The Front Row Union Sport - All Ireland Cup: Dungannon 16 Corinthians 13

An injury time try from Dungannon’s Chris Cochrane kept the home team in the match in this tough All Ireland Cup semi final against Connacht side Galway Corinthians, taking the game into extra time. Michael Lawton‘s extra time penalty was the only score of the extended period giving the home side a hard fought win.

With heavy snowfall in Dungannon overnight the Stevenson Park outfit did well to make the pitch playable with the supporters working right up to the kick off to remove surplus water from the center of the pitch. With a light sleet falling throughout the match and difficult conditions underfoot both teams did well to produce an entertaining game of rugby.

The Connacht Cup champions settled into the game well keeping the ball tight and dominated the opening twenty minutes keeping Dungannon pinned in their own half. A penalty on the 23rd minute from out half Conor Murphy put the visitor into the lead but Dungannon hit back two minutes later with a penalty from Michael Lawton taking the score to 3 – 3.

Photos by John McMurtry, The Front Row Union, of Dungannon 16 Galway Corinthians 13, All Ireland Cup, Saturday 12th March 2011 at Stevenson Park — Michael Lawton sends an early penalty on it’s way.

Moments later Dungannon’s Ali Birch embarked on a thundering run upfield only to be brought down short of the line but it was the visitors who were getting the best of the forward exchanges and the pressure on the home team told with center Glen Telford yellow carded just after the half hour mark.

Dungannon did well to keep the visitors out for the bulk of the the binning but just before Telfords return the Galway side worked space for their winger James Buckley who raced clear to score in the corner. Murphy added the conversion and the visitors took a 3 – 10 lead into the break.

A Lawton penalty at the start of the second half brought the home team to within four points but Corinthians replied minutes later through a Murphy penalty, restoring their seven point lead at 6 – 13 and for the next twenty minutes the match reached a bit of a stalemate with neither side able to dominate.

With time running out and both teams visibly tiring in the difficult conditions it looked as though the visitors were going to hold on for the win as they ran down the clock through their forwards. However a handling error from the visitors was kicked up field where Ali Birch did well to win the ball which was moved wide for winger Chris Cochrane to slide over the line in the snow.

Lawton did well to add the conversion taking the score to 13 – 13 six minutes into injury time but there was still time for Corinthians to take the game with a last minute penalty. Fortunately for the home side the kick was pushed wide and the game went into extra time with ten minutes to be played each way.

Dungannon took the lead for the first time two minutes into injury time with another Lawton penalty and the home side managed to shut out the visitors for the remainder of the extra period to take the game 16 – 13.

Dungannon: Philip White, Chris Knipe, Glen Sinnamon, Michael Rainey, Aaron Fry, Michael Rainey, Rowan Halsall, Ali Birch, Callum Threlfall, Michael Kirkwood, Kieran Campbell, Chris Cochrane, Glen Telford, Paul Magee, Michael Lawton, Conor Gaston, Mark Farquhar, Ben Howard, Ryan Caldwell, James McMahon, Tim Smith, Darren Simpson, Stuart Lester.

Galway Corinthians: Denis Buckley, Koey Merrigan, Tom Toolan, Gary Ward, Seamus Murphy, Pat Cunningham, Sean Gerrity, Barry McCann, Mike Roche, Conor Murphy, James Buckley, Cian Begley, Wayne Williams, Darin Claasen, Shane Mullally, David Bardon, David Small, Rory Connellan, Aurelien Casanova, Hugh Griffin, Mick O’Flynn, Angus O’Connell.