Sunday 29th November, Metro League 4 – Old Wesley 48 Dundalk 7
DEADLY DRAGONS DESTROY DUNDALK
Sunday, Gale Force Winds. Dundalk. A triple threat that would put the fear of God into any rugby player but not this group of steely men. With two big home wins under their belt this game would test if Old Wesley could replicate their form on the road. They didn’t disappoint.
Heavy rain the night before meant the grass pitch was heavy underfoot. However excellent pre-game management orchestrated by the mastermind duo of Kinners and Brian ‘I’m the better looking twin’ Hastings meant each player came prepared with longer studs to suit the conditions. Dundalk bravely opted to play into the wind in the first half. With the winds howling at their back, Wesley started strongly. Early pressure lead to a young agile Stanley ‘I don’t have a ned’ MacAdam paving his way through the defence to score. This laid the road for what would be a 5 try haul in the first half. Continual bombardment from the Wesley pack saw Dan Hall slip into a gaping hole and squirt over the line. Ken ‘sex kitchen’ McLaughlin struggling with the wind to find the posts made no mistake when kicking out of hand and kept Dundalk pinned in their 22. Quick phases from a lineout saw the ball arrive in Mulcaire O’Mara’s soft smooth hands from which he stepped past three defenders, boshed two front rows and swan dived over the line. A powerful scrum against a large Dundalk pack resulted in a break in midfield which left Luke Correll with an easy finish. Michael ‘No I’m the better looking twin’ Hastings closed out the first half by handing off his opponent to finish in the corner.
Half time came and memories of a painful defeat to Rathdrum last year from the same winning margin resulted in David ‘Stanno’s got a ned’ Swaine giving a hairy chested Braveheartesque speech. Determined not to let them take their freedom, Wesley came out firing. Another stroke of genius from the management to utilise the roll-on-roll off tactics ensured Wesley were able to keep fresh bodies on the pitch. This was vital as the pack were without Johnny Willis who was off consummating his marriage. Hours spent on the training ground practicing rucking and walking like a duck were really paying off. Excellent work from the back-row allowed quick ball for the Wesley backs. Two more tries out wide from Aaron and Luke put Wesley out of sight. Monty’s O’Driscoll style through the legs pass set the tone for a Barbarian style finish to the half. A superb flowing team move saw O’Mara give an exquisite no look pass to Noonan who walked over the whitewash untouched. A late consolation try for Dundalk meant that they weren’t left empty handed.
Post-game refreshments of Ribena and chicken curry topped off a great victory. News came in of Lansdowne losing which meant that Old Wesley moved to the top of the league. With key players returning from injury such as O’Leary, Gav ‘gingerbread’ Telford, John Wallace and Hairymanlogger to name a few, will give the team confidence going into a tough away encounter against Rathdrum next week.