Medallion Portora 73
Foyle College 0
Foyle travelled with an under strength squad to play Portora last weekend. It would be a difficult morning for them, but they stuck to their task admirably to fulfill the fixture.
Portora, without three regular starters themselves, played with the wind in the first half and Smytton scored the first of his four tries within ten minutes. The forwards sucked in the defence and the back line moved the ball well to the right wing. Smytton looped around to take the final pass and touch down. Rutledge converted.
Hobson then scored two tries in quick succession to extend the lead.
The first came after a foray by Jack Moore down the middle of the field. From quick possession at a ruck, the ball was shifted swiftly to Hobson, for him to score in the right corner.
Shortly after, he fielded a clearance kick on the Foyle 22 and beat several defenders for his second.
Blake Scott then drove over from the base of a ruck on the goal line. He has been a prolific scorer from this range.
The half finished with Smytton completing a hat trick, either side of a fine team effort finished by Timmy Boomer, who had come on at left wing.
Foyle started the second half with renewed purpose and the wind advantage. After a series of penalties they found themselves in scoring territory.
However, they turned possession over after a trademark tackle by Alex Armstrong. Barrett was in to steal the ball.
Despite being on their own line, the Portora back line saw that Foyle had committed too many players in attack and there was a large overlap on the left. The ball was moved to Toal, who had come on at full-back. He cleared the last defender and sprinted the length of the field to touch down on his debut.
The next score would also come from a defensive situation. Skipper, Reece Barrett, who was again excellent at the break-down, won a Foyle line out inside his own 22. He off-loaded to Keys, who made ground to the half-way and slipped the ball deftly to Johnston, coming through at speed. The open side flanker beat the full-back and out-paced the cover defence to open his account for the season.
Smytton had moved to centre and scored the last of his tries when he finished a good handling move, following a ruck set up by Scott and Rosborough in the right corner.
Perhaps the best try of the game followed. Deane broke out of the Portora half on the left wing. Keys took it on and turned infield. Forward support carried play deep into the Foyle 22, finishing with a ruck in the right hand corner. The ball was spun left, for Deane to offload to Kennedy on the outside. A fine team effort in which every player had a hand.
There was time for one more and the game finished when Haire dived over from a ruck on the line, set up by another strong run by Deane, who had been stopped just short.