Disappointing Weekend for Junior Rugby : 4th – 7th December 2015
It was a disappointing weekend for Junior Rugby with all three teams in action ending up on the wrong side of the result.
The 2nds took on St. Mary’s at Templeville Road and looked to be in control as they clocked up a 14-8 lead going into the last 10 minutes thanks to a try by Alan Matthews and three penalty goals by James Kelly. However a late rally by the home side led to Old Wesley conceding a try and conversion in the last play of the game. Final score 14-15. In a tight league that could see a dog fight to avoid relegation Old Wesley are currently in 6th place in Metro League 1. With 6 games to play some wins are urgently required to avoid falling into the R zone.
The 3rds travelled to Rathdrum, a village that one would not consider a hot bed of rugby. But the home side led the way to win by just one point. Final score 11-12. Playing in Metro League 4 Old Wesley are in 2nd place, 2 points behind leaders Malahide, who Old Wesley play next, with Lansdowne in hot pursuit. With six more matches to play these three teams have pulled away from the others and the league is most likely to be won by one of the current top three.
The 4ths seven match unbeaten run came to an abrupt end on Friday night with a 21- 8 loss to St. Mary’s. Despite facing into storm force winds Wesley started brightly and led 8-0 after 20 minutes following a try and penalty from Tommy Emo and Graham Claxton. However Mary’s soon proved more adept at playing in the difficult conditions, scoring 3 converted tries to lead 21-8 at the break. And so it finished as Wesley failed to score in the second half despite the wind advantage. This was only the first loss of the season for the 4ths who are currently top of Metro League 6. Just past the mid point of their campaign Old Wesley are on 28 points, a comfortable 7 points clear of 2nd place Old Belvedere.