January 18th 2010

Despite fielding their strongest squad in some time and a promising first half showing, Buccaneers were woeful in the second period as they allowed Ballymena take control and also a vital victory in their AIB League Division 1B meeting at Dubarry Park, Athlone, where the northerners won 16-13.

Buccs started with the same pack for the sixth successive match yet once again fielded a much-changed backline including Connacht duo Conor O’Loughlin at scrumhalf and Aidan Wynne in the centre although the unavailable John O’Brien and ill Brian Touhy were absent. Fit again J.H. Potgeiter resumed at outhalf with Alex Hayman reverting to centre, Conor Lavelle was posted at full-back, Sean Stapleton came in on the right wing with Paul Harte the only back to retain his starting position from the previous outing away to UCC! Meanwhile, Ballymena had seven new faces from the previous meeting between these clubs in late October with the hugely promising Jamie Smyth playing with Ulster the previous evening and injured outhalf Rory Drysdale their key absentees.

Scrumhalf David O’Hara took over the standoff and place-kicking duties to such telling effect that he was a worthy “Athlone Springs Hotel Man of the Match” winner while Ireland international Ian Whitten returned in the centre for this game played under the Dubarry Park floodlights on Saturday night. On a nippy but otherwise fine night, the pitch was in pretty decent condition despite the recent ice, snow and rain although admittedly heavy underfoot and a reasonable crowd including USA Eagles supremo Eddie O’Sullivan attended this “Glasson Golf Hotel & Country Club” sponsored fixture.

They witnessed an improving first half display that was littered with mainly handling errors most likely due to a combination of ring rustiness and the nip in the weather. As they have done virtually all this season, Buccs coughed up yet another early score with O’Hara punishing the hosts for coming in from the side in the very first minute to open the scoring with a penalty. However, the Braidmen went offside just a couple of minutes later and Potgeiter opened the home account with a penalty. He then badly miscued a penalty to touch on eight minutes when a shot at the posts looked clearly within his compass but Ballymena then were off-target with a 19th minute penalty after Buccs did not release the ball.

Buccaneers were much more effective in the second quarter as they began to pick and drive with cohesion and patience with O’Loughlin very involved at this stage. Their best spell of the game was rewarded when, after quite a considerable number of phases, prop Conor Higgins popped up wide on the right to surge over for a 26th minute try which Potgeiter converted excellently to put the midlanders 10-3 ahead. They were the dominant force at this stage but suffered a key loss on 34 minutes when Stephen Burke (who has been consistently Buccs’ best forward this season doing vast amounts of unheralded work) was injured and he was replaced by Kolo Kiripati, making his first start of the campaign after a lengthy injury. The score remained unchanged at halftime and the homesters looked set to build on this.

The temperature may have fallen a bit during the game but the tempo increased on the restart. However, it was Ballymena who were now making the impact as they set about redressing their situation. Potgeiter put in a fine tackle on the threatening Peter Budina before Harte outpaced Kyle Moore to hold the home line intact. Ten minutes into the second half, Buccs lost possession cheaply inside their own half and suddenly hooker Ryan Fisher was driving over the home line for a try which O’Hara converted to tie the scores 10-10.

Colm Rigney was caught in possession six minutes later and the blond O’Hara coolly slotted over a tricky penalty to nose Ballymena back into the lead. Buccs were rarely getting out of their own half at this stage but then the Ulstermen contrived a series of errors that gave the midlanders some territory in the opposition half from which they profited when Potgeiter steered over a very awkward penalty against the breeze just after the hour mark to tie the scores again at 13-13. But Ballymena quickly regained the lead when Buccs infringed at a lineout on 63 minutes, O’Hara again up to the task with a fine penalty kick. Home supporters did their utmost to spur on the Pirates, who used their full quota of replacement albeit the final three introduced perhaps too late, but surprisingly there were no further scores in a contest between two relatively even outfits.

However, Buccs could not make any real inroads in the second half despite the honest endeavours of their forwards and they lack a real cutting edge in the backline, with confidence understandably low at present. Burke was a crucial loss to their ambitions and while O’Loughlin and Potgeiter did well on occasion, their influence faded in the second half. Ballymena fielded a fairly young mobile squad in which O’Hara (whose tactical kicking was spot on following the changeover) caught the eye in a backline where Tommy Seymour looked useful and skipper Sam McKinney led their pack by example. This win keeps the Antrim side in the top four but Buccaneers, despite a bonus point, are now in dire relegation bother following their second half collapse and they simply cannot come away empty-handed from Galwegians next Saturday.

BUCCANEERS:- C.Lavelle; S.Stapleton, A.Hayman, A.Wynne, P.Harte; J.H.Potgeiter, C.O’Loughlin; M.Staunton, G.Halligan, C.Higgins; P.Burke, J.Tormey; S.Burke, C.Watters and C.Rigney (captain). Replacements:- K.Kiripati (for S.Burke, inj. 34 mins), B.Gilligan (for Staunton, 61 mins), A.Kennedy (for Lavelle, 71 mins), G.Kelly (for Watters, 71 mins) and B.Henshaw (for Stapleton, 71 mins).

BALLYMENA:- S.Cassells; P.Budina, K.Moore, I.Whitten, T.Seymour; D.O’Hara, G.Fisher; J.Carson, R.Fisher, A.Warwick; D.O’Kane, B.Young; A.Kerr, P.Smith and S.McKinney (captain). Replacements:- J.Taggart (for R.Fisher, 61 mins), J.Andrew (for O’Kane, 66 mins), C.Brigl (for Budina, 71 mins), A.Ferguson (for Carson, 80 mins) and D.Best (for G.Fisher, inj. 80 mins).

REFEREE:- Trevor Collins (Munster).