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Morale-boosting win for Armagh

Thursday, 12 January 2012

Armagh captain Phil Hill on the attack during his side’s 11-0 win against Rainey in the Ulster Senior League fixture.

Rainey.....0 Armagh....11.

ARMAGH finished 2011 with a win in this Ulster Senior League fixture at Rainey on New Year's Eve.
And it was a morale-boosting win for Andy Hughes' side who had been on six-game losing streak in the All-Ireland and Ulster Leagues.
But following disappointing displays in their last few games, Hughes' side had been working hard in training and as Rainey kicked off, the body language of the Armagh side somehow looked different.
And from the first ruck it was obvious that they were playing with a point to prove.
Not for the first time this season, Armagh were battling a much heavier pack, but to a large extent, the plethora of handling errors and other silly mistakes were less evident.
Indeed, following the serious amount of rainfall the heavy pitch conditions appeared to suit the lighter more mobile Armagh forwards.
The visiting team were beginning to dominate all aspects of the game and were showing little respect for their past record.
This was amply illustrated when team captain, Phil Hill, made a spirited break down the centre to gain a good 30 metres ground.
The ball was offloaded to out-half, James McBriar, who landed a fine touch in the left corner.
From the following line-out Armagh stole the ball and formed a beautifully controlled rolling maul to allow Tinus Van Wyk score.
The conversion went wide in the freshening breeze but after only 13 minutes Armagh were, for once, looking strong again.
Before the half time break, however, Armagh were penalised twice for rucking offences and on each occasion Rainey's kick to touch forced Armagh to dig deep on their own line.
Both attacks were repelled and both Rainey's trips into the Armagh 22 were fruitless.
Just before the break, however, a home defender was penalised for failing to release an Armagh back following a tackle. McBriar was, again, on target to put the half time score to 8-0.
The second half kicked off with the, now freshening, breeze on the visitors' backs. This undoubtedly assisted Armagh to repeatedly pin Rainey inside their own 22 to defend.
Repeatedly Armagh's man of the match Tinus Van Wyk made breaks deep into Rainey territory and with strong offloading the home team were under almost continual pressure the entire second half.
In the dying minutes of the game, however, Armagh were penalised for crossing just 35 metres in front of their posts.
The kick went wide and the game was effectively closed down when McBriar landed a penalty from just inside his own half.
The win was a welcome boost but even more pleasing for Hughes will be the fact that his side failed to concede any points - the first time this season that Armagh have kept a clean sheet.
Armagh have plenty of time to continue working on the training paddock.
Their next game isn't until January 28 when they resume their All-Ireland League campaign when they welcome league leaders Cashel to the Palace Grounds.

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