Match Reports category listing | Buccaneers Rugby Football Club Athlone

SUTTON SWOOPS FOR WINNING SCORE

BUCCANEERS 36 GALWEGIANS 33

Connacht Eagles will take on Welsh club Ospreys at Dubarry Park, Athlone, on Friday evening, September 21st. This floodlit Celtic League fixture kicks off at 7 p.m. and the home province will likely feature a raft of young Buccaneers players in their match squad.

Ten tries shared evenly, 69 points scored and just the minimum dividing the teams may indicate a cracking Connacht Senior League duel between Buccaneers and Sligo at Dubarry Park on Saturday. However, exciting though it may have been at times and especially in a nail-biting finish, overall this was a frustrating exhibition for both sets of supporters. Buccs will have been the happier having played below par to survive a massive scare to win 35-34 but Sligo will feel this is one that really got away from them.

Connacht Clubs U-18’s enjoyed a clean sweep in the inter-provincial Festival of Rugby played in Limerick over the past week. They kicked off their pathway to silverware by forging a last move 33-29 victory over Leinster and followed that up with a 47-17 rout of Munster. They completed a notable treble when demolishing Ulster 41-15 in their final fixture.

BUCCANEERS made a winning start to the defence of their Connacht Senior League title by inflicting a first home defeat in over a year on Ballina with Buccs coming out on top 49-19 at Heffernan Park on Saturday. The relatively youthful Pirates crew hit the ground running against the Mayo club who have regained Senior status and who will shortly compete in the All-Ireland League. Three converted tries in the opening quarter laid the foundation for this fully merited victory by the midlanders.

BUCCANEERS playing season commences on Saturday when they face a very tricky assignment away to Ballina in a Connacht Senior League fixture taking place at Heffernan Park, kick off 2.30 p.m. The hosts, who have been junior kingpins in Connacht for the past two seasons, will be buoyant following their opening day 35-24 home victory over Sligo last Saturday.

On-field rugby action for the season commences with a hugely attractive match between Connacht and Wasps at Dubarry Park, Athlone, on Saturday afternoon. This friendly clash between the PRO12 champions of 2016 and the English Premiership giants kicks off at 3 p.m and should be a cracker. With a host of internationals in both squads, a bumper crowd that is likely to include Ireland Head Coach Joe Schmidt is expected at the compact but easily accessed home of Buccaneers.

A new coaching triumvirate is in place at Buccaneers for the coming season, the kick off for which is fast approaching on August 25^th. Peter O’Donnell comes in as Head Coach and he will be assisted by Aidan Wynne with Michael Harding in charge of the club’s Seconds team. All three are young, ambitious and progressive, and will work together along with Buccs U-20 mentors in fashioning the Pirates style of play for all teams.

A new name has been added to the list of overall winners at Buccaneers Tag Rugby annual league tournament with Coupers Loopers coming out on top of this summer’s leagues contested at Dubarry Park. Last year’s championship bowl victors, Coupers Loopers now qualify for the IRFU Volkswagen Tag series.