Head coach Chris Parker predicted a very difficult game at Shaw’s Bridge as Instonians are a top side, winning all around them. They had been beaten only twice this season, by Galway Corinthians 21-15 in the AIL and by Armagh, 53-12 in the Ulster Senior League. In the AIL in 2022-23 they won all their 18 league games with maximum points. The last time Armagh played them in the AIL was on November 3rd, 2011, when Armagh won 45-20 at the Palace grounds, refereed by Johnny Erskine.
Injuries were also starting to mount for the local side with first choice tight head prop Paul Mullen still not available as was Griffin Philipson. Veteran Phil Fletcher came into the starting lineup with Dylan Poyntz on the bench. Sam Glasgow was still not able to play due to concussion protocols and Evin Crummie and Shea O’Brien were both out with injuries. Captain Nigel Simpson was on the bench as he was recovering with a thumb injury. Meanwhile, Instonians who have recruited very well, had the three Whitten brothers, Robert, Ian and David all lining out in a very strong team.
The game kicked off with Armagh playing with almost a gale force wind behind them. They had all the territory in the first 10 minutes but couldn’t convert that dominance. Getting somewhat frustrated with their efforts they decided to get points on the board with a Kyle Faloon penalty. Lineouts were tricky for both sides but Jonny Morton, despite the wind, was able to find his jumpers on every occasion. His performance both in the tight and loose earned him the Man of the Match award. Instonians had a very effective lineout of their own and when they got into striking distance of the Armagh line, hooker, Neil Saulters was able to barge over the line after a maul. The conversion was missed, with Instonians now ahead 5-3. Instonians went down to 14 men when Dave Whitten was sin binned for slowing the ball down at the ruck and Armagh made their superiority count when Rocky Olsen went over for an opportunist try. Kyle Faloon added the points to leave the score 5-10 in Armagh’s favour. Andrew Willis who was prominent throughout, increased Armagh’s lead in first half injury time with a try to leave the half time score 5-15.
The away supporters, who as usual were very vocal, all wondered if a ten point lead was enough with the wind stiffening and mistakes occurring, Despite Poyntz coming on for Phil Fletcher, the Armagh pack could not get parity in the scrums and on a couple of occasions the Inst scrum got a push on and Armagh were harshly penalised. The away support was starting to get a bit edgy when Instonians spread the ball and their right winger beat the cover defence to combine cleverly with scrum half O’Farrell running a good support line to score midway out. It was a difficult day for kickers and the conversion was missed. This seemed to galvanize the Armagh team and for the rest of the match, they played smart possession rugby, holding onto the ball for long periods. It certainly wasn’t pretty but they played the conditions better and utilizing the blind side effectively. With Lewis Finlay sniping regularly around the rucks and Matthew Hooks and Timmy McNeice running hard at the Instonian’s defence, Armagh were able to put further daylight between the teams with a well-worked try by Lewis Finlay.
Faloon missed the conversion in the difficult conditions, but Armagh knew Instonians now had to score twice to win. With a combination of excellent defence and smart play, Armagh saw out the final quarter of the game for a well-deserved win. All 20 players in the squad played their part in being the first team to have defeated Instonians on their home patch twice in ten years. The squad can rest their tired limbs over the Christmas break to build up to the resumption of the AIL against Clontarf on January 11th. They will go into the second half of the season without winger, Dylan Nelson who is heading to Australia to play for Eastwood RFC in Sydney. Everyone in Armagh wish Dylan all the best for his new club, as he has been an integral member of the squad now for the last number of seasons.
Coach Parker was delighted with the win. The wind made conditions difficult, but he was pleased with the way the team managed the second half and that they showed great patience to play the second half into the wind. He encouraged the team to enjoy their break but to come back prepared in the new year for the challenges ahead.
