Strabane Rugby Club

Everyone at Strabane Rugby Club extends our deepest condolences to the Gillespie family following the passing of their beloved father, Paddy.

Paddy was always a true gentleman and will be remembered fondly by the members and players of Strabane Rugby Club.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire family at this very sad time.

May he rest in peace.

♥️💛🖤 🙏

STRABANE RFC ARE BOXOFFICE!
On Saturday the 19th of September, Strabane hosted the unbeaten CIYMS from Belfast, on what was surely going to be the toughest game they've played so far this season. The Church of Ireland Young Man's Society team had only been relegated from championship 1 last season and hard invested heavily in rebuilding their team. They had brought in Sean Reffel from the Ulster squad as a player coach, and we're planning an immediate return to the top league. From the off, you could see the quality the men from Belfast could produce on a rugby field, and CI struck first with their dangerous centre gliding over after some excellent work by their big pack. Strabane began to feel their way into the game inside the visitors 22. The Strabanimals were twice turned away on the line, with Tom McGilloway held up over it and Jacques Rolland knocking on just before the line. The Belfast men went further ahead with a penalty and Strabane knew they were up against it, trailing 0-8.
Immediately from the restart, Hanro Gous took an acrobatic catch from the kick off, and after Strabane pressure, CI conceded a penalty. Christiaan (CJ) Groblar did well to make it three eight. Young tight head prop Callum Kelly received a deep kick and made directly for the waiting opposition out half. Much to the delight of the home crowd, Kelly performed his infamous Maori side step and flattened the poor fella. The grin on his face when he got up got the crowd even more fired up. Strabane continued to attack, and after numerous penalties committed by the visitors, their useful number four was sent to the bin for another high tackle. CJ split the posts again to make the score 6.8. The visitors immediately went back on the attack and were attempting to break into the Strabane 22 when Callum was first to their ruck and snaffled the ball. He immediately took off up the pitch and gave a smart pass to has a winger Hanro, who gave a delightful offload to the rampaging CJ. The fullback tore up the wing and kicked ahead, out-paced the covering defense, and was controversially adjudged to have knocked on the ball in the act of scoring. Strabane were not to be denied for long and after a clever pick and go from the base of a ruck by young McGilloway, quick recycling and great hands under pressure all along the back line saw winger Hayden Scott touch down in the corner. The difficult conversion was missed, but Strabane were deservedly leading 11- 8. With half-time approaching, CI attacked again, and after Strabane were free kicked at a scrum, the visiting forwards showed their power to rumble over for a converted try. The referee blew his whistle to bring an enthralling half to the end, with the visitors leading 11-15.
The visitors were the first to apply pressure in the second half, and a try saving tackle by Hanro on his opposite winger forced a knock on as he dived in to attempt to score. CI kicked another penalty to increase their lead, but Strabane hit back almost immediately, with Alru Gous charging over for a try, converted by CJ, to tie the scores at 18. The visitors went three points ahead again by kicking a penalty for a tackle off the Ball, but Strabane replied immediately when CJ danced around half of the CI team, leaving 4 of them sprawling on the ground on his way to another brilliant individual try. He had no trouble converting his own score to make it 25 to 21. The visitors threw the next punch when they're fullback darted through a disorganised Strabane defence to put their open side flanker in for a well worked converted score.25 to 26.
The CIYMS first centre then produced a pinpoint crossfield kick that Johnny Sexton would have been proud of, that his winger caught at full pace to score out wide and even though the conversion was missed, the Belfast men mus have thought they had done enough to win the game. Strabane had over ideas.
The Strabanimals now threw every last reserve of energy into the final few minutes with a relentless attack. After what seemed like an eternity for the vociferous Strabane faithful, McGilloway showed his trademark strength to power over the line from a few feet out and Strabane were just one point behind, with a huge pressure kick for the conversion to come.
The deafening roars hushed to an eerie silence as CJ addressed the ball, and the crowd waited with bated breath; some were unable to watch as the tension became unbearable. With the clock already past 80 minutes, the man with nerves of steel came up clutch again and split the uprights, and the game was won by the slenderest of margins, 32-31. In a repeat of the scenes at the Affidea Stadium last April, the players and coaches mobbed the hero of the day, and he was carried shoulder high from the pitch. We must also congratulate CIYMS who played their part in the game manfully in yet another hugely entertaining game of rugby at Bradley Way.
This Saturday, we host Carrick and a lorry load of sheep. These nerve-wracking endings are going to be the death of me.

🐑🚴 𝐏𝐄𝐃𝐀𝐋 𝐏𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐄𝐏 𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐄 🚴🐑

Think you’ve got the speed, stamina and stomach for it? 😂

👥 TEAMS OF 4 — £10 PER PERSON / £40 PER TEAM

💵Pay at registration

🍺 BAR OPEN FROM 1PM
📝 REGISTRATION FROM 3PM
🐑✂️ SPEED SHEAR STARTS FROM 5PM

📍 LOCATION:
Bradley Way, Strabane
BT82 9PU

Date: Saturday 26th of September

🚴 THE CHALLENGE 🐑

🚴 PEDAL — Cycle the bike to generate the power to clip the sheep
🏃 SPRINT — Run to the posts and back
🥣 WEETABIX — Eat a Weetabix
🍺 PINT — Down a pint
🐑✂️ SHEEP CLIPPED — Keep the power going and get that sheep clipped!

💡 TEAM SELECTION TIP:
Every team will need 2 SPEEDSTERS & 2 GOLPINS! 😂

🏆 PRIZES FOR THE TOP 3 TEAMS! 🏆

🎙️ COMMENTATORS
Trevor Clarke
Nigel Laughlin

✂️🐑 SHEARERS
Jack Robinson — NI Team Captain
Dean Laughlin

📣 ENTER YOUR TEAM BEFORE THE DAY!

Send us your team name + the names of your 4 team members.

📱 Message Kimberley or Emma:
07719 587150
07713 832715

💬 Or PM the Strabane Rugby Club page

Get your team together — speed, stamina, drinking ability and a bit of stupidity may all be required! 😂🐑🚴🍺

Important info: Please try get your names and teams entered before Friday‼️

Remember to tag your friends you don’t want to miss out😉

🔴🟡⚫️

Tomorrow team sheets 👀

League actions returns tomorrow, our 1XV plan to build on last weeks cup win to take on unbeaten CIYMS 🏉

Our 2XV make the short trip to local rivals Letterkenny 🏉

Both games kicking off at 14:30 get down and support the boys
🟡🔴⚫️

Back to league action this Saturday, as we host the unbeaten CIYMS. Our Under 18s host Carrick at Bradley Way and our 16s and 14s host Dungannon at Strabane Academy, all 3 games kicking off at 11.00am. Our 2s travel to Letterkenny to see our old friends and neighbours, in what is sure to be a fiesty affair. Please do your very best to come along and support your club for at least one game. There are still a number of tables left for our pre-match lunch, so if you are interested, please call Bob on 07714690655. See you all there.

What a day for Strabane Rugby Club!

It all started with our Mini Section giving Rory Best a guard of honour as he began his epic Miles 2 Mayo walk in aid of Cancer Fund for Children.

Our Second XV then hosted City of Derry’s Second XV and ran out worthy 38–29 winners. Our First XV then hosted City of Derry’s First XV in the first round of the Ulster Junior Cup. These two sides last met in 1970, and one of the largest crowds seen at a Strabane rugby match was treated to a phenomenal advertisement for rugby in the North West.

Strabane kicked off and were immediately on the attack, but some heroic Derry defence thwarted the home team. With the visitors’ first attack, they immediately drew blood, going over in the corner to lead by five.

Strabane, undaunted, went back on the attack, and scrum-half Vergil Grootboom came agonisingly close to scoring, knocking on over the line. Centre and captain James Perry was then held up over the line. Strabane camped inside the Derry five-metre line but were again turned away by some resolute defence.

Strabane continued to press home the attack but were continually undone by handling errors. From an attacking Strabane scrum, another dropped ball saw the Derry centre hack the ball ahead for their openside flanker to win the race and touch down under the posts.

Having done the vast majority of the attacking, Strabane found themselves 12 points behind, and the Strabane faithful were beginning to wonder if this was going to be their day. There was already a feeling that the next score would be crucial.

From an attacking scrum on halfway, the new No. 9, Vergil, darted up the narrow blindside and smartly chipped ahead over the last defender. The Derry No. 8 had tracked back well and recovered the kick, but his opposite number, Alru “AJ” Gous, was the next to arrive, and he immediately snaffled the ball.

AJ took off like a man possessed and dragged two Derry defenders over the line to score a very important five points. Christian “CJ” Grobler nailed the conversion to make the scoreline a bit healthier-looking.

Both sides continued to play an attractive brand of rugby, and Strabane were again turned away on the Derry line. The visitors mounted a length-of-the-field attack, only to be repelled by a Conner Huey jackal under the Strabane posts.

That was the last action of a hotly contested first half, and the massive crowd gave the players the ovation their efforts warranted.

Strabane coach Neville Magee told his players that, having played into the wind in the first half, they had weathered the Derry storm admirably and that everything was still to play for in the second half—and what a second half it was!

The Strabane team came out with a new sense of purpose and confidence and, within a minute, were on level terms. A high tackle on winger Hayden Scott saw Strabane awarded a penalty just inside the visitors’ 22. Before anyone had time to blink, Vergil took a very smart tap in front of the referee and danced through the static Derry defence to score an opportunist’s try, with CJ adding the extras.

Strabane had clawed their way into the lead, and both sets of supporters urged their teams on with rousing rallying cries.

The visitors went back on the attack, and their winger was stopped just short of the line by a textbook tackle from his opposite number, Hanro Gous. Derry recycled the ball and looked to have put the same winger over in the corner, only for the referee to call play back for a forward pass.

Strabane had briefly got out of jail, but Derry continued to pressure them. With the match perfectly poised, what happened next must surely rank as one of the best individual tries ever seen in Strabane.

The muscular Derry centre knocked on in a tackle, and CJ was on hand to pick up the ball. From just outside his own 22-metre line, he took off like a scalded cat and brutally handed off the opposition out-half. CJ then danced around their No. 8 and gassed the covering defence before chipping ahead into the 22.

He somehow regathered a ball he had no right to win, bounced the winger, nonchalantly sidestepped the final defender and scored a try that nearly blew the roof off the new Bradley Way clubhouse! He then added the extras to give Strabane a handsome 21–12 lead, and the home support was beginning to believe that this would be their day.

Derry, however, had different ideas, and only great covering work by flanker Jack Graham, who won the race to a chip ahead, saved the day. This only postponed the heartbreak, as the goal-line drop-out went directly into touch and gave Derry an attacking five-metre scrum.

Their forward pack did well to get a slight wheel on the scrum, and their No. 8 powered over for a converted score. At 21–19, it was definitely game on.

Derry failed to deal with the restart under great pressure from winger Hanro. From the resulting scrum, openside flanker Reuben Orr drew two men and put his back-row colleague, Jack “Bomber” Graham, away for another seven-pointer.

From the restart, CJ used the wind advantage to produce a monster kick deep into the Derry 22. Their clearing kick was eagerly accepted by Reuben, who showed his rugby brains yet again by shaping to pass right before delivering a beautiful pass to his left to the sniping Vergil. He danced around three defenders to score his second try.

The conversion was missed, but Strabane were now leading 33–19, and the home side had all the momentum.

Derry continued to attack from deep, but when the rugby gods desert you, they can be very cruel. A Derry handling error allowed young centre Johnny Orr to pick up the loose ball and scamper under the posts for the final score of the day.

Strabane ran out deserving 40–19 winners, and the home crowd went wild, with the celebrations lasting well into the night.

The massive crowd of over 500 people had been treated to an excellent game of rugby, and even the Derry faithful admitted it had been a great contest.

All the Strabane players had put in a huge shift, but some notable performances must be mentioned. Crowd favourite Hanro Gous put in some amazing tackles, including two monster hits, and he ran and chased hard all day. Vergil showed that he is as quick of mind as he is on his feet, but the Man of the Match award was given to Reuben Orr. He produced a tackling masterclass, ripped balls out of the contact area and set up two tries with two very intelligent passes.

We must also thank the huge home support, whose constant cheering and encouragement surely helped the team.

To top it all off, donations on the day for Rory Best’s charity topped £1,200, and this is testament to the generosity of everyone in attendance. Which the club will match to total £2,400 for the charity.

Three wins from three games, a new clubhouse filled for the pre-match lunches and bar staff working like demons to quench the thirsty faithful—we’ve had worse starts to a season!