Players and supporters who were present at Merrion Road on Saturday were all questioning what they had just witnessed. The final score was a hugely important 24-18 victory to Wanderers but what was involved in this raw blooded match that was never far from exploding will stay fresh in our minds for many years to come.
With High-flying Highfield hitting Dublin for the weekend on the back of two quality victories in the first and second rounds of the AIL it was always going to be a tough assignment for us with only a losing bonus point under the belt from two matches and plenty of post match ifs and buts.
It was another difficult week with injury and sickness hitting the squad hard but this was put aside on Thursday night with the realisation that we had to lift our collective spirit to new levels in order to close games out. Captain Bevan Cantrell stated that we had got ourselves into this hole and now we had to fight to get out of it.
From minute one the match had a different feel to it with both teams willing to do anything they could to get the edge. Highfield applied early pressure testing our defence out wide with a couple of sweeping backline moves. Once in the attacking half a sharper edge to our offensive phases meant that when we did put the ball behind them they weren’t set and with a fortuitous bounce of the ball, our flying winger Paddy Brophy was on hand for our first try. The conversion attempt from Daithi Fitzgerald hit the posts from out wide so the score was 5-0 after 6 minutes.
The next twenty minutes was spent jammed in our own twenty two on the receiving end of an arsenal of penalties which Highfield chose to kick into the corner in an attempt to maul themselves over the line. Our defence held well, as we held back wave after wave of Highfield attacks.
Some of the exchanges were so manic that even the match official’s eyes and ears couldn’t cover all the action on and of the ball. After what seemed to be one of the more minor incidents - when the Highfield scrum half refused to let go of our lock Kolo Kiripatis leg for ten seconds after the whistle was blown - both players were sent to the sin bin for fighting, both scratching their heads in wonder as they walked off the field. The intensity continued to build with particular attention being directed at our two South Sea Players who to their credit only reacted by hitting them harder in the next exchange.
We finally worked our way out of the half with some quality clearing kicks. Some good continuity led to Damien Hunt going very close to a try in the corner. More offensive pressure was rewarded with a penalty goal to Fitzgerald and a converted try to Billy Tracy after a creative blindside move. Highfield, desperate to get on the board, came roaring back but with the pride in our line so evident the score remand 15-0 till the halftime break.
The need to use the the breeze that was in our favour to release the defensive load and to maintain the concentration and discipline under the fatigue of a brutal game was the main emphasis for the second half. Fitzgerald knocked over a penalty from the twenty two corner to start the half on a positive note but was countered by Billy Treacy getting sin binned for an infringement when defending yet another Highfield maul. A clearing kick was charged down and Highfield posted there first points taking the score to 18-5 with thirty minutes remaining. Another penalty and Highfield were within striking distance at 18-8.
The rest of the match was marred by events that can only be believed if you were present as the game developed into something closer to fight club than a rugby match. Touch judges got in on the act, reversing decisions - one in the 65th minute denying Highfield a successful drop goal attempt that ended up being a 6 point turn around when Fitzgerald converted a penalty from forty metres one minute later to take the score to 21-8.
In the seventieth minute Kolo was binned again for a breakdown offence, which was then changed to a red when he was sitting on the bench, as it was his second yellow card.
Then when Wanderers were defending a maul on our twenty two line, a fight broke out that surged over the side-line. Some spectators, that were so involved in the match up to that point, became involved in the fight, some trying to break it up and some contributing to the chaos until an all out brawl developed. It took the match officials six minutes to control the situation which included moving the supporters to the other side of the pitch so the players could finish the match off themselves.
With Wanderers’ legs tiring Highfield made a mid-field break that ended with a try close to the uprights and with a 21-15 score line, tension was running hot. Thankfully we got some breathing space after a Billy Treacy drop goal four minutes later and Highfield had to settle for a bonus point penalty goal right on full-time.
What a bizarre match which had 9ninety two minutes of stop start, raw boned and passionate rugby of perhaps not the best quality at times but was made up for by the intensity and will to win that both teams played with.
It was a real team performance from Wanderers for the first time this season with a lot of individuals standing out from the shadow of their team mates and giving a real honest contribution by putting everything on the line.
It was a great way after two weeks of frustration for Wanderers to really kick-start our Second Division campaign but we all know we have so much to improve on before another home match against Old Crescent this Saturday.
So Wanderers supporters, see you all there for a big club day and night with the Wanderers social which has a pink theme and kicks-off post match. Many of the Crescent boys will be there for the night, which we all hope will start with a positive result against a team made up of many of our current squad’s friends and family – ties that will be put aside until the final whistle is blown.
