Ulster Carpets North U18 League 4th February 2017
Scorers: Smyth(1*Try), Layden(1*Try), Hall(1*Try), McIntosh(1*Try), Totten(1*Try), Doherty(1*Try), Kearns(3*Try, 3*Conv), Lawrence(1*Conv)
Rainey U18s Clinch Regional Title
Rainey U18s came away from Coleraine last Saturday with a 48-7 win to take the Ulster Carpets North U18 League title with a game in hand. In excellent conditions for open rugby, they ran in 9 tries, including a hat-trick by outside centre Ryan Kearns, who also nailed 3 conversions for a personal score of 21 points.
Coleraine opened strongly through good work by their forwards, but a great run by fullback Padraig Totten took play deep into the home side’s territory. Following a 5m penalty, prop Callum Smyth, playing out of position in the centre, opened the scoring when he crashed over to the right of the posts after captain Jack Macintosh was held up just short.
He was followed soon after when winger Sebastian Layden, the teams’s top try-scorer this year, completed a well-worked backs move to the far wing following good line-out work by Lock Mark Reid.
Rainey were now in total control of the game, dominant in both backs and forwards. Kearns added a brace of tries, with good line breaks on both occasions after strong midfield carries by prop Cathal McErlean, before Coleraine finished the half with a try of their own, when their live-wire scrum-half chipped the Rainey defensive line and was able to gather the awkward bounce.
Rainey resumed strongly in the second period. The forwards stole line-out ball and scrum-half Elliot Young fired a quick 15m pass off his left hand to out-half Gareth Hall who broke through the 10-12 channel and beat the fullback to score under the posts. Christian Lawrence, who at this stage of the game, had moved from hooker, to flanker, and then to outside centre, converted. Totten added another when a great line-out catch was fed across the backs and he exploded into the line for a beautiful break from a pull back pass from centre Smyth on the outside shoulder of Kearns, to run-in a great back three score.
Winger Cahan Murray almost sent Layden in for his second a few minutes later when he caught a high ball, set off cross field and delivered a great pass, but on this occasion the Coleraine defence held firm. 10 mins later Kearns completed his hat-trick with another great line break to leave the Coleraine defenders totally wrong-footed.
Macintosh, who had carried to devastating effect all day, added the eigthth when he received the ball out wide on the Coleraine 10m line and outpaced the defence to touchdown.
Rainey’s final try of the day was arguably their best. A tackle from Flanker Charlie Clarke in the Rainey 22’ knocked the ball free. His back-row colleague David Evans made good ground before popping the ball to Lawrence, who straightened the line and fed Hall. A long pass to Macintosh left him with one defender to beat. He drew the man and fed second-row Rory Doherty who ran the ball in from the Coleraine 10m line. The referee then called an early halt to proceedings.
Rainey are in action again mid-week when they commence their Nutty Krust campaign against Banbridge at Portadown RFC on Wednesday night (KO 7:45pm)