Postivitves from 1st Game of Season.

SWORDS RFC   8
BOYNE RFC    48

SWORDS RFC took a lot of positives from their opening fixture of the season at ALSAA on Sunday and despite the heavy scoreline at the end of play, the
difference between the two sides was minimal. With a host of first team regulars missing and four debutantes lining out, it was a new look Swords that took on a physical Boyne side, one of the strongest teams in Division one of the Leinster League, two flights above their hosts.

Boyne started brightly and were ahead within the opening ten minutes with a try from close range after strong resistance from the home defence. They added a second score five minutes later, this time stretching Swords from left to right, before outnumbering them for a try in the corner. It was no surprise that the Greens took their time to get moving with so many new faces, but they raised their game soon after and pulled back a score within ten minutes.
After a right to left move, Swords broke down the blindside where Robin Kiely drew the cover and fed Fiachra Coll and the backrow ran all of 60
yards to ground near the corner.

Dave Cahill was unfortunate not to convert, but was successful with the boot three minutes later, when he landed a penalty from the 22 to bring the score
down to 10-8. Boyne stepped up a gear and crossed in the corner once more, leaving the score at 15-8 at the break. Though that was as good as it got for Swords, they had enough chances in the second half to add to their tally. The visitors upped the ante upon the restart and started to find holes in
the tiring home defence, the hot weather and unfamiliarity in the side not helping matters.

Swords did manage to string some excellent phases of possession together, with forwards and backs linking well in open play, and if it wasn't for a
mistimed pass or a knock-on, things would have looked different on the scoreboard. As it was, Boyne ran in several late tries to seal what appeared to be a convincing victory on paper, but Swords will know themselves that it could have been a different story. On the plus side, debutantes Mick Finglas and Edward Flannery were excellent in the pack, while fullback Loic Guimarch caught the eye in the backline, particularly in defence.

Next up for Swords is a trip to Fingal rivals Balbriggan, in a precursor to their league meeting, with the Leinster League campaign kicking off in three
weeks.

SWORDS RFC: L. Guimarch; R. Kiely, D. Cahill, P. Jones, R. McBride; W. Hill, J. Juris; E. Flannery, M. Finglas, M. Bradley, M. Corbett, J. Leyden, E.
O'Donnell, F. Coll, S. Mulligan (c).