City of Derry RFC U18 vs Foyle College Match Report

Whitewash for Foyle in the local derby

The U18s had an early KO against Foyle 1st XV at their new campus on Saturday. The facilities they have are second to none. This was our first run out as a team and was going to be a tough challenge for us.
In the first half it was a very tight contest with our pack dominating the scrum, winning numerous penalties. With limited ball getting out to the backs from rucks, we weren’t able to have any sustained attack but did show some great skills with Sean Straw and Mark Grant combining with a chip over the Foyle defence line. With the score at half time being 6-0 to Foyle, we were still very much in the match.
In the second half, Foyle began to spread the ball wide with pace. Combining this with missed tackles and poor fitness within the Derry team, Foyle began to break the line and take their opportunities well. Final score on the day finished 39-0 to Foyle.
It was hard day at the office for the 18s but a lot of positives to take from the game. Daire McDermott coming off the bench played very well winning great turnovers at rucks, as well as some good carries from Conor Mullin and Cein McColgan the captain on the day. The 18s will learn from this and develop to ensure the score line is not reflected on Boxing Day when we meet Foyle in the Annual Xmas fixture at the Craig Thompson Stadium at Judges Road.
With a number of players yet to come out to training, we already see the potential within this side and look forward to our next friendly away to Omagh next weekend. Training continues Monday and Thursday this week 1900-2100.