Skins secure Junior Cup Semi-Final

Instonians 15 – Enniskillen 30
Date: 2.30 pm, Saturday 16 November 2019
Venue: Shawsbridge, Belfast
Fixture: Millar McCall Wylie Junior Cup - Quarter Final

Enniskillen 1st XV secured a Junior Cup semi final last Saturday with a victory over Instonians at Shaw’s Bridge in Belfast, their third win in this cup campaign that has seen Skins drawn an away fixture in every round, including the upcoming semi-final where they’ll head to Ballyclare.
Two tries from Alex Parke was a fair reflection on a dangerous looking Skins back line on the day but it was the Skins pack who proved the dominant force throughout to leave the home side with little foundation to build on. The Skins forwards looked the hungrier side as well as showing more enterprise in attack. The set piece also proved a game changer with Warrington, Cathcart and Beatty having a strong showing in the scrum, demolishing their opposition front row and claiming multiple penalties. Add that to a shaky lineout from the home side and they were left with very little to play with. In contrast Kennedy marshalled the Skins lineout well to give the backs plenty of front foot ball.
Skins started well with strong carries from the forward pack and a devastating break through midfield from Jack Harte who made good yards before being dragged down, the ball was kept live however and some excellent footballing skills from Conor Hoy dribbled the ball down the pitch for Alex Parke to claim the first try, unconverted to go 0-5 up.
It was more of an arm wrestle for the next 10 minutes as Inst tried to get into the game but a malfunctioning lineout along with some Skins line speed had them compounding errors and handing Enniskillen most of the possession and territory. The pressure told when penalties began to mount up and John Maguire extended the lead with a kick at goal, 0-8.
The home side showed they still had plenty of individual ability when they reclaimed a restart after some confusion from the receiving Skins to bring play deep into the visitor’s half, Skins overeager defence had them penalised and Inst got on the scoreboard with a kick at goal, now trailing 3-8.
A ruthless Skins had no interest in merely seeing out the half, winning a lineout on the 40m line following the restart they rampaged up the field with a huge maul to bring play inside the 22. An excellently weighted kick from Ashley Finlay over the defence sat up perfectly for Parke to score his second try, converted put Skins 3-15 up at the break.
Momentum stayed with Skins in the second half as they carried hard at the home side with Jamie Kelly going on a rampaging run through the defence to bring play well into the opposition half. Soon Skins set up a lineout on the Inst 5 metre line and were mauling for the line only for Warrington to be just held up over the line. From the resultant scrum Skins battered the line for an extended period and the home side defended well; another penalty however had Skins opt for the scrum and after multiple resets the referee was forced to award a penalty try to the Enniskillen scrum, now leading 3-22.
It looked like the game was almost over for Inst but they showed their impressive ability in broken play over the next 10 minutes as some rare defensive errors from Skins had them under pressure. Inst used the width well through a pacy back line and a line break had Skins scrambling back and penalised under pressure. A quick tap and kick to the unmarked Skins flanker had Inst get their first try, unconverted to trail 8-22.
Within 5 minutes the home side scored again, reclaiming the restart they moved the ball well and a pacy back row made some damaging breaks at the fringe of the ruck to soon come within metres of the try line; quick ball to the wing then securing a second try, converted to come back within a score at 15-22.
Skins showed their maturity now as they settled themselves and addressed the defensive lapses. The back three of Finlay, O’Shea and Parke were flawless under the Inst kicking threat and a counter-attack from Parke brought Enniskillen deep into the Inst half at a crucial time in the game. The Skins scrum remained in control and helped reassert their foothold in the game with a collapse giving Enniskillen a lineout near the Inst 5 metre line. Inst were deemed to defend the maul illegally and Skins opted for the kick at goal to put them out of reach again with Maguire extending the lead to 15-25.
Skins spent the final period wearing down a determined Inst defence in the home side’s 22’. Two Enniskillen scrums crossed the whitewash but some fumbling at the back gave Inst a temporary escape, thankfully the penalty advantage was with Skins and with one more scrum to end the game Rutledge picked and crossed the line for the final score, unconverted to finish 15-30.
It’s Enniskillen 1st XV’s first win away to Instonians in recent times and marked a huge achievement for the side to reach their first Junior Cup semi-final in a number of years. They return to Shaw’s Bridge this weekend to play it’s other residents Cooke RFC in the league before returning to the cup on 30th November for their semi-final away to Ballyclare RFC.