UBL 18th February 2017
Scorers: McLean(2*Pen)
A big crowd gathered at Balreask Old for the much awaited top of the table clash between Navan and second placed Rainey Old Boys and, while there was not a lot of flowing rugby to enthuse about, the closeness of the score kept them interested. While Rainey were the better team in the first half, Navan gradually gained a stranglehold on the game. But it took them until the closing minutes before they clinched a 12-6 victory with a penalty try. From the restart, there was just enough time for Rainey to be awarded a penalty and, from a long way out on the left side, young full-back Scott Mc Lean struck the sweetest of kicks to earn his side a hard-won bonus point, which could prove to be very valuable in a few weeks time.
After a slow start to the season, Navan have won their last five games to lead the table by four points from Rainey and Sligo, who meet at Hatrick Park on March 4. Rainey are not out of it yet, but the smart money would still be on Navan, although the Meath men face a couple of tricky looking fixtures on the run in.
Navan rarely visited the Rainey half in the opening forty minutes, but while they were often in the home 22', Rainey never created a single clear-cut chance. Rainey worked their way into many promising field positions, but their lineout play let them down on the day and they shot themselves in the foot by missing touch from several penalties. The backs moved the ball around well and switched direction often as they probed for gaps, but Navan's line speed had to be admired.
Rainey's inexperienced front-row trio worked hard to hold their own and they went 3-0 up after thirteen minutes. Another kickable chance was passed over when they opted for the corner, but lost the lineout. When they later did manage to win a vital lineout, the forwards hammered away at the Navan line until they turned over ball.
Rainey found themselves under pressure early in the second half, but an intercept allowed them to break clear. As the tackle count began to tell on the Rainey pack, they frequently used rolling substitutions, especially after prop McSwiggan damaged a hand. Eighteen year old prop Jack McIntosh sampled some game time, a rare feat for an underage player. Seven minutes into the half, Navan scored an unconverted try, but, despite dominating territorially, they could not get past a resolute Old Boys defence. Rainey spent much of the half in or around their22' as their failings continued to make their task even harder.
Navan piled on the pressure in the closing minutes, forcing scrum after scrum near the try line. They were eventually awarded a penalty try in the 78th minute to make absolutely certain of the points, but, straight from the restart, Rainey were awarded a penalty. There was some debate as some suggested a kick at goal while others felt that kicking to the corner would be a better option. Finally, the ball was handed to McLean whose place-kicking all season has been most impressive. The Knockloughrim lad again rose to the occasion to judge a difficult kick just perfectly and snatch a point which their brave performance deserved.
TEAM : S.Mc Lean,A.Donaghy,J.Mc Murray,R.Andrew,D.McMurray,G.Martin,M.Wilson,A.McSwiggan,K.Donaghy,F.Quinn,R.Mc Cusker,T.Barker,M.McCusker.J.Lees,D.Corrigan,
REPLACEMENTS : M.Caithness,J.Mc Intosh,M.Nevin,B.Mullan