The Brisbane Irish completed a historic weekend of rugby with all 3 grades claiming victory in their respective games.

3rd Grade - Friday 1st May 8.40pm v Easts

The weekend started with 3rd Grade down at Easts on Friday night. Numbers were always going to be short due to injuries from the previous week and 3 of the lads away on business so Adam Daly and Joel Rickuss stepped up to fill the gaps.

There was commitment from the start which provided plenty of pressure on the Easts line before sustained attack led to the first try. This was always going to be a close one and Easts came back firing especially after the half time break when fresh replacements by Easts brought more bulk onto the field in the forwards but the Irish didn't buckle and defended strongly

With no replacements available on the bench it meant that several players had to continue even after suffering injuries but there was never any question of them wanting to leave the field 

The final score reflected the spirit and dedication shown by every player with the Irish coming out on top 19-12 to record their first win of the season and get the club off to a great start to the weekend

Although this was the first victory for the 3rds it will definitely not be the last and with a bye this coming weekend it will mean everyone is well rested for the game against TC Beirne on the 15th May

Reserve Grade - Saturday 2nd May 1.30pm v UQ Gatton

After having beaten Gatton in the first round out at Gatton by 45-0 big things were expected of the 2nd XV in their first home game and  we weren't disappointed. Despite a largely changed side from the first encounter there was no change in the commitment shown to running the ball and the spectators enjoyed almost continual attacks from the Irish. 

There was a lot to come out of this game but especially the facts that there was no easing off of the pressure as the game entered the second half against a Gatton side that was definitely improved from that of the first round

There were some impressive performances which showed that this year we will have genuine pressure for almost all positions in A Grade, something that was missing a little last year and bodes very well for the club as a whole

The final score was 43-0 and puts the team in a healthy position of 2 wins and 1 defeat with the local derby against Everton Park coming up this weekend

A Grade - Saturday 2nd May 3.30pm v UQ Gatton

With 2 wins form 2 games already in the book it was now down to A Grade to see if they could complete the trifecta. As you will remember the first round saw our top team going down to Gatton by 19-7 in a game that saw 8 of our players come off injured. All the talk during the week was about stepping up and getting things back on track after the defeat to Goodna the previous Saturday with the emphases being on the scrum, the breakdown and the shape of our attack 

The enthusiasm for attack by the Irish was evident right away and it was all Irish for the first half with about 85% of territory and 75% of the ball but we just weren't able to convert it into points apart from a penalty by Rory Bowe. Against all the run of play Gatton obtained a penalty in the dying seconds of the half which they missed to make the half time score 3 - 0 for the Irish but it should have been a lot more

The second half started badly when we received a free kick for being in front of the kicker. Gatton took a quick tap and drive into the Irish half where they sustained pressure until they received a penalty in front of the posts to make it 3 - 3

From the restart some good counter rucking turned the ball over for the Irish but a forward pass resulted in a scrum for Gatton on the left of the pitch in Gatton territory. A Quick wheel by the boys in green gave untidy ball for Gatton which was jackled by Kenneth Mason. Quick ball to the right saw Aaron Stephens deftly grubber the ball through to be chased in numbers and some great soccer skills by Rory Bowe saw him go over with the conversion by Ryan Mackenzie making the score 10 - 3 to the Irish

Gatton were the next to score fielding an up and under in their own half to run it back and score but fortunately they missed the conversion and the score was 10-8 for the Irish with 18 minutes remaining and this is how the score stayed

This was a crucial victory for the Irish and completed a fantastic weekend which saw all 3 of our grades record victories for the first time this year.

On a playing front we started to show some real positives especially with regards to rucking and counter rucking and the scrum also showed improvement. Having said that rugby is all about scoring points and with the possession and territory the Irish enjoyed, especially in the first half, the game should have been all but over by the break. Despite that we have shown we are on track and and have set a very good platform for the coming weeks

Next Games 

With 3rd Grade having the bye this weekend it means all the action will again be at Hurdcotte Stree, Enoggera on Saturday the 9th May where the 2s take on Everton Park in a derby that just doesn't get any more local while A Grade go up against Beenliegh a side coming off a narrow defeat to Goodna

All in all a great weekend of rugby coming up for the Irish and their faithful