We Are the Champions.
BUTLER SHIELD FINAL, RAVENHILL, 28TH MARCH, 2009.
Inishowen 2nd XV – 10: Malone 4th XV – 9.
The Second XV arrived on a cloudy, overcast and windy morning and walked away 3 hours later in glorious sunshine as the Butler Shield champions.
Playing with the strong breeze behind them, Inishowen made a poor start at the opening kickoff. Calling for the ball, the Inishowen forwards miss- judged the ball fight, which sailed over their heads, Malone pounced on it & for the next 15 minutes lay siege to the Inishowen half, 22 and then goal line. Only quality tackling and handling errors let the peninsula men off the hook.
Settling down after this spell, the Inishowen pack won some first phase possession, and using the tail wind scrum half Seamus Hickey & outside half Finn McCormack kicked smartly pressuring the Malone full back & winger time and time again.
The game then turned into a territorial battle.
In the last 10 minutes of the half, the Belfast men gained a little ascendency. Gaining possession inside the Inishowen half, the Malone side picked up the pace of their attack. On two occasions the defence bent, and in a scramble, it over committed to the ruck, were ill disciplined give away penalties which were duly converted. 6 – 0 to Malone.
The county Antrim men noted that Inishowen struggled against the fast ruck ball tactic & employed it again with a matter of seconds left in the half. Again the Donegal men infringed, & the half time whistle blew the Belfast side 9 – nil in the lead.
The second half started as a battle for territory again. Malone happy with the lead, happy with the wind, happy with their pack were content to get into the Inishowen half & attack with the fast ruck game which was successful in the first half.
Then, 15 minutes into the half, a soft penalty for hands in the ruck & back chat from the Inishowen forwards gave the Belfast side a kickable opportunity for a twelve point lead. The kick hit the upright, bounced back into the field of play; Inishowen cleared their lines & never looked back.
Loose kicks from Malone were fielded by the Inishowen full backs & wings who counter attacked strongly, giving good field position to the peninsula men, who then deployed their backline, with centres Shaun Craig & Mo Harkin, supported by Anthony Cantwell and the entire back row started punching holes in the Malone defence resulting in a penalty with 20 minutes to go. McCormack stepped up & slotted over the kick 9 – 3.
Winning a scrum inside Malone’s 22, Craig took the ball & drove his way up to the Malone goal line. Re-cycled ball by the Inishowen forwards was taken on, but were held up on the goal line. Another Inishowen scrum.
Club captain Shaun Craig takes the ball again, and 5 Malone defenders with him across the goal line for the try, and with McCormack kicking the conversion the Donegal men took a 10 – 9 lead with 15 minutes left on the clock.
Malone did not seem to panic until the last 5 minutes of the match when the Belfast men realised the urgency & it was at this point the peninsula men won the match with fast, aggressive and hard hitting defensive pressure from all the team.
In the final minute of the game Malone had one last roll of the dice. Winning a line out 5 m from the Inishowen line they drove the ball on & crashed in the centres to try and score, but they knocked on and Inishowen win a scrum.
However, Malone win it against the head. This one last chance was wasted when the attacking side give away a penalty. Inishowen clear their lines. But Malone win the resulting line out move the ball wide to their wing. Inishowen team captain for the day, James McColgan blitzes in & smashes into the unfortunate Malone attacker who knocks on thus bringing the match to an end and the championship to Inishowen.
PHOTO'S FROM THE MATCH
