Skins Pick Up Bonus Point at Grosvenor

Grosvenor 1XV 15
Enniskillen 1XV 31

Newly crowned Junior Cup Champions Enniskillen 1st XV travelled to Grosvenor in the league last Saturday in wet and windy conditions and, with it a mere 4 days after their Cup Final, fatigue was undoubtedly a concern. Seemingly no such concern was required however as Skins managed a solid performance to come away with a bonus point victory. A very early score from a rampant Skins made it look like a potential domination but Grosvenor kept within touch and played some good rugby on occasion, a strong finish from Enniskillen in the second half, however, claiming the bonus point and putting the result beyond doubt.
Enniskillen started at pace, Conor Hoy collecting the restart well and bringing play into the Grosvenor half. The half back pairing of Matty Dane and Nick Finlay kept the tempo up with quick recycling and a series of carries from the Skins pack picked up plenty of yards, with Beatty and Buchanan really testing the defence and eventually it was James Carleton who crossed the line, converted by Maguire to lead 0-7.
Grosvenor kept themselves within touch shortly afterwards as Enniskillen got on the wrong side of the ref and were deemed offside in defence, the home side reducing the deficit at 3-7. The contest became scrappy midway through the half as Skins looked comfortable in defence but continued to get penalised around the breakdown which made life difficult. Thankfully Enniskillen’s infamous scrum continued to play a factor with Warrington, Cathcart and Beatty heading up the forward pack and having another big day, putting Grosvenor under constant pressure and winning a number of penalties. Off one such scrum penalty Skins opted for the kick to the corner which set up a maul just outside the 5 metre line and trundling towards the try line, Jamie Kelly on the end of it to pick up a score in the corner, unconverted to leave the scoreline at 3-12 heading towards half time.
The second half did not go as planned when the Skins backline began to take flight through the centre pairing of Harte and O’Shea who looked sure to find space on the outside, only to be intercepted in midfield, leading to a soft score for Grosvenor to bring things to 10-12. Reining in their penalty count now and using the scrum to good effect, Skins worked their way into the Grosvenor half and spent a long period camped on the try line with a series of reset scrums, eventually the pack drove their way over the line with Carleton touching down from eight, increasing the lead 10-17.
From the restart Skins carried back into the opposition half with the forwards linking together well, Gavin Parke and Jack Rutledge finding space with some well chosen lines while Oisin Timoney was industrious off the bench. Enniskillen were soon hammering the Grosvenor line once again and David Buchanan forced his way through a determined defence to touch down. converted to lead 10-24.
The score of the game came afterwards with a break near the touchline by Angus Keys who found Rutledge and then Carleton in support for the offload before the ball found Matty Dane for a score, a superb demonstration of support play, converted at 10-31.
Grosvenor to their credit played to the whistle and challenged the restart to set up a final flurry of attack in the Skins half, a couple of defensive slips allowed them to advance near the line and and a scrambling Skins defence wasn’t enough to stop the consolation score, full time at 15-31.
While there were lapses in accuracy from Skins at times it was a good performance against a top four side of last season away from home, and certainly a potential banana skin given the cup final distraction. Things remain immensely tight amongst the top four of the league but if Skins continue to perform and even improve, Top Four should be more than achievable, with the incredible possibility of the top spot still a reality if league leaders Dromore should slip up.