​Five try City of Derry start with Junior Cup victory in Banbridge

Richard McCarter's men had plenty to spare against a disappointing home XV as tries from Colm Cregan, Ross McLaughlin (2), Tiernan Thornton and Coyle put the seal on an emphatic, if at times scrappy, win.

There was also an impressive debut for new No. 8 Tiarnan Dillon and while Head Coach Richard McCarter acknowledged tougher challenges lie ahead, he was more than pleased with his side's start.

"I'll never turn my nose up at a 34-10 win," explained McCarter, "We did okay, especially considering there were a few missing. The boys who came in did well, though the game did become scrappy at times.

"We were totally dominant in the first half. We were 29-3 up at half-time and should’ve been further ahead but second half, after it began to pour down and we were facing the breeze, it made for a very scrappy half.

"We couldn't really get out. Banbridge scored but the boys did well to respond and killed the game with about 12 minutes to go."

That second half saw most of the play concentrated on Derry's half but even with the deteriorating elements, Derry complete supremacy in the scrum meant Banbridge never looked like making inroads.

"Defensively we did okay second half," added McCarter, "We really dominated the set-pieces, especially the scrums. We were pushing them back off every scrum and that was half of Banbridge's main problem. Every time they got into our '22 their line-out faltered or if it was a scrum it was tantamount to giving us back the ball because our pack was in total control.

"The set piece was excellent and the forwards really stepped up. It was a good start but we know there are bigger challenges ahead."

And while McCarter is expected to welcome back a number of his established player for next week's Championship One opener against Ballymoney, he was delighted to see the players brought in show they are ready to increase the competition for places.

"I thought Eoin Coyle did well at scrum-half. He played all the games for the Seconds last year but it's still a big ask for someone to come in like that for his debut. He did well and can hopefully keep pushing on.

"Tiarnan (Dillon) also looked pretty good. He's going to be a decent player for us. He was steady, carried well and put his tackles in but everyone chipped in and can be pleased with their contribution.

"We were far superior on the day and it was a good start. It was good to get the win, good to score five tries and only concede one considering we were under a bit of pressure second half. However, we know that over the next few weeks there will be far bigger challenges for us and that starts on Saturday."