Tough day at the office for 1st XV

Dungannon players will find the match video a difficult watch. In the first half we got into good scoring positions but came away with nothing. In the third quarter we were strangely listless. At the start of the fourth quarter the lights came on and we carved holes in the Wanderers defence coming to within six points of Wanderers only to make a basic error that ended with the visitors scoring a bonus point try. A disappointing day.
The game was played in good conditions with sun and a light breeze. Wanderers were immediately on the offensive and on six minutes loose head Sean Goodburn was driven over with David Fitzgibbon adding the conversion.
0 – 7
Dungannon immediately attacked with the first effort ending with a Wanderers twenty-two before a superb Peter Nelson penalty made touch five metres out. Following a good drive Jacob Clarke crashed over after ten minutes.
5 – 7
Another Dungannon drive was stopped courtesy of a penalty. From the subsequent lineout Wanderers engineered a breakout on the blind side and following some slick handling by their forwards Wanderers wing Val McDermott raced away to score a try that Fitzgibbon converted after twenty minutes.
5 - 14
Dungannon then had three meaningful attacks that failed unnecessarily. When Wanderers broke out Dungannon, with James McMahon in the van took the offensive again. Another Wanderers infringement was one too far and referee Forrestal sent a Wanderer to the Bin.
The second half started with a prolonged Dungannon assault which was a bit depressing as Wanderers dealt with it comfortably. Eventually Ben McCaughey converted a penalty on forty-eight minutes.
8 – 14
Wanderers then went on the attack making steady ground until a poor kick to the wing was transformed into a brilliant strike as Dungannon missed the ball and a flying Wanderer, McDermott, collected to race over after fifty-one minutes. Fitzgibbon converted.
8 – 21
After fifty-seven minutes Dungannon lost Adam Milligan to the Bin and Fitzgibbon kicked a penalty to put the visitors sixteen points ahead.
8 – 24
Dungannon then had a purple patch playing some great attacking rugby. Mervyn Brown scythed through the middle but his pass to the supporting Alex Kennedy was cover by the defence. Then we had our one moment of controversy. A maul from a Dungannon lineout fifteen metres out was steaming toward the line when it was collapsed two metres out. “Penalty try” screamed the Faithful. No just a penalty and a yellow for a Wanderers forward.
“What about Wales last Saturday?” Different TMO.
Thankfully justice was done shortly after when Ryan Abernethy broke from a maul to score on sixty-two minutes.
13 – 24
Peter Nelson’s influence was now evident as the backs were attacking with purpose and after sixty-five minutes the best movement of the game saw Ben McCaughey touch down far out on the left following a move that seemed to involve all the backs.
18 – 24
Dungannon now looked dangerous. Alas a couple of elementary errors seemed to result in a loss of tempo. Then a Wanderers scrum on their ten metre line saw their scrum half hoist a nothing kick. To say Dungannon made a hash of securing possession is an understatement. Suffice to say Val McDermott completed his hattrick between the posts on seventy-seven minutes. Fitzgibbon converted.
18 – 31
Dungannon did not give up and engineered a last gasp scoring opportunity that could have won two bonus points. Again the opportunity was lost.

Wanderers are a decent side and deserved their first AIL win at Stevenson Park, but Dungannon will be disappointed. They did not play well yet created enough opportunities to score more than one try but lost these opportunities rather than failed to take them. There is nothing there that will not deliver a different result on another day.