Dalriada Under-14s hit 66 against Larne Grammar

Dalriada U 14 Rugby Team bounced back this week with a hugely impressive 66-0 win over Larne Grammar School.

The focus this week was on effective rucking to produce quick clean ball. This proved to work very successfully and was a really solid platform to build on. In a really entertaining, free-flowing game 10 tries in all were scored with 8 of these being converted. The try scorers were Thomas Hunter (4), Stuart McHugh (2), Scott Gamble, DennisPosternak, Paddy Elliott and Jack Elliott.

There were several notable performances including Thomas Hunter’s 4 tries and an increased tackling presence on the pitch, Stuart McHugh’s searing runs and strong defensive role, Scott Gamble’s usual captain’s performance in being a huge power going forward and Jack Elliott’s pivotal role at out-half and excellent reading of the game. Every member of the team from 1 to 22 performed excellently. The notable absence of Tyrone Clark at No. 8 meant that there was an enforced move of Paddy Elliott who normally plays at Full Back to slot into the scrum. Paddy performed superbly in this unfamiliar role, being really solid in defence and decisive in attack. He even managed to slot over 8 out of 10 conversions.

The plan of attack for the day had been explosive rucking to create a good solid, quick platform for the backs to use an array of moves which resulted in 9 of the 10 tries. Scrum halves Ewan Rodgers and Mark McConaghie performed admirably and were rewarded with the joint Man of the Match award. Both sides played the game in an excellent spirit but there could only be one winner on the day.