BUCCANEERS U-20’s and J1’s are both on the road west this Sunday. The U-20’s have a very tricky assignment against NUIG in the JP Fanagan Leinster League Premier 2 Division at Dangan, Galway, where the action kicks off at 3 p.m. The Students are just three points adrift of the Pirates and they have a game in hand. They will be surely focussed in search of a win that would elevate them above the midlanders into second place on the league table. They outscored Buccs by three tries to two at Dubarry Park earlier in the season but the Athlone side came out on top by 23-21. College may have a slightly better cutting edge, something that hampered Buccs last week when they were decidedly unlucky not to topple leaders St. Mary’s College. However, Buccaneers will take confidence and self-belief from that game in which their pack excelled. The forwards can again forge a supply that must be capitalised on by the backs in what will surely be a tight contest that the Pirates can come out on top in.
The task for the J1’s looks a lot stickier as they journey all the way to Clifden’s Monastery Field, not the happiest of hunting grounds for visiting teams. Home side Connemara have been the dominant force in the Connacht Junior 1A League in recent seasons and they again top the table this year, sporting a 100% winning rate to date. They won’t wish to relinquish that record at this stage of the campaign. Buccaneers desperately need victories in their remaining fixtures but they will need to field at greater strength than against Westport. If they can do that, they can make life difficult for the Blacks but they may have to get those necessary wins in their other matches. Kick off for this game is 2.30 p.m.
