J3
10/05/2007
J3 “A” Semi Final/ J3 “A/B” Season Review
J3 “A” Cup Semi Final, Stillorgan 22 Wanderers 19
Wanderers J3 “A” team lost in the semi-final to Stillorgan in a tense, hard fought encounter in Bird Avenue. Wanderers went into the match without two key players and with another playing out of position, but it is arguable if this would have made any difference given the way Stillorgan played on the day.
Stillorgan played excellent cup rugby , taking advantage of Wanderers early indiscipline by scoring 9 unanswered points, and through out the match , their tackling , work rate and rucking was outstanding , putting huge pressure on the Wanderers team.
Although Wanderers came back through an Alan Wrafter try to lead 12-9 at half time, Stillorgan kept pressing, taking advantage of every opportunity to gain position in the Wanderers half and press for a score. Both teams traded tries and penalties during the course of the second half.
In the face of this constant pressure, Wanderers made some uncharacteristic errors, dropping passes, turnovers etc that proved costly at the end of the match. Nearing full time Enda Kelliher kicked an equalising penalty with a minute left, but from the restart Stillorgan cleverly set up the winning drop goal to end Wanderers cup campaign.
On the day, Wanderers came up against a fiercely determined Stillorgan Team who got off to a great start and who played excellent cup rugby. This is a very young Wanderers team who will have learnt a huge amount from this occasion and match.
J3 “A” Season Review:
Results wise, the “A” team reached the cup semi final, and finished 3rd in their section of the J3 League, a significant improvement on last year. The team was boosted by some excellent new players who made a great contribution to the team , both on and off the pitch. The team played quite a few games during the season , including a number of friendlies, and these matches greatly benefited the Team.
J3”B” Season Review:
Results wise the “B” Team were knocked out in the first round of the cup and finished in the bottom half (but not bottom) of their section of the league. The “B” team was made up of a lot of new players, most of whom playing their first season of rugby, and they played some very good rugby at times. In some of the games they struggled against the more experienced teams, but the team never gave up . With a seasons rugby under their belt, the team will be all the stronger come next season.
Coaches Comments: We would like to thank all the players for all the hard work , effort and commitment that they have put in during the season, and hope that you have enjoyed your rugby with Wanderers- Dominic Maxwell and Richard Springer , Coaches Wanderers J3
