ICRC Dev. XV 22 - Brampton Beavers 20
27 / 07 / 04
League

The Irish Women development side faced the Brampton Beavers RFC on Tuesday night after the game was rescheduled from the previous weekend due to Brampton being unable to field a team.  The previous match up between the two sides was no contest as the Irish ran away to a 79 – 0 victory.  The wet and generally miserable conditions were a great equalizer and the two teams fought it out to a nail biting conclusion.

 The wet and generally miserable conditions had a negative effect as the game was marred by numerous errors due to the slippery ball and poor footing.  The Irish marched down the field right from the kick-off and were rewarded with Laura Steele and Becki Lee both scoring trys and Cheryl Morris adding a conversion to lead 12 – 0 after only 10 minutes.  The Irish then struggled with the rainy conditions as they were unable to move the ball and exploit the talents of their back line.  Brampton played the conditions perfectly and took control of the game with 4 consecutive trys to eventually lead 12 – 20 with only the last quarter of the game left. 

 Once again the Irish grit began to surface as the forwards began to exert their control and rumbled down the pitch.  Extreme pressure finally paid off as Carolynn Gludish fought her way to the line and touched down with several players hanging off her.  Morris’ conversion brought the score to 19 – 20 and set the stage for a dramatic final 15 minutes.  With the conditions deteriorating by the minute and darkness falling, the Irish slowly inched their way down the field but Brampton held their line and continually repelled the pressure.  The Irish continued their barrage of the goal line until Brampton finally conceded a penalty on their goal line about 10 meters to the left of the posts.  Cheryl Morris stepped up to the ball and calmly slotted the penalty kick on the final play of the game.  Final score Irish 22 Brampton 20.  With the win the Irish move into first place in the league standings with two games to play and are now the masters of their own destiny.

 “The game was not a classic by any means with the poor weather and field conditions causing both teams to make too many errors” commented head coach Rodin “Koko” Lozada.  “It was good to see the players fight through the mistakes and keep working until they got the result they wanted.  We now know that we can come from behind to win games and that will serve us well down the stretch.”

 The Irish 2^nd XV travel to Peterborough on Saturday August 7^th as they face a young but talented Pagans team.  Also of note, the Irish 1^st XV’s Cup quarter-final match against the Aurora Barbarians has been rescheduled to Thursday August 5^th at Fletcher’s Fields for a 7:00pm kick-off.