City of Derry hold off Connemara to make last eight of Irish Junior Cup

City of Derry 31, Connemara 29

What is it with Derry and dramatic finishes in the Irish Junior Cup?

Thirteen years ago in their last tie in the competition, it was Mark O'Connor's right boot kicking Bevan Lynch's men to an historic victory. On Saturday it was almost a self inflicted exit in a game they never quite seemed to put to bed.

Eventually, David Lapsley's penalty proved the difference but only after a game that saw eight tries, four yellow cards and plenty of raised blood pressures!

Three of those tries belonged to Derry, the excellent Lapsley bravely getting his side's first half opener before David Graham and Gary McKinlay went over in the second half, the latter after a bit of Alex McDonnell magic in midfield.

The curious thing was this was far from vintage Derry. There were plenty of errors and some strange decision making at key times but cup ties are for winning and when the dust settles Derry have an All Ireland quarter-final to look forward to.

And no one should underestimate the quality of a Connemara side who came north intent on playing their expansive brand of rugby. What the westerners lacked up front, they more than made up for with one of the most dangerous backlines to visit Judges Road for a few seasons. They will feel they should have got more, from the game, especially when Derry bizarrely handed them back an injury time initiative yards from the home line.

Derry had seemingly wrapped things up by that stage with Lapsely's 75th minute penalty taking the home side out to 31-22. With McDonnell off on a yellow card for deliberate knock-on. it was the centre who stepped up and completed an excellent afternoon's work.

Derry had won the ball back, yet instead of kicking clear they went through phases and got needlessly turned over. Visiting prop David O'Reilly, who had seconds earlier wasted a glorious chance, took full advantage and brought the game back to only two points. Derry were scrambling but scramble they did to stumble rather than roar over the finishing line.

The frantic finale was in keeping with a tie that neither team was able to take charge of. Derry had the upper hand in the scrums, a tactic they used to great effect but with neither defence looking overly secure both sides also missed plenty of opportunities to add to their tally.

The visitors got off to the perfect start when they ripped ball from a Derry maul three minutes in, the subsequent break ending with Ethan Griffths scoring despite the Galway men doing their best to butcher the opening. Impressive full-back Henry O'Toole converted and Connemara were off and running.

Derry should have scored a try of their own two minutes later but Davy Graham failed to get his pass away to Ross McLaughlin and the chance was gone.

A McDonnell penalty did get Derry on the scoreboard 11 minutes in and three minutes later it got even better when Richard McCarter's men won turnover ball on halfway. Quick as a flash, scrum-half Jamie Millar sent a great kick over the Connemara defence. Lapsley looked second best but showed great pace and bravely took the full force of a high covering tackle before touching down for an unconverted try and an 8-7 lead.

The pendulum swung back the visitors' way on 18 minutes when Derry were caught napping by Connemara scrum-half's Michael O'Toole's quick 'tap and go'. The try went unconverted but Connemara still led 8-12. However two more McDonnell penalties saw Derry regain the lead just into time to go into half-time with a 14-12 advantage.

And five minutes after the restart, the home side looked to be taking control. Connemara failed to find touch from a penalty which allowed Derry to return the kick long into the visitors' half. The quick line-out throw was not quick enough with Millar and Graham up to press and it was 'DG' in the right place at the right time to intercept. Once clear, you simply don't catch Graham who went over with McDonnell converting for 21-12.

Back came Connemara, winger Griffiths this time grabbing his second for 21-17 only six minutes after Derry's score.

With little or not pattern to the game, Derry were next on the tit for tat scoreboard. Connemara's line speed was impressive to the extent of bordering on offside all afternoon and on 55 minutes McDonnell took advantage, ducking inside to break clear. The out-half had too much to do on his own but found Gary McKinlay running a great supporting line to score, before McDonnell himself converted.

At 28-17 Derry should have pushed on, especially after a yellow card for Jack Vaughan. Unfortunately the Connemara player was barely in his seat by the time Colm Cregan was following him for a deliberate knock-on.

A try for centre John O'Brien then threw things back into the melting pot at 28-22, especially when McDonnell was yellow carded seconds after Cregan rejoined the action. Tommy Mullen then became the fourth player sin binned in the incident that gave Lapsley his match winning penalty. It was breathless; bonkers and occasionally brilliant but Derry are in the last eight and ultimately that's all that matters!

City of Derry: Fearghus Canning, Cathal Cregan, Sam Duffy, Gerard Doherty, Tiarnan Dillon, Tiernan Thornton, Jake McDevitt, Stephen Corr, Jamie Millar, Alex McDonnell, Colm Cregan, David Lapsley, David Graham, Ross McLaughlin, Killene Thornton. (Replacements) Tom Cameron, Gary McKinlay, Aaron Deery, Dara Gill, Cein McColgan.

Connemara: David O'Reilly, Ger Fahy, Ian Staunton, Oran O'Neill, Conor O'Malley, Diarmuid Roche, Tommy Mullen, David McDonagh, Michael O'Toole, Shane Sweeney, Ethan Griffiths, Ian Heanue, John O'Brien, Shane Hathaway, Henry O'Toole. (Replacements) Eamon McCann, Hugh Manley, Jack Vaughan, Oscar Coneys.