Banbridge Rugby Club - Northern Ireland

Derry won the toss, opted to play with a slight breeze and immediately gave notice of their intention to spread the ball wide at every opportunity. Eventually this broke the Bann defence down when their centre avoided five Bann tacklers to run in under the posts for a converted try.

Derry then opted for some old style pick and goes within the forwards. The physicality and superior size of their pack was being largely neutralised by the grit and determination of the Bann back row of Ross Haughey, Robin Hewitt and Alex Megaw. Eventually however the big Derry No 8 broke through the defence and ran in to score their second try which went unconverted.

With five minutes of the half remaining Bann re-grouped and in the Derry "22" a home ruck was turned over by some excellent counter-rucking from Jake Chambers and the excellent Josh Cromie. The scrum-half's feed put Jason Jardine in for a score that reduced the interval deficit to 12-5.

The second half saw William Wilson retire due to injury. Now without his tireless work in defence and obvious threat in attack the rest of the backline was going to have to tighten up their game. With Cameron Cromie opting for the huge Garryowen, Wayne McCurry with his pace was putting pressure on the Derry defence and Bann were soon in the Derry "22". A Derry scrum followed and the out-half's attempted clearance kick was charged down and then touched down by the ever impressive Josh Cromie.

Bann midfield trio of Cameron Cromie, Keelan McCambridge and Jardine were making ground every time the ball was flashed out. McCambridge's elusive running was complemented by Jardine's more direct style of attack. This trio was even more impressive in defence with their aggression second to none. It was their attack play that led to the decisive try when once again Josh Cromie made the right decision quickly feeding cousin Cameron who drew his marker before passing to McCambridge. The centre sliced through the defence before popping a pass to Jardine, who once again showed his power and direct running to crash through three defenders for his second try. Cameron Cromie converted.

With the game nearing an end Bann showed their maturity when they received a penalty after an infringement at a ruck. Cameron Cromie slotted over to bring the full time score to 12-20.

To travel to City of Derry and record a win is always a tough thing to do at any level. Bann not only won but turned around a 12-0 deficit. The boys worked really hard and thoroughly deserved this win. Once again Alex Megaw was tremendous in the pack along with the hard working Chambers, Haughey and Dennison.

Wayne McCurry had a great game in his first outing in the backline. His speed and ferocious tackling make him a pleasure to have on your team.

Best guy in a Bann shirt on the day must go to Josh Cromie. His tenacity and his work rate are an example for anyone who plays rugby. His decision making and ability to create extra men around the pitch make him a key member of the squad.

Thanks to City of Derry for a high quality entertaining game of rugby that was a great standard and advert for the game at this level.