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Sat 18 Apr 2015U18Newry RFC - Ulster U18 Plate Final
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Ulster Youth Plate final - Ards U18s V Newry
STEPHEN NUTT20 Apr 2015 - 08:34
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Ards U18s win the Ulster Youth Plate at the Mid Ulster Sports Arena by defeating Newry 8 -7.
The Ulster U18 Plate Final kicked off with Ards playing into a very strong wind that made both tactical and place kicking a difficult task. The opposition were Newry RFC, who we had beaten heavily in 2 league encounters this season, but their surprise semi-final victory over Ballymoney RFC turned out to be no fluke. Always a tricky opposition, their coaching team had finally got them to play patterns and phases and they very quickly showed they were a much improved outfit.
Flanker Luke Simpson was retired after only a few minutes play with concussion. With the wind advantage, Newry dominated territory in the first half and Ards spent the majority of their time containing Newry between the 22m and 10m lines. Although Newry spread the ball confidently and at speed, the Ards line held well and their very dominant scrum gave some lift to the team. Forays into the Newry half were rare. Paddy Bond made an excellent line break, only to be denied by an excellent last ditch tackle by the impressive Newry full back. Taking the opportunity to play some rugby, Ards built a series of phases with heavy carries, ending in Danny McCullough taking 4 defenders over the line with him to score. The conversion missed, Ards took a 5-0 lead into half time.
The toll of defensive work in the first half was plain to see. A number of players had been carrying chronic injuries for weeks and these had flared up, but to a man they refused to retire from the contest.
Resuming the contest with the wind advantage, Ards enjoyed a similar start in terms of territory that Newry enjoyed in the first period. 3 excellent chances to score were created in the 3rd quarter, but not taken, one though for a very dubious forward pass call from the referee's assistant. With the small bench emptied of forwards, the breakdown battle was moving Newry's way as Ards' wounded warriors were feeling the effects of their first half efforts and the referee began to lose patience. Reduced to 13 men, Ards defended stoutly, but by the 4th quarter, Newry eventually found a mismatch to score under the posts. Taking the easy conversion, Newry took the lead at 7-5.
After a further period of hard fought breakdowns, Ards were awarded a penalty just inside their half. Calling for the tee, centre Joel DePledge lined up his kick and with ice cold calmness, slotted the ball through the posts and gave Ards the lead at 8-5. Newry were now dead on their feet too as each side tried desperately to push home an advantage. Ards were awarded another penalty, but with 2 minutes on the clock, opted to kick for a line out, so as not to afford Newry a restart opportunity to come back. With the referee calling last play, a simple throw to the front of the lineout was taken and kicked into touch for the final whistle and scenes of jubilation as Ards both expelled the ghosts of a losing final the year before and added the Plate to their League title for a well deserved season double.
Flanker Luke Simpson was retired after only a few minutes play with concussion. With the wind advantage, Newry dominated territory in the first half and Ards spent the majority of their time containing Newry between the 22m and 10m lines. Although Newry spread the ball confidently and at speed, the Ards line held well and their very dominant scrum gave some lift to the team. Forays into the Newry half were rare. Paddy Bond made an excellent line break, only to be denied by an excellent last ditch tackle by the impressive Newry full back. Taking the opportunity to play some rugby, Ards built a series of phases with heavy carries, ending in Danny McCullough taking 4 defenders over the line with him to score. The conversion missed, Ards took a 5-0 lead into half time.
The toll of defensive work in the first half was plain to see. A number of players had been carrying chronic injuries for weeks and these had flared up, but to a man they refused to retire from the contest.
Resuming the contest with the wind advantage, Ards enjoyed a similar start in terms of territory that Newry enjoyed in the first period. 3 excellent chances to score were created in the 3rd quarter, but not taken, one though for a very dubious forward pass call from the referee's assistant. With the small bench emptied of forwards, the breakdown battle was moving Newry's way as Ards' wounded warriors were feeling the effects of their first half efforts and the referee began to lose patience. Reduced to 13 men, Ards defended stoutly, but by the 4th quarter, Newry eventually found a mismatch to score under the posts. Taking the easy conversion, Newry took the lead at 7-5.
After a further period of hard fought breakdowns, Ards were awarded a penalty just inside their half. Calling for the tee, centre Joel DePledge lined up his kick and with ice cold calmness, slotted the ball through the posts and gave Ards the lead at 8-5. Newry were now dead on their feet too as each side tried desperately to push home an advantage. Ards were awarded another penalty, but with 2 minutes on the clock, opted to kick for a line out, so as not to afford Newry a restart opportunity to come back. With the referee calling last play, a simple throw to the front of the lineout was taken and kicked into touch for the final whistle and scenes of jubilation as Ards both expelled the ghosts of a losing final the year before and added the Plate to their League title for a well deserved season double.
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