BUCCANEERS 8 NAVAN 20
Following the promise of recent improved performances culminating in a long overdue win last week, Buccaneers display against Navan in their Energia All-Ireland League game at Dubarry Park on Saturday was hugely disappointing. The Pirates never really got going in a very flat effort as they went down 20-8 in this Division 2B encounter.
The homesters made two personnel changes for this match. Patrick Egan was abroad and Niall Tallon came in at No.8 with Luke Balsiger switching to blindside flanker. More disruptive for Buccs was the absence of captain Corey Reid, who failed a pre-match fitness test. Tom Shine moved to inside centre with Harry Balsiger coming in on the right wing. Navan made three changes with last week’s substitutes Jonathan McKeown and Conor Farrell starting this time in their backrow. They tweaked their backline where the main alteration was the return of Tom Gavigan at flyhalf.
After a week of wet weather, conditions were bright and sunny at kick-off with a chilly breeze favouring the visitors. But Buccs opened the scoring with a 4th minute penalty after Navan went offside. However, they promptly responded with an 8th minute try by Gavigan, although the scoring pass looked a shade forward. Mark Farrell duly added the conversion and just six minutes later landed a penalty that many felt should have been awarded to the Athlone side as Shine has suffered a high hit in this incident.
Buccs struggled to get out of their half with a big Royal County pack providing a platform for the prodigious boot of Gavigan to peg the Pirates back. Farrell missed an eminently kickable penalty at the end of the opening quarter and Buccs had to defend gamely to keep their line intact with Sam Meecham (captain for the game) making a key rob, Orrin Burgess putting in a thumping tackle and Dan Donovan getting a good block. In the final move of the half Adam Cooper got under the ginormous Karolis Navickas to deny the lock a try and Buccaneers would have been relieved to trail 10-3 at the break after a subdued effort.
Buccs realigned their backline at the break with Gearoid McDonald coming in at outhalf but Navan got a tonic try shortly after the change of ends. Abel Bouwens attempted kick through was blocked down and, following a scrum, the powerful Navickas was not to be denied a second time as he got in for a 45th minute try at the posts. Farrell’s conversion and a 50th minute penalty stretched Navan’s advantage to 20-3.
Both sides unloaded their benches in the final quarter when Buccaneers finally got some momentum and territory. They eventually were rewarded when Donovan scored a smart try wide on the left but it proved too little too late for the midlanders. Navan’s 20-8 victory moves them up to seventh while Buccs now prop up the league table.
This was a really disappointing display by Buccaneers. They were collectively way off the enterprise and energy of recent outings with Meecham, Cooper and Tom Cotton being their better contributors while Gavigan and Conor Hand were the more experienced winners most influential players. With back-to-back away fixtures looming, some soul searching will have to be done following this frustrating setback.
One minute’s silence was observed before kick-off in memory of Egbert Moran.
BUCCANEERS:- D.Duffy; H.Balsiger, T.Cotton, T.Shine, O.Burgess; A.Bouwens, L.MacFarlane; A.Cooper, O.Dolan, C.Byrne; C.Sheehan, S.Meecham (captain); L.Balsiger, D.Donovan and N.Tallon. Replacements:- G.McDonald (for H.Balsiger, h/t), R.O’Meara (for Byrne, 54 mins), D.Connolly (for MacFarlane, 68 mins), S.Glennon (for Dolan, 68 mins) and J.Kelly (for Cooper, 73 mins).
NAVAN:- H.Astley; M.Coen, W.Finegan, B.McEntegart, H.Devlin; T.Gavigan, M.Farrell; L.Carroll, G.Faulkner, J.Finney; O.Heffernan, K.Navickas; J.McKeown, C.Farrell and C.Hand (captain). Replacements:- K.Su’a (for Navickas, 56 mins), H.Hester (for McKeown, 56 mins), N.Kavanagh (for Farrell, 60 mins), A.Keating (for Finney, 60 mins), J.McKeown (for C.Farrell, 70 mins), F.Craik (for Faulkner, 70 mins) and K.Navickas (for Heffernan, 75 mins).
Referee:- Mark Hynes (IRFU).
