Banbridge Rugby Club - Northern Ireland

The visitors must have known exactly how Bann felt at the end, as the previous week they had lost to Nenagh through a late intercept try. Bann had snatched a late win from their game against Greystones one week earlier. This time they had enjoyed an impressive start, registering two tries in the opening quarter, but after that early flourish they failed to hammer home the advantage and thanks to the boot and opportunism of O'Connor had to settle for a losing bonus point.

An injury picked up at Bann's Thursday training session had ruled out Kiwi full-back Ben Purvis. Ashley Finlay moved back to take up the No 15 shirt and Jonny Pollock took his place on the wing.

Otherwise it was the Bann XV which finished the game against Greystones. And they picked up where they had left off against the Wicklow side, registering their first try after just seven minutes play.

Simon McKinstry won possession from a Rainey lineout on the home "22" and burst clear to set up good ruck ball. When the ball came out wide Finlay hared through a gap before linking with Pollock. His pass to Andrew Morrison was timed to perfection and the young centre sprinted the final 20 metres to make the touchdown, with Robin Thompson converting.

Bann's domination at the set piece was giving them a wealth of possession and the visitors' defence was breached again in the 18th minute, with Colin Bickerstaff going over from close range after Michael Cromie had just been held out. Thompson's conversion attempt missed the target but with the 12 points on the board reflecting Bann's superiority up to that point it was all going according to plan for the home side.

Then on the half hour the pace of livewire Rainey scrum half Peter Sciascia took him clear of the defence from a scrum near the Bann "22". He drew the last defender to put O'Connor in for a try which the full-back converted. Five minutes later Bann conceded a penalty for ‘crossing' and at a subsequent ruck Jonny Murphy was yellow-carded, O'Connor stroked over the penalty and now it was Rainey in the driving seat and just two points down.

Two minutes from half-time Finlay broke through again and his chip kick to within three metres of the try line had the Rainey defence scrambling to prevent a third try. However when they re-cycled, the ball was run out of defence and a try at the opposite end was only prevented by Pollock's covering tackle well inside the home "22".

The second half was just four minutes old when Rainey took the lead, a penalty from in front of the posts gifting O'Connor another three points.

Bickerstaff's interception on the halfway line almost produced a try for mobile lock Chris Allen, and as the pressure was maintained Rainey were penalised and Thompson's post-splitting angled kick edged his team 15-13 in front with 52 minutes played.

The Bann out-half was off-target with an attempt from 38 metres on the hour but a resurgent Bann were now beginning to build some momentum. Then came that interception inside the Rainey "22" which gave O'Connor a clear run to the posts at the opposite end. The conversion was a formality but O'Connor later proved his fallibility by missing from 30 metres range. It was the only slip in an otherwise flawless performance by the former City of Derry player.

Bann produced their customary storming finish, encamping in the visitors' "22" for most of the final 10 minutes of the game. But a spirited Rainey defence ensured there was to be no repeat of the heroics which had seen Bann conjure up late tries to emerge with wins from the Sunday's Well and Greystones games.

Greystones' thumping win over Ards allowed them to reclaim fourth place from Bann in the Division Three table. That promotion place is still a realistic goal for the Rifle Park side. But a win at Ards this Saturday is a must and it will take at least three more wins from their remaining five games if automatic promotion is to be achieved.

Bann team v Rainey:- Ashley Finlay, Jonny Pollock, Andrew Morrison, Jonny Little, Stephen Cowan, Robin Thompson, Michael Chambers, Michael Cromie, Jonny Murphy, Brian Hanna, Chris Allen, Simon McKinstry (Capt), Dale Carson, Ryan Patterson, Colin Bickerstaff. Replacements:- Paul Ross (for Jonny Murphy), James McCrum (for Brian Hanna), Jonny Gibson, Shandon Scott, James Andrews (for Jonny Little).