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AIB All Ireland Junior Cup Final:
A Preview of Armagh v City of Derry |
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28th January 2010
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Report by Máire Cahill - ulsterrugby.com
Photo by InPho.ie
Armagh and City of Derry will meet on Saturday [30th January] in an all-Ulster AIB All Ireland Junior Cup Final at Dubarry Park Athlone.
Kick off is 1pm
This will be the first time both teams have reached the final and it guarantees an Ulster name on the Trophy for only the second time- Magherafelt side, Rainey being the only previous Ulster winners. City of Derry defeated Monivea from Galway by 26 points to 11 to reach the final, while Armagh defeated the current champions, Tullamore by 21 points to 8 to book their place in the decider.
Armagh and Derry have been the kingpins in Ulster Junior Rugby for the last two years, with City of Derry coming out on top last year with four victories over their Northern opponents. They gained two victories on their way to winning the League and the other two wins came in the Powerade Towns Cup and the Junior Cup. Armagh are flying high on top of the Ulster Qualifying League this year; ten points ahead of City of Derry, but having played two games more than their North West opponents.
Armagh and City of Derry have each gained one victory against each other this year, with both clubs winning their home League fixture. The AIB Cup Final will, from past games between these Ulster rivals, be a closely-contested affair with a tight result predicted right to the finish.
This fixture on Saturday could come down to a battle of two out halves. Armaghs Adam Gowing was the standout player when the teams met in their first league game in Armagh, where they defeated City of Derry by 24 points to 13. Gowing set up two tries for Andrew Willis and Eddie Irwin while also adding one conversion and two penalties. His astute kicking kept Derry on the back foot all day and Armagh player coach Andy Hughes will be looking for a repeat performance this Saturday.
When the teams met in the return league fixture in Derry, Richard McCarter was the Man of the Match, having produced a performance from the Gods in the second half. Armagh led by 8 points to 5 at the break, but were to lose their out half, Gowing to injury soon afterwards. Enter McCarter to individually score sixteen unanswered points via two penalties and a drop goal. Then with a Roy of the Rovers charge down, he scored a try with a 50 meter run duly convert by himself. When Armagh came back to within a bonus point of City of Derry, it was McCarter who produced an exquisite pass to his winger Rudi Moore to score a try in the corner with the last play of the game. This confirmed the final score sat at 26 points to 15 in favour of City of Derry. Their coach, Bevan Lynch will be looking to Richard McCarter on Saturday to provide the inspirational performance that will guide Derry to a historic victory.
There has been a great off-the-pitch friendship between these two great northern rivals which goes back many years. Irrespective of the result on Saturday, the losers will be happy for their opponents and both teams will celebrate an Ulster victory.
Good luck to both sides and their travelling support!
Click here to see more photos from the press launch for the final.
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