With both sides able to field their full-strength starting fifteens, backed up by an equally proficient seven man bench, this all-Ulster semi-final between two of the top teams within the Qualifying League had caught the attention of many rugby enthusiasts who were anticipating a memorable contest. The playing surface and weather conditions were just about perfect, with what little breeze there was blowing across the pitch and of little advantage to either side.

With hundreds of spectators lining the touchlines, and many more watching from the warmth and comfort of the clubhouse, Bangor’s Jason Morgan got proceedings underway. The home side didn’t want to repeat the early mistakes of last week’s game at CIYMS, and appeared to be focussed from the outset. However, Clogher Valley were obviously mindful of their last visit to Upritchard Park and started with power and purpose. The first couple of set pieces showed why their pack is a force to be reckoned with, pushing Bangor back with worrying ease. Building on this early dominance, Clogher took play into Bangor’s twenty two and mounted several good attacking moves. Bangor’s defence held firm on each occasion, until Clogher decided the only way they were going to come away with some points for these efforts was to take a drop goal, giving them an early lead by 0-3.

Having been under considerable pressure, Bangor started to work their way back into the game and were eventually rewarded with a Mark Widdowson penalty, which levelled the scores at 3-3 after 20 minutes. Further pressure from the home side soon resulted in another Clogher infringement at the breakdown, which resulted in another Widdowson penalty which put Bangor ahead for the first time by 6-3.

Although Clogher still looked dangerous in attack, when Bangor regained possession they quickly turned defence into attack through sensible and accurate positional kicking from Jason Morgan. Having gained good territory, Bangor then fought hard to stay there, even to the point where they managed to charge down two Clogher clearance kicks, although to the visitors’ relief the ball bounced out of play. However, the sustained pressure being exerted through Bangor’s back line eventually led to another penalty, which Widdowson converted to extend the lead to 9-3, which brought the first half to a close.

The first good attacking opportunity of the second half fell to Clogher after just 6 minutes. From a penalty in mid-field, a good kick brought the line-out close to Bangor’s 5 metre line. This is usually the platform from where Clogher are most deadly – their line-out and driving maul is a difficult force to stop. However, Bangor were prepared and not only stopped the drive, but turned the ball over and cleared their lines. Then to drive home the fact, they did it again a few minutes later. Given Clogher’s rightful reputation for their prowess in this area, the defensive response by Bangor’s forwards was truly impressive.

The only worrying time for Bangor came after 14 minutes when captain Jamie Clegg was somewhat harshly yellow-carded for pulling down a maul. From the resulting penalty, Clogher clawed back 3 points, making the score now 9-6.

However, obviously buoyed by their earlier dominance in the forwards, the seven man scrum of Bangor was now pushing the eight man Clogher pack backwards. Psychologically, this was a turning point, as Bangor now assumed control and prevented their opponents from developing any meaningful attacks. This, combined with Morgan’s positional kicking, resulted in Clogher being pinned down for most of the final quarter in their own half. Clogher’s situation became even more difficult when, after 22 minutes, one of their second row forwards was yellow-carded for not rolling away from a tackle.

With both sides finding it hard to break through each other’s defence, Bangor played tactically by simply preventing their opponents to build meaningful attacks through committed and effective defence, and then pushing them back deep into their own territory through long kicks for touch. On at least two occasions, Bangor came close to crossing Clogher’s line through breaks by Curtis Stewart and Davy Charles. They then had an opportunity within the final 5 minutes to extend their lead when Widdowson had another penalty kick from the right of Clogher’s posts. However, a sudden attack of cramp in his run-up resulted in the kick being miss-hit, and the ball drifted wide of the mark. Although disappointed not to have scored, Bangor stuck to their plan, and continued to thwart any chance of a counter attack, finally running down the clock to record a famous victory.

While the final score-line may not suggest it, this was an enthralling game from start to finish, played in good spirit and without any major injuries. For the visitors’ part, they may feel that they didn’t play to their normal high standard. However, they came up against a Bangor side that has proved so far in this competition that it can match and better the best junior sides in Ireland. Bangor’s route to the final has been as difficult as it could be possible – Clonmel (one of the pre-tournament favourites, and Munster champions) in round 1, Enniscorthy (the current cup holders) in the quarter finals, and now Clogher Valley (last year’s beaten finalists, and the current QL1 champions) in the semis. What lies ahead on 31st January 2015 is still unclear, following a 25-25 draw at the other semi-final between CIYMS and Dundalk. What is clear, however, is that Bangor can rightly look forward in confidence to face whoever is to come between them and the title. In the meantime, there are still vital games ahead in the league, resuming with a home fixture against Cooke next weekend.

Bangor side: P Whyte, A Jackson, J Leary, G Irvine, J Henly, R Latimer, J Clegg (c), C Stewart, R Armstrong, J Morgan, M Widdowson, M Aspley, M Weir, D Charles, C Morgan

Subs: O McIlmurry, S Irvine, F Black, D Kelly, D Fusco, M Thompson, A McCusker

Bangor scores: M Widdowson (3P)