The Colts took on Ballina 2nd XV on Sunday, the 2nd of November, in Round 4 of the J1C League. The fixture was a repeat of the Curley Cup Plate semifinal just over a month ago. In that encounter, the Colts came out victorious, so a much-changed Ballina side were out for retribution.

The game kicked off at 100 miles an hour, with possession being traded multiple times in the opening ten minutes. The greasy ball caused both teams to lose possession on several occasions. Ballina pressed hard with some slick passing moves and strong running, but the Colts’ defence stood firm — tackling hard and winning turnovers.

Halfway through the first half, with the score still at 0–0, Ballina were pressing hard on the Colts’ line. As Ballina moved the ball across the Colts’ five-yard line, Matthew Macken stepped out of the line and intercepted the pass. The foot chase that followed ended with Macken running the full length of the pitch to touch down under the posts, with Shane Meehan adding the extras.

The try gave the Colts a boost, and they continued to push hard over the next ten to fifteen minutes. With Meehan running the show, the Colts carried strongly and broke the gain line on numerous occasions, with the Colleran brothers being particularly impressive. A penalty inside the Ballina 22 was tapped quickly and carried at the defence. With the Ballina defence sucked in, the ball was fed out to Meehan, who offloaded in the tackle to the onrushing Cathal McHugh to touch down beside the posts. Meehan added the extras, taking the score to 14–0 in favour of the Colts with five minutes to play in the first half.

Ballina pushed hard from the restart and, after reclaiming possession, drove at the Colts’ line. A tap penalty deep inside the 22 saw the ball moved swiftly across the line and touched down. The conversion was successful, leaving the halftime score at 14–7 to the Colts.

With everything to play for, the second half kicked off with as much ferocity as the first. The game descended into an arm wrestle, with both sides battling hard. After some impressive defending from the likes of Danny Noone, Michael Foody, and Jack and Luke Colleran — to name just a few — Ballina finally got their breakthrough. The resulting conversion levelled the game at 14–14.

Sensing an opportunity, Ballina took control and began to dominate territory. Probing kicks into the Colts’ 22 caused problems in the greasy conditions, and one of these led to the try that put Ballina in the driving seat at 21–14.

Coming on for his Colts debut, Ricky Hamilton slotted into the full-back line, with Macken moving out to the wing. A kick into the Colts’ 22 saw Hamilton calmly collect the ball, sidestep three onrushing Ballina players, and return a clearance kick that fellow Kiwi Dan Carter would have been proud of.

The ball bounced infield and was met by the onrushing Danny Noone, who soccer-style booted it deep into the Ballina 22. Noone and the Ballina full-back both chased hard, and as the ball squirmed loose, it fell kindly for the onrushing Macken, who picked it up one-handed off his bootlaces and crashed over to bring the score back to 21–19. Unfortunately for the Colts, Meehan’s conversion struck the upright, leaving Ballina two points ahead.

With the clock ticking down, Ballina applied the pressure again and found an opening out wide to touch down. The conversion was missed, leaving the score at 26–19. In the final minutes, Ballina won a penalty near halfway, which was superbly kicked to extend their lead to 29–19.

The Colts never threw in the towel, however, and dominated possession in the closing stages. Winning a penalty of their own, Meehan slotted it over to ensure the Colts secured a losing bonus point.

It wasn’t the result the Colts wanted, but congratulations to Ballina on a brilliant game of fast-flowing rugby. It was hard to pick a man of the match from the Colts side, with great performances from Luke Colleran, Danny Noone, Jason Kelly, Shane Meehan, Matthew Macken, and Adrien Conway in particular — but MOTM went to match-day captain Jack Colleran for a superb display of attacking and defensive rugby.

All eyes now turn to the Curley Cup Plate Final, where the Colts will take on Carrick-on-Shannon on the 16th of November.