Three-try Thompson lead 2nds to victory    Share

PSNI  12 BANBRIDGE 2NDs 27

November 5, 2011

Bann Seconds travelled to Newforge to play PSNI in the Conference League hoping to get some momentum back after the previous week's disappointing 10-10 draw at Malone. They duly eased to a 29-12 victory courtesy of a gritty performance from a much changed team.

The PSNI opened the scoring with an unconverted try inside the first three minutes when they were first to capitalise on comical handling from both sides. Five minutes later Bann were fortunate not to concede a further try when they eventually hauled down a home back after a midfield interception.


This uncharacteristic start from Bann eventually shook them into action and they showed good ball retention to dominate possession over the next 20 minutes before picking up their opening try. Two penalties in quick succession were stroked up the line by John Ferris to get then inside the home "22". Bann elected to drive off the clean line-out ball and maintained possession to drive the heavier home pack over the line. The industrious Bryan Curran claimed the touch-down for Clarke McAllister to convert.


With that early lethargy firmly behind them, Bann picked up a second try seven minutes later. A period of intense play from the forwards, with Paul Ross, James McCrum and Curran in the vanguard, saw them cause all sorts of problems. With the Police now starting to find it difficult to get anything from the battle up front, it was the lighter Bann pack that won a scrum just outside the "22". Craig Mulholland spun the ball to Ferris who showed his strength to burst through a half gap. Geoff Thompson was supporting at speed, and Ferris's unselfish off-load allowed his skipper to touch down under the posts. McAllister again added the extras to take the interval score to 14-5, although another scything break from Ferris nearly put Mulholland away for a third try.


The second half saw Bann start to open up and fully utilise both the forwards and backs in tandem, but a gritty Police defence initially stopped them adding to their try tally. With this in mind, Captain Thompson elected to have McAllister convert a penalty in the 47th minute to keep the scoreboard ticking over.

With Paul Ross stealing the show and leading his forwards by example, Thompson was doing likewise in the backs. Seventeen minutes into the half he was on hand to finish off and score his second try. Again it originated in quality lineout ball from which Bann rucked and mauled to keep the opposition firmly on the back foot. Mulholland fed Ferris who once again found Thompson running a great angle to receive the ball and sprint through. McAllister's conversion moved the score to 24-5.


With just under 25 minutes remaining a confident Bann backline were keen to utilise their speed when they could. Strong runs from Jordan Weir, McAllister and three from John Porter nearly yielded tries. However it was Thompson who scored next with another defence-splitting run to finish off his hat-trick with 15 minutes remaining.


With 10 minutes to go Bann seemed to think it was `game over` and they allowed a home back an embarrassing dance through attempted tap tackles to score a converted try.


Overall this was a satisfactory result with an improved performance, especially from a smaller Bann pack that included five wing forwards. The non-stop work ethic of Ross meant the forwards were able to keep the ball moving forward, and with Ferris managing the game well from out-half, it was no surprise that scores followed. However the Man of the Match award for the second week in a row went to Thompson, not just for his three tries, but his all-round tackling, running and leadership.


 

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