until Donaghy hit them with his double salvo out of the blue in the final quarter. While John McCusker was surprisingly released by Ulster "A", Tim Barker did not travel and both he and Tommy O'Hagan were badly missed in a strangely subdued pack which never really got going.

The home side were first to show and opened the scoring with a fifth minute penalty. The Rainey pack did well to win back possession from the restart, but promptly gave the ball away again. Out-half Magrath levelled matters and then kicked to the corner where Rainey drove from the lineout to the posts. When the ball popped up loose,John McCusker reacted well to go for the line, the conversion making it 10-3 after fifteen minutes. Rainey's indiscipline was to cost them when a penalty was brought forward ten metres into a kickable position and when Ronan McCusker was yellow carded, the Well forwards drove Rainey back from outside the 22' for a perfectly executed catch and drive try to move 13-10 ahead.

The Rainey backs saw plenty of the ball, but could make no impression on a hard-tackling Well defence, but a minute from half-time, Rainey regained the lead with a vital try from No8 Jody McMurray. A controlled driving maul was brought down five yards short with the culprit sin-binned and a pushover try followed. Well, a much better side than their league position would suggest, pinned Rainey back and it took a timely cover tackle by hooker Roberts to save them when Well managed to break dangerously from a scrum which was in trouble. A penalty brought the Cork men closer before Michael McCusker was binned, with Rainey certain that the wrong player had been pinged.

When they managed to hold on to the ball through a number of phases, Roberts did well to release Donaghy who made ground on the wing before chipping on over the last line of defence. But the home full-back did well to recover in the dead ball area and clear his lines. The next score was going to be the winning of a tight encounter and it was a freak one. Rainey kicked a penalty into the 22' on the grandstand side of the ground and Magrath elected to kick acrossfield for Donaghy who was beaten to the ball by his opposite number who got a firm hand to it, but was unable to hold on to it. Had he done so, he might well have scored at the other end. Donaghy picked up the loose ball to touch down in the corner for a try that had the crowd in shock at what they had just witnessed.

While Well dominated possession, their reluctance to kick the ball enabled Rainey to keep them in their own half and Donaghy struck again with eight minutes remaining. When a Well player chose to try a little grubber kick on his 22', Donaghy was on the run when he swooped along the touchline to gather, go past the first challenge and cut inside the cover for a memorable try which Magrath converted. To their credit, Well kept going and retained possession well to score a fine try down the left two minutes from time. A relieved Rainey watched the conversion drop short. In injury time, Well were awarded a penalty near halfway. They considered going to the corner, but decided to have a go at the posts. They deserved better luck.

TEAM: M.O'Neill, R.Lamberton, D.McMurray, J.Mc Ilroy, A.Donaghy, A.Magrath, J.Bloomfield, K.Donaghy, B.Roberts, A.McSwiggan, R.McCusker, J.McCusker, P.Stewart, P.Pritchard, J.Mc Murray.

REPLACEMENTS: F.Quinn, S.McLean, M.McCusker, C.Moran.