Portlaoise overcome very shaky start to run out comfortable winners

Leinster League Division 2B/3 

Portlaoise 49 

Arklow 7 

THE opening 15 minutes of this game in Togher on Sunday had all the hallmarks of being a repeat of what we had witnessed in the Aviva the previous evening.

To say the visitors to Togher, Arklow, were dominating the forwards’ battle would have been a vast understatement. They were in fact demolishing the Portlaoise scrum.

The home side conceded a string of scrum penalties, and just like South Africa did 24 hours previous hardly kicked a penalty instead opting for another, resulting in another penalty.

With the referee getting frustrated he issued a team warning and flanker Cormac Rigney was the unfortunate one to suffer when he was penalised for not holding his bind in a scrum and was yellow carded in the 15th minute.

Things began to change when Nathan Flanagan was introduced into the front row and eventually parity was achieved up front. With Portlaoise the better in the lineouts and more mobile around the field they now began to dominate the game and never really let up.

There was no doubt that the damage was now being done up front and once Portlaoise any sort of quick it was flashed around between backs and forwards and the tries began to flow.

Midway through the opening half Portlaoise opened the scoring from a lineout. Once possession was won they went through a few phases before moving the ball left where Ronan Donlon linked up with his second row partner Michael Rigney, who was making his return from injury, high-stepped his way down the wing, past two defenders to score.

Ten minutes later more good combined work between forwards and backs saw Donlon, Bryan Croke and Joe McCormack combine to send captain Ryan McEvoy crashing over. Croke added the conversion.

Two minutes later Croke converted a penalty.

Portlaoise were to strike once more before the half time break. In an almost identical move Donlon and Rigney again linked up, only this time on the right wing, where Rigney scorched past three defenders and leave Croke with an easy conversion and send Portlaoise into the break leading 22-0.

The one real lot on the Portlaoise copybook came right from the restart when they allowed Arklow gain easy possession and with a few passes they flew the length of the field to score a try and add the extras.

Portlaoise wasted no time in responding when three minutes later centre Joe McCormack waltzed through the Arklow defence to score and Oisin Hade, now introduced, added the conversion.

Hade added a penalty nine minutes later.

While Arklow continued to battle they were never pose any real threat to the dominant home side who were by now introducing their full bench.

Entering the final quarter, from a another lineout, Portlaoise mauled the ball and ended with one of those replacements, Glen Connolly crashing over.

With 12 minutes remaining lovely hands between forwards and backs ended with Cormac Rigney stepping past three Arklow defenders to score, and with Hade on target with the conversion Portlaoise now led 44-7.

There was still time for one more try which came in the 75th minute. From an initial massive drive from replacement Sean Peters, who was also returning after a lengthy injury, resulted in the ball being flashed across the backs for winger Iain Corrigan to score.

This result leaves Portlaoise sitting joint second with Portarlington 26 points after six games. However, Portlaoise have a points difference of 196 to Portarlington’s 130.

Roscrea sit top of the table with 35 points but have a game more played than the two Laois clubs.

Next week’s round of games could have a huge outcome to how the table might look. Portlaoise will be hoping their neighbours can do them a favour when they host Roscrea at Lea Road. At the same time Portlaoise will be taking on fifth placed Midland Warriors in Moate.

SCORERS:

Portlaoise: Michael Rigney 10pts (2 tries) Oisin Hade 8pts (3 cons, 1 pen), Ryan McEvoy, Joe McCormack, Glen Connolly, Cormac Rigney and Iain Corrin 5pts each (1 try each).

PORTLAOISE: Niall Keenan’ Marc Bracken, Joe McCormack, Kevin Griffen, Iain Corrigan; Bryan Croke, Mark Kelly; Joe Stevens, Cian Coffey, Ryan McEvoy; Ronan Donlon, Michael Rigney; Mark Davis, Cormac Rigney, Liam Doyle.

Replacements: Nathan Flanagan, Sean Peters, Oisin Hade, Mark Sherlock, Glen Connolly, Euan McCann.