ABERAVON FIGHTING IRISH, who were 16-0 up after as many minutes at Irish outfit BANBRIDGE BRONCOS and 28-6 ahead as the interval beckoned, repelled a rousing rally to return to Wales reflecting on a 32-26 triumph – and on a second round tie at Midlands Hurricanes.
The Fighting Irish are the first Welsh community side to win a men’s Challenge Cup match for 11 years and they did it the hard way, doing the trip to Northern Ireland in a day, leaving Wales at 4am for a flight from Bristol to Dublin before bussing it over the border, visiting four countries before midday.
Connor O’Callaghan, Rhys Evans and Jack Davies raced over in Aberavon’s impressive start and, after Jon Sturgeon had hit back for the Broncos, Ieaun Allen and Owen Thomas dotted down and Sean Waldeck fired his fourth goal to help establish a 22-point cushion.
Pulusi Toeoanna sparked Banbridge’s stunning recovery a minute before half-time, and that score was followed by touchdowns for Toeoanna and Wayne Kelly, Jonny Dunlop’s third goal reducing the deficit to only six points. Waldeck swept over on 64 minutes to give the visitors a 10-point cushion, and it was needed when Matthew Coulter crossed for the hosts some six minutes later. But Aberavon held out in a tense finale.
