Skins teach Queen's students a lesson in Junior Cup

Enniskillen qualified for the quarter-finals of the Junior Cup on Saturday with a win away to Queen’s University, Belfast 2XV.

That guaranteed a top-two finish in Group 4, along with Cooke RFC, who they will now play off for the top spot and home advantage in the next round.

Conditions were almost perfect, with Skins playing into a slight wind in the first-half.

They also faced a strong sun, which disappeared behind the clouds as the game went on. Vice-captain Jack Rutledge stepped up to lead the side, with James Ferguson resting.

Enniskillen started strongly, with a try by hooker Niall Keenan in the opening minutes.

From a penalty Skins had kicked to the Queen’s '22 on the left-hand side, won the lineout, spun it wide to the right and then back again, where Rooney made a line break in midfield. He was tackled but Keenan was on hand to carry over from the rucked ball which Daire Hill converted.

Queen's then had a period in the opposition half following a penalty at the restart, but the Skins’ defence held firm.

Angus Keys nailed a tackle and Rooney stole the ball for Skins to counterattack from halfway.

Hill made a great line break down the left touchline, supported by Tim Harte on the wing, who took the ball to the five-metre line before drawing the last defender and passing the ball back inside to Hill to touch down and then convert.

Keenan scored his second when Skins mauled from a lineout on the Queen’s '22. Hill again converted.

From the restart Skins carried before Mattie Dane kicked into space and brought play back to the Queen’s line.

James Trotter went over from a scrum below the posts but was deemed to be held up.

Trotter started at inside centre this week, the position he excelled in at ERGS last season, and played with great maturity.

Keenan wrapped up a hat-trick when he cleaned up a loose ball in the next attack and showed good footwork to beat the defence.

Nathan Cullinan had come on at hooker and Cameron Smith, one of the mainstays of last season’s ERGS’s team, slotted in at loosehead, to make his debut on the 1st XV.

They were both involved several times in a phase of play started in the Skins’ half when Keys fielded a wayward Queen’s kick and made good ground.

From the ruck, Hill broke the line and fed Sam Balfour who ran evasively to make it to the Queen’s '22, before feeding Harte, coming in from the other wing.

He was tackled but Steve Balfour and then Oisin Timoney maintained the pressure, resulting in a ruck five metres out, from where Smith crashed over for a try to mark the occasion.

The first half came to a close with Skins’ sixth try.

Micheal Rooney turned over possession at a breakdown in the middle of the field and Skins moved it right. A pass went to ground but Trotter scooped it up, came back to the left, broke the line and raced in from halfway.

Skins kept up the pressure in the second period.

Queen's had possession for periods but generally, it was in their own half, due to an aggressive Skins’ defence.

Mattie Graham, Andy Dane and Cullinan were dominating the front-row battle in the scrums but also showed tremendous work-rate in defence and at breakdowns, as did the ever-present Neill Rutledge.

A Dane tackle in midfield, on the Queen’s '22, saw Angus Keys rip the ball clear and off-load to Steve Balfour.

Keys then carried for the next phase and was back on his feet to take the pass and score after a ruck set up by Timoney near the line.

From the restart, Jack Rutledge made a searing break from the Skins' half to the Queen’s '22, before feeding Harry Dane in support.

The ball was moved swiftly to the left wing, taking play to the five-metre line, in the corner.

On the way back, Rooney took a short pass off Mattie Dane to get a well-deserved score.

The final try came from a lineout on halfway, on the left.

A ruck was set up in midfield. Harte ran a convincing decoy line and Hill fed Keys, who had moved to outside centre.

He sliced through the Queen’s defence and out-sprinted the cover defence to touchdown under the posts. Hill’s conversion brought the game to a close. It was his eighth from the nine tries, giving him a personal haul of 21 points. 

Head coach Alastair Keys was pleased with the performance but knows that this week's game against Bangor in the league will be much tougher and noted: "They’ve come down from the All Ireland Leagues last year, after a play-off with the Leinster champions, Monkstown.

"They’re fourth in our league at the moment and, with former Ulster and Ireland player Craig Gilroy in the side, are certainly going to be one of the main challengers this season." 

Keys also praised the youngsters in the side and the smooth transition Trotter and Smith have made from the ERGS’s team to senior rugby at the Club.

"The boys are getting very good coaching at the school – as those that come through the Club’s Youth system are, like Hill, Keenan and Timoney. In Cameron’s case, like a lot of the team, he started in our Minis so they are all coming here very well-grounded in terms of skills and knowledge of the game.

"It also helps that the squad here is so young and they know most of the lads already, as they were only a year or two ahead of them at school." 

On Saturday both the 1XV and 2XV play Bangor at home. Kick-offs at 2.30pm.