As with all games this was an exceptionally important game particularly for Wanderers and the week’s preparation had gone extremely well and there was an air of confidence amongst the squad, even though both teams are at opposite ends of the table. UCC have recorded 6 wins out of 7 in the league to date and came off the back of beating Old Belvedere in the AIB Cup, so no doubt they arrived full of confidence .
The weather predicted for the day was terrible, however when I arrived in the morning it looked as if it might hold off, however within 30 minutes of setting up the wind and the rain arrived. This and the fact that there were some areas of the pitch that were a little soft set out the stall for both sides and also determined that this was going to be a war of attrition as the weather dictated these circumstances and probably exposed both teams to possibly the worst conditions they have ever been subjected too.
So with all this to consider UCC chose to play into the elements in the first half and did so with great determination and control. As per many man of our games we defended with great organisation however I felt we lacked a little in our physicality and were slow to meet he opposition on or behind the gain line therefore enabling UCC to control the breakdown/contact area. We continued pressurising them however due to the wind kicking was a lottery for the side playing into it and we were able to capitalise on a kicking error by UCC and reacted quicker when the ball was held up in the wind and travelled back towards the UCC line and we pounced to score the opening try through Niall Mc Namara. UCC particularly in the last 10 minutes of the first half played extremely well and retained possession brilliantly and were rewarded with a penalty which Gavin Dunne duly converted. We had one other scoring opportunity in the first half through the boot of Daithi Fitzgerald however he was unable to convert it therefore leaving he score 7 – 3 Wanderers.
Conditions continued to deteriorate in the second half and we were prepared for the siege we were going to be put under. The commitment, organisation and aggression in defence was absolutely incredible in the second half, however I did feel at some stage that UCC would sneak in and my concerns were realised when they did breached our line and scored an unconverted try in the corner leaving the score 8 – 7 in UCC’s favour. The siege continued and the conditions worsened however with 7 minutes remaining we forced ourselves into UCC territory and the thoughts of a heroic victory came to mind. However at this stage the referee made his biggest decision of the game and called both captains and decided to call a halt to proceedings on the grounds of player safety. It may well have been the correct decision however it left both sides confused as to the result of the match. This is now out of our hands and in the hands the IRFU committee where no doubt one side will be left disappointed!!!!!
