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Galwegians 25 - 21 Wanderers
A fantastic defensive effort in Crowley Park saw Galwegians fight back to get their first All-Ireland Division 2B win of 2023 surviving a last-play onslaught from Wanderers.
Wanderers got the game underway, with Galwegians showing great intent right from the start with fantastic line speed in defence putting the visitors under pressure.
The home side then turned up the heat in attack carrying hard towards the line and sucking in the Wanderers' defence before going wide via a show-and-go from center Rob Deacy, which saw him cross the line for the first try of the afternoon. Flyhalf half Jordan Thompson pulled the kick to the left and wide, with the score remaining 5-0.
Wanderers didn’t take long to find an answer and poor discipline from Galwegians saw Wanderers begin to test them up front.
It was from there that Wanderers found a platform inside the 22. A well-taken lineout transferred into a strong rolling maul which earned them a penalty meters from the line.
A quick tap-and-go continued to push the Galway men back. To make matters worse, Galwegians prop Diego Vergara was sent to the bin for repeated infringements at the breakdown. 'Wegians eventually found themselves worn down and Wanderers pushed over to equalise, before Fitzgibbons gave Wanderers a 5-7 lead.
Wanderers soon extend their lead, with their maul proving too much for 'Wegians. Once again, their conversion was good and the score was suddenly 5-14.
Galwegians were once again a man light after Brendan Guilfoyle was sent to the line for a deliberate knock-on. However, they survived until half-time without conceding again.
The Galway side came out from the break looking life a different team, with Thompson adding to their tally with a penalty, reducing the deficit to six. Then, an excellent block from prop Vergara saw Deacy touch down for his second try, with Thompson adding the extras and 'Wegians taking the 15-14 lead.
Thompson had his kicking boots on and it was his penalty that extended Galwegians lead, before Shayne Bolton showed magnificent strength to push over the line. Thompson once again added the extras. Wanderers did respond with a converted try, but couldn't manage to get back to terms with a Wegians side that held out for the 25-21 victory.
