UBL 12th November 2016

Scorers: Corrigan(1*Try), O'Hagan(1*Try), Andrew(1*Try), Laidler(2*Conv, 2*Pen)

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Supporters travelling to Rainey Old Boys' games in the Ulster Bank League have had some dramatic late happenings to talk about this season and an almost unbelievable situation was to come about when they went down to the Midlands for the club's first-ever meeting with Tullamore.  Having worked hard to contain a very useful home side and then build up a healthy 25-7 lead, it all started to go wrong for Rainey in the last few minutes when they would have been hoping to grab a try-scoring bonus point.  On the intervention of a touch judge, Rainey prop Stephen Rutledge was yellow carded for an illegal tackle and a minute later a similar punishment was meted out to Tommy O'Hagan for interfering at the side of a ruck.  In order for the game to be completed with uncontested scrums, Rainey had to sacrifice another player.  They now faced the prospect of playing the last ten minutes with only twelve men.

UBL 26th November 2016

Scorers: O'Hagan(1*Try), Moran(1*Try), Fritz(1*Try), McLean(3*Conv), (1*Penalty Try)

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You would expect that a club that picked up a bonus point in the last play of the game and then learnt that their nearest challengers had slipped up would be in good spirits.  But that was not he case at Hatrick Park where leaders Rainey Old Boys had beaten Kanturk 26-5.  In all honesty, it was one of the worst games ever seen at the venue, an insipid affair that had the home spectators totally bemused.  A repeat of this form at Bruff on Saturday will simply not do.  While the struggling Cork side defended very well for most of the game, it must be said that they were allowed to get away with persistent infringements for too long.  The home crowd had been baying for penalty tries long before the referee even brandished a yellow and when he eventually did award a penalty try, it came as a bit of a shock.

UBL  3rd December 2016

Scorers: Donaghy(1*Try), McLean(2*Pen)

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Rainey Old Boys had to go to the fringes of their senior squad when selecting a panel to travel to Limerick for their game with a resurgent Bruff side who on the way back after recalling some of the old guard.  They then had to make two further changes to their selection and then see prop Donaghy withdraw after injuring his back in the pre-match warm up.  So, with a liberal sprinkling of U20s on duty, it was no surprise that they lost 15-11.  But they can be proud of themselves, having put in a huge stint against a very strong side.  To take a losing bonus point was a fine effort and they kept going to almost snatch an unlikely victory right at the death.

SONI Ulster Premiership 17th December 2016

Scorers: Andrew(1*Try), McMurray(1*Try), McLean(2*Conv)

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Rainey Old Boys can thank their lucky stars that the AIL does not resume until January 21.  With many of their senior squad nursing injuries, two players in Wales with Ulster "A" and others resting for personal reasons, it was, more or less, a Second XV which faced Malone in a SONI Ulster Premiership game at Hatrick Park.  Not surprisingly, the Ulster Bank League Division 2A side took a bonus point from a facile 43-14 victory.  Rainey have two more Ulster League fixtures over the festive season and will be praying that  their absentees are soon back in action to get some game time in before the Bruff game.  Unless the attitude is right, they cannot expect to stay at the top of the table. 

SONI Premiership 31st December 2016

Scorers: Wilson(1*Try), Andrew(1*Conv)

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For both Rainey Old Boys and Belfast Harlequins, the performance was more important than the outcome when they met in a SONI Premiership game at Hatrick Park.  The Deramore side have had their share of problems this season, but a 19-7 victory might help them to turn the corner.  For Rainey, poor home form has been a problem, but there can be no excuses for the fare their supporters had to watch on Saturday.  They were able to include three of the players who have missed much of the action in the first half of the season, but, with so many others still ruled out, were a pale shadow of the side which looked so sharp in the autumn.  A few more may be available for this week's game in the SONI Premiership at Bangor which has been brought forward to Thursday night ( 7.45 pm ), but, with the Bruff game getting ever closer, the position is far from ideal.