All Ireland League 2B
City of Derry v
Bective Rangers
4.30pm Judge’s Road
CITY of Derry scrum half Andrew Semple says his side are “quietly confident” as they welcome Bective Rangers to Judges Road this Saturday.
Derry play their first home AIL game of the season and will cross the white line this weekend brimful of confidence after their opening win of the season last week.
Semple, who scored the winning try last week, is expecting a second consecutive win for the home side come Saturday.
“We’d be quietly confident enough. We put a good score on them last year. I think that was Terry McMaster’s second game with us in the All Ireland. Bective play in Donnybrook and would be more forward dominated. We beat them 36-0 last year and they played like a team that didn’t turn up at all. If they wanted to spread it they could because they have the backs available.”
Terry McMasters’ side got their season off to the perfect start when they recorded a five try bonus point victory away to Barnhall last Saturday.
Derry have had some close encounters with the Kildare men in the past that have gone either way, but when the Judges Road men were 22-0 in front at the break and then scored another try within three minutes of the restart it looked game over.
Barnhall, however, had other ideas and put in a barnstorming second half display to come within one score of Derry with nine minutes to go. There was incessant pressure on the Derry line for the remainder of the game but a timely intercept from Semple, one metre from his own line, saw him sprint the length of the field to seal victory.
“We got off to the right start” explained Semple. “We led 22-0 at the break and made it 27-0 after that. I think it was a matter of taking the foot off the peddle and Barnhall got their tails up and came back at us. I was sin-binned with twelve minutes to go. It was more of a team yellow but it left us with just fourteen men for a crucial period in the game.” However, Semple returned to the pitch in time to score Derry’s fifth try and confirm the win.
Once again Derry’s shrewd recruitment policy paid dividends down in Kildare with winger Neil Brown scoring twice, while a number of the other new players also shone in the win.
Semple believes that while Derry’s starting fifteen may not be measurably stronger than in previous campaigns, there is competition for every place in the 2015 squad.
“I don’t know if we’re stronger. We’ve filled the gaps better this year. This year we’ve recruited well and we have great strength and depth. If someone gets injured someone else can step up.”
One new face – Neil Burns – has taken over the responsibility of the place kicking but it’s an aspect of his game that Semple still envisages returning to.
“A few weeks ago I had a tight hamstring and I said to young Neil Burns to take the kicks but I still have ambitions to come back and hit them again. I just don’t want to put any more stress on the hamstring.”
As well as Derry’s debutants, a few older faces have returned this season with last year’s captain, and former Foyle College team mate, David Funston flying home from England to tog out in the green and black.
“Davy played there at the weekend and I think he’s coming home again this weekend. And that’s good because we’re not too strong in that position. It’s a place where although boys can fit in there they don’t have that much experience. And we have David Graham coming home from Newcastle every weekend too and he can play in the centre.”
The Derry back also has high praise for S&C coach Joe Gallanagh in at the Foyle Arena, whose work has left Derry in superb physical condition this year.
“He’s worth every penny you invest in him, you definitely see the improvements. He does all the strength and conditioning and I think we will continue to reap the benefits.”
Along with the departed Stephen Ferguson, Andy Semple has been the stand-out player in City of Derry colours over the last few years with coaches past and present bewildered at his lack of representative rugby. At 26 years of age Semple admits that ship may have sailed.
“I don’t have any representative ambitions at the minute. If anything comes about it would be a bonus. It’s probably out of my reach in terms of age-wise. I might have slim chance of a Ravens call up but it’s not really in my mind to be honest. Even if I am playing at my best, if Ulster Rugby have young boys in their academy they’ll be playing ahead of me. They see that as their future. If it had have been two or three years ago I would have been saying "yes, I do have ambitions" and hang in there and maybe get some sort of contract, but at this stage in my career I don’t see it coming. But if it came along I’d definitely say yes. Never say never.”
Asked about City of Derry’s ambitions and Semple was quite categoric: “We want o go straight back up. We finished twelfth last year and if we had have finished tenth we would have stayed up. I wouldn’t want to settle for anything else and that’s definitely the team’s ambition to go straight back up. I don’t think we can set ourselves any other goals other than that.
"In terms of the Senior Cup, that’s most certainly second anyway, as well as it is to do well in it and to get to Ravenhill in December. Obviously every year the All Ireland is your priority.”
Derry have put back the kick off of this game to 4.30pm to allow the Judge’s Road patrons to enjoy the international rugby as a tasty aperitif for the domestic main course, as Ireland begin their quest for the Rugby World Cup.