Away Victory

Athboy 8 Swords 28

Four tries, a comfortable win and a good platform for the rest of the campaign - how Ireland would like an opening line like that next Monday morning.
As it was, it was another set of men in green who racked up a twenty point win in County Meath on Sunday, as Swords made light work of a plucky Athboy side. With the majority of the club nestled amongst the 30,000 supporters in Paris, a patchwork Swords side took to the field - field being the operative word as the foot-long grass was hardly worthy of being called a pitch.

The greens began brightly enough, eager to run the ball at each occasion and soon had their first try ten minutes in, through centre Lionel Dixon, who sliced through the cover from fifteen yards out. Flanker Paddy Jones stepped up to take the conversion and slotted confidently. Indeed, Jones ended up with a 100 per cent record with the boot, knocking over four from four.

Swords continued to press hard, their scrum far more powerful than the home side's eight, while the lineout was a little smoother than on recent occasions. They made the most of their effective rolling maul with a forwards' try shortly before the break, prop Ed Flannery grounding following a twenty yard drive. Jones tagged on the extras. For all their possession, Swords should have put the game to bed in the first half. Too often, unnecessary handling errors or a loose pass curtailed one move after the next.

The second half brought a little more bit from the visitors, and forwards and backs linked well as they upped the tempo. Second row Joe Leyden was credited with the third try following more good work from his fellow forwards, before Athboy were handed a lifeline. Following a chip through the green defence, outhalf Loic Guyomarc'h was adjudged to have obstructed the Athboy attack and was handed a yellow card and ten minutes in the ‘bin.
The hosts capitalised on their advantage, stretching the Swords defence and grounding in the corner for an unconverted try. A penalty minutes later left Swords holding onto a 21-8 lead with fifteen minutes to play.

They should have had two further scores as the game drew to a close. Firstly Dixon chose to go it alone with a two man overlap outside, before fullback Dave Gallagher did everything but score, grounding inches short after a nice break. Guyomarc'h returned to the fray and made up for his earlier blotch with a fine individual try five minutes from the end, the outhalf picking a hole from ten metres and grounding under the posts.

There was still time for Jones to knock over his eighth point of the afternoon and for Athboy too to be reduced to 14, after an infringement when Swords looked to be adding try number 5. Overall, a scrappy win, but enough plus factors for Swords to reflect on positively. Whether this game can be a springboard for a sustained campaign will be first judged next Sunday away to Dundalk.

SWORDS RFC: D. Gallagher; R. McBride, L. Dixon, J. Gormly, R. Kiely; L. Guyomarc'h, J. Kubran; E. O'Donnell, E. O'Griofa (c), E. Flannery, J. Leyden, J. Rennie, D. Rennie, P. Jones, F. Coll. Subs used: J. Condron, M. Grabowski.