1st XV

Season 2008-2009

Saturday 4th October

1st XV v Portadown College  18 - 10 Defeat

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Saturday 27th September

1st XV v Foyle & Londonderry College  27 - 7 Defeat

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Saturday 20th September

                                                                                                                           Rainey Fail To Impress

Rainey Endowed 1st XV – 5   Dalriada 1st XV – 30

The annual fixture between Rainey Endowed School and Dalriada for the Arthur Topping cup took place today with Rainey, in only their second home game of the season, eager to improve upon their poor performance from the previous week against Regent House.
The match started brightly for Rainey, with some good attacking play and some breaks for the line which really should have been scored to give Rainey, to give them a tight hold on the match. Indeed, a penalty was awarded to Rainey early on, which Out-Half Thomas McGlaughlin was unfortunate to miss. Further good attacking play soon followed by Rainey, and some superb defence work also began to take place, with Rainey thwarting a well drilled and fit Dalriada side. Eventually, after 15 minutes of play had passed, Dalriada managed to move the ball wide, and Rainey conceded two soft tries which put an immediate damper upon the morale of the team. Things were only to get worse for the boys, after Rainey Second Row Aaron Lupari was yellow carded for an infringement and after Dalriada added a penalty to their tally later on in the half, the visitors went into the break 15-0 ahead.
A freshly motivated Rainey side took to the field at the beginning of the second half, but the same story would soon unfold in the second half, as in the first. After some good attacking play, Rainey were unable to prevent a Dalriada score which put the visitors within touching distance of picking up the Topping trophy for the second year in the row. Some hope was given to Rainey, after a well worked try saw winger Andrew Crooks touch down in the corner, but soon after, Rainey hooker Sam Sufferin was sin binned for a repeated offence, and only moments later Dalriada scored again to put the game beyond Rainey’s reach. Another penalty awarded to Dalriada saw them earn a well deserved 30-5 win, and after the match the Topping trophy was awarded to the Dalriada players for their achievement.
Credit must be given to the visitors who were able to keep the ball alive and run with the ball brilliantly, however, it must also be noted that Rainey also had their fair share of the ball and that the spectators were able to enjoy a free flowing, fast game of rugby. The boys will now earnestly look forward to their next match this Saturday against Foyle and Londonderry College, where hopefully they will be able to achieve their second win of the season.
Reuel Thompson

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Rainey Out Played By Quality Regent

Saturday 13th September

Regent House 1st XV - 62

Rainey Endowed 1st XV - 0

After making a good start to the new season with a home win against Ballymena Academy on Wednesday, the boys were hopeful of achieving another good result away to Regent House on Saturday.

Immediately from the kick off, however, it soon became apparent how much quality, skill and precision was present within this Regent team, and a missed kick into touch proved to be fatal as Regent were able to counter attack brilliantly and score their first of many tries, ten minutes into the match. From there on in, it was the sheer strength of Regent’s counter attack ability which resulted in them scoring several more tires in the first half, especially after Rainey Captain Stephen Dawson was forced to sit out the rest of the first half after a collision to the head.

Rainey began the second half looking to make amends for their poor performance and lack of attack in the first half by trying to run at this Regent side, and even though this lead to some good attacks by an already beaten side, it was once again Regent’s ability to counter attack Rainey’s missed kicks into touch, which saw them score several more times in the second half. Indeed, Rainey’s morale deeply sank, and in reality they made a very good Regent side look even better with their poor defensive display.

After this rather disappointing and flattering result to Regent, however, the boys are now eager to make amends and improve their game, especially with their next match being against Dalirada at home next Saturday, with the chance to retain the Topping cup after a shocking defeat against to the same team last year.

Reuel Thompson:

Rainey Begin New Season On Fine Form

Wednesday 10th September
Rainey Endowed 1st XV – 8
Ballymena Academy 1st XV – 0

In their first game of the 2008/2009 season, a newly formed Rainey 1st XV team took on Ballymena Academy on a damp, drenched Wednesday afternoon at home, only to reap the rewards of their summer training regime with a well earned win against one of the top teams in the Schools’ Cup.
As this was the first game of the new season, the match was divided into three twenty minute periods in order for both sides to give opportunities to more players within their squads. Indeed, it was Rainey who made their mark in the game first with some superb challenges in the line-outs, which saw Rainey’s second row players steal the ball several times from Ballymena’s lineout. Likewise, the backs were also performing well, and it was a magnificent break from inside centre Damien McMurray, which saw this talented young player step several Ballymena players, sprinting to the Ballymena 5 yard line, only to be tackled and pop the ball to the Captain of the 1st XV Stephen Dawson, who touched the ball down under the posts. Out half Clark Lennox was unfortunate not to succeed with the conversion, however, a new sense of confidence and forward attacking played grew inside this hungry Rainey team, and further half chances were made up until the end of the first period.
The second 20 minutes saw the well welcomed return of back row Stephen Kelso, who made an immediate impact, on the attacking and defensive momentum of the Rainey Pack. Even as the rain began to fall even harder, a spirited Rainey side continued to dominate, and it wasn’t long before Ballymena’s defence gave in, awarding Rainey a penalty right in-front of their posts. Full Back Thomas McGloughlin slotted home the three points, and the second period ended with the score 8-0 to Rainey.
The third period began once again with Rainey dictating the pace of the game, this time with the rain causing fewer problems, allowing for a more free flowing game style to develop in the match. A break from flanker Aaron Doherty, and a pop to scrum half William Sufferin who was only just pushed out at the corner flag, was perhaps Rainey’s best chance to score in this period, however, both the boys and their coach Mr. Simpson will be pleased with their performance, and ready to improve and train hard before their next match against Schools’ Cup finalists Regent House on Saturday.

Reuel Thompson