Bonus Point Win at Portadown for 1st XV

Portadown 1XV 14
Enniskillen 1XV 31

Enniskillen continued their winning form with a bonus point away victory over Portadown last Saturday to leave them sitting at second in the league going into the derby clash against Clogher this Saturday at Mullaghmeen. Skins didn’t have all their own way as a poor start had the fixture looking like a potential banana skin for the high flying side, with Portadown running in two tries early on, but Enniskillen upped their game in the second half to finish a comfortable 14-31.
Skins started the game playing into the strong wind with a glaring sun in their eyeliner and Portadown claimed the restart to immediately put them under pressure, Skins’ usually flawless defence taking some time to get calibrated and they were punished immediately as the home side broke through for a try after a number of forward carries gained big yards, converted to go 7-0 up.
Skins were clearly shaking their heads at their errors and immediately looked to set things right. The scrum continued it’s dominance established in previous weeks, a crucial tool in the difficult conditions. Following a handling error from Portadown, a big Skins scrum laid the foundation for a nicely worked back move as Alex Parke made a break down the left wing, was dragged down by the defence only to offload to man of the match Jack Rutledge in support who crossed the line for a score, 7-5 as the conversion drifted wide.
Handling errors following the restart returned possession to Portadown and to their credit they recycled the ball rapidly to put Skins on the back foot and soon crossed again, converted to go 14-5 up against a shellshocked Enniskillen.
Working their way into the Portadown half following the restart, Enniskillen carried well through the forwards with Jamie Kelly and Ricky Lee making good ground. With Portadown beginning to leak penalties Lendrum punished them with kicks to touch into the strong wind to gain some ground. The Skins maul gained good ground into the opposition half and was brought down illegally; Skins opting for the scrum led to a series of reset feeds, the home side managing to hold out as Skins made their way to the line only to be held up on two attempts, leaving Portadown in the lead 14-5 as the half ended.
Skins were undoubtedly glad for the brief break to absorb the shaky start, and showing the attitude that has been a feature of the side in recent months they started the second half with much more precision. The scrum continued to exert massive pressure on Portadown while Josh Kennedy tormented their line out, leaving the set piece severely unreliable for the home side. Soon Skins were back in the opposition 22’ following good yards by Parke who rounded the defence. Skins took the ball against the head following a handling error and went on the attack with a range of carries before Gavin Warrington forced his way over, converted to trail 14-12. The defence had become galvanised now too and the home side struggled to find a gap in the Skins line as Nick Finlay at 12 was typically vocal in marshalling the defence along with the solid tackling of Mark O’Shea at 13.
In much the same fashion Skins were back in a similar position as the pack made positive yards, David Buchanan and Gavin Parke testing the defence. A scrum 10 metres out made good ground again before Ricky Lee picked from the back and put Skins in the lead with another try, converted to lead 14-17.
The game remained in the balance and Portadown continued to retain possession well, the swirling wind beginning to test the Skins line out and giving the home side some ball to work with. A yellow card for Jamie Kelly would have been cause for concern at this crucial time in the game but Skins defended tenaciously to clear their lines with Gareth Beatty earning the penalty at the breakdown for holding on. Soon Skins were back threatening Portadown’s line with a scrum just outside the 5 metre, and this time with referee lost his patience after multiple resets, awarding the penalty try to the dominant Enniskillen shove, securing some comfort with a 14-24 lead despite the 1 man deficit.
The Skins defence continued to be a huge asset as they made up for it’s earlier absence, the pressure leading to a wayward pass from Portadown on their 22’ that allowed Josh Kennedy to intercept and sprint for the try line, under the posts for a simple conversion to end the contest at 14-31, impressive given the determined performance from Portadown.
This Saturday Enniskillen face Clogher in the highly anticipated local derby at Mullaghmeen, and with Clogher also enjoying a great first half of the league season it’s set to be a memorable encounter.