Five-Try Lansdowne Maintain Winning Momentum Against Old Belvedere

Lansdowne had five Leinster-capped players in their starting line-up, including Ireland international Max Deegan, as they ran out 36-11 winners over Old Belvedere at Ollie Campbell Park.

ENERGIA ALL-IRELAND LEAGUE MEN’S DIVISION 1A:

Saturday, November 15 –

OLD BELVEDERE 11 LANSDOWNE 36, Ollie Campbell Park
Scorers: Old Belvedere: Try: Andre Ryan; Pens: Daragh O’Dwyer 2
Lansdowne: Tries: Andy Marks 2, Bobby Sheehan 2, George Morris; Cons: Charlie Tector 4; Pen: Charlie Tector
HT: Old Belvedere 6 Lansdowne 15

Lansdowne’s third straight win, which leaves them just four points off Division 1A’s summit, saw captain Andy Marks and recent Leinster debutant Bobby Sheehan score two tries each. Charlie Tector kicked 11 points.

Nursing a number of injuries, Old Belvedere can take some positives from their performance, including an encouraging first Energia All-Ireland League start for Daragh O’Dwyer at out-half. He landed two long-range penalties.

O’Dwyer closed out the first-half’s scoring, keeping Quenton O’Neale’s charges in the hunt at 15-6 down. Marks (14 minutes) and Sheehan, with a 33rd-minute maul effort, had both crossed the whitewash for the visitors.

Andre Ryan’s rousing try left Old Belvedere only 15-11 behind, but Lansdowne hit back with three converted scores. Marks took his season’s haul to five tries, Sheehan secured the bonus point, and replacement George Morris burrowed over right at the death.

It was back and forth with the early kick tennis, before Deegan was involved in the game’s first attacking surge. His pass had Marks tearing through midfield, with Ross O’Neill up in support but knocking on after an important tackle from O’Dwyer.

It was Tector that opened the scoring nine minutes in, his penalty from distance punishing a high tackle from Eddie Rees. Old Belvedere knuckled down in defence, but fell further behind by the quarter hour mark.

Despite Jayden Beckett’s terrific try-saving tackle on Tom Roche, Belvedere were beaten to the punch by Lansdowne’s quick ruck ball. Play was spread across to the opposite wing where Marks crossed from James Tarrant’s skip pass.

Tector’s right boot was just as accurate from out wide, making it 10-0, before the ‘Belvo wingers had some bright moments. Jack Keating impressed with ball in hand, while Ryan won a turnover penalty when Lansdowne came hunting again.

The home support responded to Tom Mulcair forcing another penalty at the breakdown. Ireland Under-19 international O’Dwyer gave them a further boost with a smashing 45-metre penalty to get them on the board.

The ‘Belvo pack’s progress was halted by a knock-on at a maul, though, and Lansdowne soon used their own lineout drive to extend the lead. Tarrant’s penalty kick put them within metres of the line, and Sheehan crashed over following the set-piece.

A good spell for Belvedere before half-time saw O’Dwyer cut the gap to nine points, and they held onto the momentum for the restart. Hugh O’Sullivan came on at scrum half and it was his well-placed kick that set the wheels in motion for a deftly-crafted try.

Beckett made sure he was first to the high ball, and in almost one motion he brilliantly released it back to the supporting Mulcair. The flanker’s well-timed pass took out Roche, and gave Ryan a pacy run-in to the left corner, ahead of Marks.

 

Unfortunately hooker Luke McLaughlin, whose older brother Hugo lined out at full-back for Lansdowne, then went off injured for the hosts. Lansdowne seized control again, a neat link-up between Tector and Tarrant putting Marks in under the posts.

Tector’s conversion made it a double-scores lead at 22-11, and with Lansdowne’s scrum getting on top, try number four was not long in coming. Sheehan stooped low to score from Jack Matthews’ bouncing pass, following a strong initial carry from O’Neill.

Belvedere’s defence came under further pressure, entering the final quarter. Yet, they managed to crowd out Deegan near the right corner, and Beckett played the captain’s role by winning a penalty at the breakdown, five metres out from the ‘Belvo try-line.

However, Mulcair saw yellow on the 70-minute mark for slapping the ball out of Matthews’ hands at a ruck. Paddy Dowling lifted his team-mates by pinching a lineout to prevent Lansdowne from getting their maul going.

As Declan Fassbender’s fourth-placed side continued to threaten during the closing stages, Deegan was held up before Marks was tackled into touch by a combination of Paddy Dowling and the impressive Beckett.

‘Belvo’s hopes of a consolation score, following back-to-back penalties, were dashed by a Deegan lineout steal, and then a Matthews interception. Lansdowne marched downfield, via a scrum and maul, before Morris made it over from a couple of metres out.

TIME LINE: 9 mins – Lansdowne penalty: Charlie Tector – 0-3; 14 mins – Lansdowne try: Andy Marks – 0-8; conversion: Charlie Tector – 0-10; 25 mins – Old Belvedere penalty: Daragh O’Dwyer – 3-10; 33 mins – Lansdowne try: Bobby Sheehan – 3-15; conversion: missed by Charlie Tector – 3-15; 40 mins – Old Belvedere penalty: Daragh O’Dwyer – 6-15; Half-time – Old Belvedere 6 Lansdowne 15; 42 mins – Old Belvedere try: Andre Ryan – 11-15; conversion: missed by Daragh O’Dwyer – 11-15; 55 mins – Lansdowne try: Andy Marks – 11-20; conversion: Charlie Tector – 11-22; 59 mins – Lansdowne try: Bobby Sheehan – 11-27; conversion: Charlie Tector – 11-29; 70 mins – Old Belvedere yellow card: Tom Mulcair; 80+5 mins – Lansdowne try: George Morris – 11-34; conversion: Charlie Tector – 11-36; Full-time – Old Belvedere 11 Lansdowne 36

OLD BELVEDERE: Morgan Meredith; Jack Keating, Bryan Mollen, Jayden Beckett (capt), Andre Ryan; Daragh O’Dwyer, Chris O’Connor; Hugo O’Malley, Luke McLaughlin, Ryan McMahon, George Methven, Eddie Rees, Paddy Dowling, Tom Mulcair, Will McDonald.

Replacements: Leo Dowling, Hugh Flood, Fionn McWey, Gerry Hill, Hugh O’Sullivan, Justin Leonard.

LANSDOWNE: Hugo McLaughlin; Tom Roche, Andy Marks (capt), Charlie Tector, Todd Lawlor; James Tarrant, Jack Matthews; Jerry Cahir, Bobby Sheehan, Greg McGrath, Ruairi Clarke, Juan Beukes, Matt Healy, Ross O’Neill, Max Deegan.

Replacements: Jack Treanor, George Morris, Hardus van Eaden, Paul Wilson, James Kenny, Harry O’Riordan.

Referee: Keane Davison (IRFU)