AIL Division 1B.
Armagh 16 Ballynahinch 27.
James Kirk reporting from the Palace Grounds.
Ballynahinch took a huge step towards automatic promotion as they picked up a precious away win at Armagh.
They showed ambition throughout as they sought to counter the heavy Armagh pack by playing at a high tempo and putting width on the ball. Brian McLaughlin lost the services of influential Number 8 Conall Boomer through illness and with Tom O’Toole also unavailable.
Hinch were glad to be able to slot Zac Ward into the back row for his first appearance of the season and call Tommy O’Hagan up to the squad. Ryan Wilson continued to deputise for the injured Johnny McPhillips at fly-half.
Armagh started well with their game built on physicality and the carrying of Neil Faloon. They had almost all of the early possession and eventually came away with a penalty to take the lead. Ballynahinch looked to attack with their first real series of phases and won a penalty for Richard Reaney to equalise. Skipper Aaron Cairns then scored a superb solo try with a chip and chase from the halfway line to give his team a lead which they refused to relinquish.
Armagh continued to slow Hinch down at the ruck and gave away another penalty which Reaney slotted to take his side 11-3 ahead and when the Armagh pack was penalised at scrum time the away side looked to have taken the sting from the home pack. However, some backchat led to the penalty being reversed and Cormac Fox knocked over the easy three points to bring his team within a score of the lead.
David Busby was pressed into action after a season long injury lay-off midway through the half as influential centre Rory Butler was lost to a shoulder injury and played a significant part as Hinch scored an excellent try to stretch their lead.
Rhys O’Donnell was the architect as first a long, lofted pass off his left hand put Busby in space. His offload to Bradley Luney allowed the pack to drive for the line and a few phases later O’Donnell zipped a long flat pass out wide off his right hand to Zac McCall for the hooker to score. Reaney missed the extras but Hinch were ten points clear and looking good.
They continued to look dangerous and the match should have been put away when another great Busby break came to nothing when he was unable find Wilson with the offload with the line in sight. A Robin Harte break also came to nothing and Hinch found themselves defending as the half came to a close after a missed tackle on Faloon allowed him to make 30m upfield. Fox kicked another penalty with the final action of the half to make it 16-9 to the Co.Down men at half time.
Reaney kicked an excellent penalty early in the second half to take his team ten points clear again and this proved vital as Hinch braced themselves for the inevitable Armagh surge.
After a catch and drive from the home pack was repelled the game was stopped for an injury and then restarted with a scrum under the Hinch posts. The big Armagh pack put the pressure on and when the back row broke off with the scrum in retreat the referee awarded a penalty try.
With the game now in the balance, Ballynahinch hit back straight away as O’Donnell took matters into his own hands, stripping the ball out in a tackle on halfway to force a turnover, and then following up on a kick ahead to score.
Reaney failed with the conversion but the buffer was back to eight points and this influenced the Armagh thinking when they opted to kick a penalty under the Hinch posts when everyone in the ground assumed they would opt for another scrum.
Fox knocked it over to close the gap but a fine Reaney penalty from long distance took Hinch back to a two score lead and despite a Cairns yellow card and more bruising carrying from Faloon and co.
The locals held on to leave the league title in their own hands. Victory over St.Mary’s at home on Saturday will earn automatic promotion to Division 1A.
All support welcome.
