AIL 1A – Old Wesley 17 St. Mary’s 26
Old Wesley suffered a frustrating 26–17 defeat to reigning Division 1A champions St Mary’s College at Energia Park, as the visitors made the most of their opportunities to secure a bonus-point victory in an entertaining Dublin derby. Despite enjoying long periods of possession and territory, Wesley were unable to turn their pressure into enough points, with errors at crucial moments allowing a clinical St Mary’s side to take control in the second half. Tries from Matias Jensen and Paidi Farrell, along with seven points from the boot of Tom Larke, kept Wesley competitive, but four tries from the visitors ultimately proved decisive.
On a beautiful afternoon in Donnybrook, conditions were almost unrecognisable from the wind and rain of the previous week’s victory over Young Munster. With the defending champions in town and a large crowd gathered at Energia Park, the stage was set for a keenly contested Dublin derby. Wesley’s preparations were disrupted before kick-off when Kristian Jensen was forced to withdraw with a hamstring injury. Matias Jensen moved into the inside-centre position, while Liam Grover stepped into the outside-centre role for his first start, with Jules Fenlon coming onto the bench.
Despite the late reshuffle, Wesley began brightly, putting St Mary’s under pressure from the opening exchanges. The home pack established an early advantage at scrum time, with Ben Guerin, Rian Handley and Benjamin Popplewell producing several strong scrummaging efforts against an experienced Mary’s front row. Wesley repeatedly worked their way into promising attacking positions, with powerful carries from David Maher, Billy Corrigan and Handley helping to establish momentum. However, a series of misfiring lineouts and handling errors prevented the home side from converting that pressure into points.
One of the standout moments of the opening half came from Thomas Nowlan, whose thumping tackle stopped a St Mary’s counterattack and brought an enormous reaction from the Donnybrook crowd.
With Wesley continuing to threaten, the visitors were reduced to 14 players when captain Conor Dean received a yellow card for deliberately knocking down a pass. It presented Wesley with an excellent opportunity to take control, but further errors in the attacking lineout allowed St Mary’s to escape.
After almost half an hour of rugby, Wesley finally broke the deadlock. In the 30th minute, Tom Larke stepped up to land a penalty, giving Wesley a deserved 3–0 lead after their early territorial dominance. However, the visitors demonstrated exactly why they are the reigning champions. Having spent much of the opening half defending their own territory, St Mary’s worked their way into the Wesley 22 and made their first meaningful attacking opportunity count. Following a lineout close to the Wesley line, the visitors established a powerful driving maul, with hooker Richie Bergin crossing in the 36th minute. Mick O’Gara added the conversion to put St Mary’s 7–3 ahead, despite Wesley having enjoyed much of the attacking pressure up to that point.
The closing stages of the half belonged largely to the visitors, who began to find greater rhythm through the influential Conor Dean and the powerful carrying of Dan Goggin. Wesley defended well to prevent any further scores, but went into the interval knowing they had missed several opportunities to build a more commanding lead.
Wesley emerged for the second half with renewed purpose and immediately set about putting the visitors under pressure. After winning a penalty, the home side kicked to the corner and established a strong attacking maul. With St Mary’s scrambling to contain the drive, Wesley opted to move the ball through their forwards. Strong close-range carries from Handley, Maher and Popplewell forced the visitors backwards before the ball was released to Matias Jensen, who showed outstanding footwork to step through the defensive line and score in the 46th minute. It was an excellent individual finish and a deserved reward for Wesley’s persistence. Larke added the conversion to put the home side back in front at 10–7, sparking celebrations among the Wesley faithful.
The lead, however, was short-lived. St Mary’s responded with a sustained attacking spell, using their powerful ball carriers to work their way deep into Wesley territory. In the 52nd minute, replacement Richie Fahy crossed for the visitors’ second try, finishing an attacking move close to the Wesley line. O’Gara produced an excellent conversion from a difficult angle to restore the visitors’ lead at 14–10.
With just over 25 minutes remaining, the contest was still very much in the balance. Wesley continued to search for a way back into the game, with the introduction of Kian Regan, Adam Watchorn and Cian Butler bringing fresh energy to the forward battle. Butler was particularly lively with ball in hand, producing several powerful carries that helped Wesley regain territory and momentum.
A yellow card for St Mary’s presented the home side with another opportunity, and Wesley came agonisingly close when Dan Campbell was held up over the try line following a strong attacking passage. It was another crucial moment in a game where the home side had created opportunities but struggled to finish them. Wesley continued to press, but handling errors and turnovers at important moments repeatedly interrupted their attacking rhythm.
With the game entering its closing stages, St Mary’s struck a decisive blow. In the 71st minute, Conor Dean attacked the Wesley defensive line, selling a dummy before creating the opening for Richie Fahy to cross for his second try of the afternoon. The conversion was unsuccessful, but the visitors had stretched their advantage to 19–10.
Wesley now needed to chase the game, and that urgency brought further risk. Just four minutes later, St Mary’s capitalised on a loose Wesley pass, with full-back Ruairi Shields crossing for the visitors’ fourth try in the 75th minute. O’Gara added the conversion to extend the lead to 26–10, securing the try bonus point and leaving Wesley with a mountain to climb.
Despite the setback, the home side refused to give up. With the clock moving deep into injury time, Wesley continued to attack, keeping the ball alive and looking for one final breakthrough. That determination was rewarded in the 84th minute, when Paidi Farrell found space out wide and raced over for Wesley’s second try. It was an excellent late finish, and Larke added the conversion in the 85th minute to reduce the deficit to nine points.
The result was a disappointing one for Wesley, particularly given the amount of territory and possession they enjoyed during the opening half. The home side’s scrum was a major positive, while the powerful carrying of David Maher, Billy Corrigan and Rian Handley regularly challenged the St Mary’s defence. Matias Jensen’s second-half try was another highlight, while the impact of Cian Butler from the bench added energy to the closing stages.
However, it was a game ultimately decided by execution. Wesley created numerous opportunities inside the opposition 22 but were unable to capitalise consistently, with lineout errors, loose passes and turnovers proving costly. In contrast, St Mary’s demonstrated the composure and clinical finishing that helped them claim last season’s Division 1A title. Their ability to withstand pressure and strike at key moments was the difference between the sides.
Although Wesley finished strongly through Farrell’s late try, the nine-point margin meant they left the contest without a league bonus point. There remains plenty for the home side to build on. Their physicality, defensive effort and ability to compete with the reigning champions were evident throughout, but improving their execution in attacking positions will be crucial.
Wesley now turn their attention to an away trip to UCD at the Belfield Bowl, where they will look to bounce back and return to winning ways.
A big thank you to everyone who came down and supported the lads, and to our matchday sponsors Turmec for their continued support.
Turmec CEO Geoff Bailey presented Daniel Campbell with his Man of the Match award after the game under the watchful eye of President Wayne Sheridan.
Tries: Matias Jensen (46′), Paidi Farrell (80+4′); Conversions: Tom Larke (47′, 80+5′); Penalties: Tom Larke (30′).
Team: Tom Larke; Charlie Hempenstall, Matias Jensen, Kristian Jensen, Paidi Farrell; Lachlan Stewart, Andrew Doyle; Ben Guerin, Rian Handley, Benjamin Popplewell; Thomas Nowlan, David Maher; Billy Corrigan (capt), Dan Campbell, Luke O’Connor. Replacements: Tom Burke, Kian Regan, Adam Watchorn, Cian Butler, Liam Grover, Luke Kerr.
