After last weeksunexpected lossaway to CorinthiansSligo needed to get backon the horse and this wasexactly what theymanaged on a cold crispday at their home patchNot only did they win butthey managed a four try bonuspoint which keeps them in thehunt for overall honours in theConnacht Junior league Div 1.

In what was an entertainingmatch they did not always getit their own way as the pluckyTuam pack were not about tolie down and have their belliestickled. Sligo achieved this winbecause their backs were farsuperior to the opposition andanytime they got fast ball theyhad the Tuam defence inserious trouble. While theyscored four trys they couldhave had a few more only theiraccuracy let them down.On closer analysis Sligo canbe disappointed with some ofthe forward play which wassloppy at times and theconcession of penaltiesparticularly at the breakdownhas to be a worry for thecoach.

If this pack couldsupply quick clean ball to thebacks they are capable ofbeating any side in the leaguewith their backs. Any backline with Paddy Pearson andJordan Farrington can do youserious damage. Both playerspossess the basic skills ofrugby allied to athleticism andspeed of thought that setsthem apart. Paddy at out halfhad a fine game in hismanagement of affairs and hescored sixteen points with twotrys and three conversions.

Farrington operating atoutside centre made severalclean breaks and capped hisperformance with a fine trylate in the match for the bonustry.The other back to catch theeye was right wing TedMulvany. Every time he gotpossession he was positiveshrugging off defenders andmaking lots of meters andkeeping his team goingforward.

In the pack the two stand outperformers were the veteranPeter Mullan and the younggun Simon Coulter. Peterreigned supreme in the lineout not only securing his ownball but managing to snaffleseveral opposition balls and hecapped a great day with a finetry in the first half. SimonCoulter is now becomingSligos most important looseforward and he is all over thepark in support. He wasoperating at No 8 on thisoccasion but he is even betteras an open side where he canuse his all round pace andskill.

Sligo elected to play with aslight wind and were veryquickly into their strideputting Tuam under all typesof pressure. It wasn’t longbefore this pressure told andtrys from Peter Mullan andPaddy Pearson both convertedby the out half had them 14 nilup . As the half wore on Tuamgot more into the match andthey were rewarded with thepressure late in the first halfwhen their hard working packgot a pushover try from a closein maul. They failed to convertand this left the score at 14 5 atthe break.

The second half followed inmuch the same vein with theSligo backs looking dangerouswith the ball and mid waythrough the half they wererewarded with a fine try on theleft corner after the ball hadbeen cleverly moved throughmany pairs of hands withPaddy Pearson wrappingaround the defence to touchdown. The conversion driftedwide but Sligo were in a strongposition at 19 5 and they wenthunting for the bonus pointtry. Again this came courtesyof the back line when GavinFoley threw a clever short sidepass to Farrington. Eventhough he had a lot to do theKiwi centre stepped through atired opposition to score nearthe posts. Pearson converted togive a final score of 26 5.

This result will please thecoach and management and isa much need confidence boostfor next weeks massiveencounter at home to Moniveain the Junior Cup. This gamealso highlighted some areasthat need to be looked at but Ithink the players will need nomotivation for next weekagainst high flyers Monivea.

The main area where Sligowill have to look at is thebreakdown. On this occasionthey gave away so manypenalties and this will have tobe addressed if they want toprogress . Every referee has adifferent interpretation of thisarea but it is also up to theplayers on the pitch to adapt tothis and not get frustratedwith it. It can make all thedifference between fast andslow ball.

Sligo still lie second in thisleague to a rampant Moniveaoutfit and it is not over untilthe final game. With the Cupgame next week Sligo can laydown a marker and show whatthey are made of and a win athome against the leagueleaders would be huge . Roll onnext Sunday.

Sligo team. Gavin Foley TedMulvany Jordan FarringtonAndy Feeney Joe SweeneyPaddy Pearson Martin FeeneyRoss Mannion Jason EastJamie Bowes Peter MullanTrevor Sweeney SimonCoulter Gary Conneely Subs.Adrian McHale FrankieFeeney James Wilson.Next Fixture; Sunday Sligo vMonivea Junior Cup quarterfinal.

IRFU PRESIDENTVISITS SLIGO

John Callaghan President ofthe IRFU visited Sligo toattend the Sligo v Tuam Juniorgame on Sunday last. JohnCallaghan from the Armaghclub as part of his year inoffice has decided that heshould visit as many clubs aspossible and Sligo RFC werehonoured by his presence. Heenjoyed the game and is a bigsupporter of the grassrootsgame all over Ireland.

SECONDS GAME CALLED OFF

Sligos 2nd s had their gamepostponed on Sunday last dueto dangerous pitch conditionsafter heavy early morningsleet and snow. The high flyingseconds are unbeaten in theirleague to date and are in avery strong position to takeoverall honours. This seasonunder the guidance of SteveAlley as coach and AaronTansey as manager they areplaying some fine rugby andare really enjoying the outingsand should get back to playingagain next Sunday