News

Match Reports For Age Grade Rep Teams

22nd September 2014
Ulster Schools were beaten 7-22 by Munster at Kingspan Stadium in their final inter-pro of the campaign.

Ulster kicked off and pressure from Marcus Rea saw Ulster regain possession. A break by Conor Kelly put Robert Lyttle clear and Kelly ran a great support line to score on the right. Lyttle converted for a 7-0 lead after just a minute.

It took just another twi minutes for Munster to reply. They turned over possession and good handling created a try for their fullback Colm Hogan, with captain and outhalf Bill Johnston adding the extras to draw level.

There were several penalty misses by both teams but Johnston was successful with one effort on the stroke of time, pushing his side three points clear at the break. 

Ulster had another couple of penalty attempts that drifted wide early in the second period and they were made to pay when a charged down clearance kick created a converted try for Glenn Dickinson. The scoreline now read 7-15.

The final score of the night came from visiting hooker Mark O’Mara in the dying moments of the game. Again, it was converted for a final score of 7-22.

The Ulster players gave their all in this match but things didn't quite go their way. The big Munster forwards eprived the hosts of meaningful possession, therefore restricting the expansive game plan favoured by Ulster. All in all, it was a good campaign for Ulster who registered an excellent 53-0 win over Connacht before drawing 17-17 with Leinster.

Richard Clingan, Manager of Ulster Schools, commented: “Thanks to all the players for their commitment to training and matches, and to the coaches for their work three days per week over the past 13 weeks, along with the support staff, Strength & conditioning and medical. I’d also like to thank parents for their support of the individual players and for their attendance at matches.”

The Ulster U19 team made the journey to Cork where they played Munster at Mardyke Grounds on Saturday. Ulster team had to cope with the late withdrawal of some key players due to injury and non-availability. However, they did not falter and displayed a great deal of character to record a 5-3 victory.

The team got off to an excellent start from an Ulster point of view when left winger, Jonny Rosborough, gathered the ball from Gareth Millar’s kick off to run in for a try with literally just seconds on the clock. The conversion was unsuccessful but the Ulster U19 team had a 0-5 lead.

The remainder of the half saw both teams looking for quality possession and territory but, at critical times, opportunities to gain set piece saw possession denied. Both defences were well organised and there were no further scores in the course of the first half.

The second half started well for Munster when their outhalf, Paul Downes, reduced the arrears to 5-3 when he converted a penalty kick shortly after the restart. Munster piled the pressure on the Ulster team but the players showed great character and discipline in denying the home team any real further opportunities to score points. The Ulster team looked more likely to score a try and, on a number of occasions, came close to doing so. However, the game finished with the Ulster team claiming a hard earned, and on the balance of play, well-deserved 5-3 victory. This win ensured the Ulster U19 team a runners-up spot in the 2014 U19 Inter-Provincial Championship.

In a game played at the Kingspan on Saturday afternoon, Ulster U18 Clubs put on a much improved performance against Munster, however, this did not prevent the visitors from leaving with a bonus point 34-6 victory.