Enniskillen Royal at the 2019 Campbell 7s
23 March 2019
The weather on Saturday was glorious and the setting of the extensive, treed grounds of Campbell College was equally idyllic. This annual 7-a-side event for senior and Medallion teams was supported by over 20 schools who were divided into 4 Pools. ERGS first pool match was against Sullivan Upper 2s and was a bit of a mismatch which ERGS swept by 52 points to nil. It was a perfect warm up for the boys who mixed strength and speed with patience and vision.
The second pool game pitted ERGS against Bangor Grammar who were coached by a stout South African by the name of Botha. Bangor had brought a team of healthy specimens who were as skilful as they were large and provided Enniskillen with a tougher challenge. However, the ERGS work rate and their defensive organisation meant that they never looked like losing and they finished the game 22 points to 7.
Regent, on paper, should have been the easiest opponent but they had come with serious intent and, as with many of the teams that left the Schools Cup at an early stage, had undertaken some serious 7s training. ERGS had cruised through their two previous matches and may have been caught off guard by Regent. In any event, they had enough skill and firepower to win by 26 points to 21.
ERGS finished top of their group and had a short rest before being given Ballymena as their quarter-final adversary. Ballymena had finished second in their pool, a pool that included Coleraine, BRA and an excellent Down High School side spearheaded by the now familiar figure of Greg Hutley. There was no complacency in the ERGS camp this time and Ballymena were on the receiving end of the Enniskillen team’s best performance of the day.
Any game of 7s is an energy sapping, lung busting sprint and, if you add in a high level of competitive physicality, then seven minutes can seem like a very long time. One mistake, a missed tackle, a loose pass, an inaccurate kick is usually punished by a try. One can, therefore, gauge the form of the Ballymena game by the score of 33 points to nil. Enniskillen made few mistakes, if any, and they made Ballymena pay for every one of theirs. It was an excellent display of 7s rugby by a squad of 12 players who only had two short training sessions on this, very different, form of the game.
Ballyclare, who beat Armagh and Inst to get to this stage, were drawn as ERGS semi-final opponents. In each round of a knockout competition there is a step up in quality and their semi-final tryst with Ballyclare was a small step too far for the young ERGS team. Their captain, Alex Parke, who has been mesmerising defences with his jinking runs, damaged his shoulder in the quarter-final. This bit of bad luck, mixed with a dip in energy levels that follows four straight games, led to a below par performance and Ballyclare claimed the place in the final, winning by 34 points to 12. Ballyclare were edged out in the final by the hosts, Campbell College.
It was a great day of rugby and ERGS will have been very pleased to have reached the semi-finals. It would be meaningless to record the try scorers, as nearly every member of the squad contributed to their 145 points total . It would also be meaningless to attempt to pick out any particular players. When there are only seven players on a pitch meant for 15, everyone has to play well if you are to win.
ERGS 7s Squad :- Alex Parke ©, Callum Smyton, David Stinson, Eddie Keys, Harry Dane, Henry Keys, Neil Rutledge, Robbie Mills, Sam Balfour, Stephen Balfour, Stuart Brown, Taine Haire
