Banbridge Rugby Club - Northern Ireland

Bann looked the better side in the early stages and after Jake Fisher had given them a 3rd minute boost with a successful penalty from 42 metres out, they continued to edge the exchanges. A strong run from broken play by John Haughey, taken on by Sean McDonald, saw James Graham just beaten to the kick into the Ballynahinch in-goal area.

Fisher was even more ambitious with a penalty attempt from the halfway line on 22 minutes but it fell just short of the posts.

It was coming up to the half hour before ‘Hinch launched their first worthwhile attack, after a poor Bann clearance kick had given them possession 30 metres out. But it was a chance they snapped up as their threequarters found the Bann defence in disarray to run in a converted try.

Fisher reduced the deficit to a point with another well-struck penalty but just before the break ‘Hinch picked up a poor Bann pass to counter with a second converted try.

The half finished with another impressive run from Bann winger Haughey as he gathered a kick ahead and covered 60 metres before eventually being brought to ground.

The second half started with another blistering Haughey run and kick ahead. Matthew Copes was stopped short of the line after gathering but when the ball came back from the ruck Jerry Ramsey was on hand to dive over for the score. With Fisher sidelined due to a shoulder injury Bann's place-kicking resources were depleted and the conversion went astray.

Eight minutes into the second half ‘Hinch forged further ahead with a try that owed much to some indifferent midfield tackling. The visiting out-half, who impressed throughout with his line and place kicking, had no trouble with the conversion, extending his side's lead to 11-21.

Still Bann came back, with veteran lock Paul Cairns showing an impressive burst of pace and power after he picked up from a ruck 12 metres out to burst past three defenders and touch down.

The visitors' fourth converted try had its origins in an intercepted pass as Bann tried to construct another attack and they rounded off the scoring after taking a scrum against the head five metres out from the Bann line. That too would undoubtedly have been converted had not Cairns adjudged the kicker to have started his run-up and raced out to kick away the ‘teed-up' ball. The referee agreed with the Bann lock's reading of the situation and much to the kicker's chagrin ruled ‘no conversion', taking the gloss off an otherwise 5-star display by the ‘Hinch No 10.

With 13 minutes remaining the win was now sealed and a yellow card for a Bann forward for over-zealous rucking was merely an unfortunate foot-note to a game that was otherwise played in the best of spirits.