Sat 22 Feb 2025, 14:15
Ramsey won the Shield clash with Southern Nomads at the Mooragh Park 58-19. Number eight Josh Corteen led the field with four tries and there was also a hat trick from skipper Matt Meechan.
After a scoreless opening ten minutes Ramsey lit up the scoreboard with the first of Corteen’s four. He hit the Nomads defensive line at pace and burst through to score under posts. Tom Moffatt converted for a 7-0 lead. From the restart Ramsey were in again. Adam Dunlop broke clear on the right wing and as he drew the last defender, he delivered the perfect pop pass to Matt Meechan who was on his shoulder and he ran in for the first of his three.
Just after twenty minutes Corteen turned from scorer to creator. He slipped through the midfield defence and found Brandon Atchison in some space on the right touchline. Atchison was brought down but not held and he regained his footing to finish off. Moffatt added his second conversion. Another restart brought another try. This time Jared May made the opening and replacement Ste Kneale scored with his first touch of the ball. Moffatt again converted and Ramsey were 26-0 ahead.
As half time approached some interplay between Tom Moffatt and Brandon Atchison down the right flank got Ramsey into a good attacking position and Meechan was able to slip over the line from close range for his second of the game and a 31-0 half time lead.
There was no respite for Nomads after the break. Just two minutes in Ramsey’s Adam Clark broke clear on the left wing and Corteen was on hand to finish for his second. Nomads then finally arrived at the party. Ramsey conceded a string of penalties and the final one was tapped quickly and fired wide to Ollie Howard who crossed for the try.
Either side of the hour Corteen snaffled tries three and four. The first came when he finished a Meechan break and the fourth when he stole a Nomads line out and galloped in from thirty metres. The net result was a 46-5 lead and no prospect of a Nomads comeback. The men in green kept fighting though and with twelve minutes remaining they picked up their second. Dick Seed fielded a Ramsey drop out and made a huge carry back to the Ramsey twenty two. The ball was recycled and a grubber past the defence was removed by Mark Young for the try. He converted it himself to make it 46-12.
The final seven minutes brought three more tries. Ramsey full back Will Millsopp got the first of these with Simon Corlett’s head claiming the assist. Jared May, who had been replaced in the Ramsey side by Kyle Shnier, donned a Nomads shirt when they lost a man and he piled over the Ramsey line to score Nomads third try of the day, before Meechan went in to complete his hat trick with Moffatt’s fourth conversion bringing down the curtain.
After a scoreless opening ten minutes Ramsey lit up the scoreboard with the first of Corteen’s four. He hit the Nomads defensive line at pace and burst through to score under posts. Tom Moffatt converted for a 7-0 lead. From the restart Ramsey were in again. Adam Dunlop broke clear on the right wing and as he drew the last defender, he delivered the perfect pop pass to Matt Meechan who was on his shoulder and he ran in for the first of his three.
Just after twenty minutes Corteen turned from scorer to creator. He slipped through the midfield defence and found Brandon Atchison in some space on the right touchline. Atchison was brought down but not held and he regained his footing to finish off. Moffatt added his second conversion. Another restart brought another try. This time Jared May made the opening and replacement Ste Kneale scored with his first touch of the ball. Moffatt again converted and Ramsey were 26-0 ahead.
As half time approached some interplay between Tom Moffatt and Brandon Atchison down the right flank got Ramsey into a good attacking position and Meechan was able to slip over the line from close range for his second of the game and a 31-0 half time lead.
There was no respite for Nomads after the break. Just two minutes in Ramsey’s Adam Clark broke clear on the left wing and Corteen was on hand to finish for his second. Nomads then finally arrived at the party. Ramsey conceded a string of penalties and the final one was tapped quickly and fired wide to Ollie Howard who crossed for the try.
Either side of the hour Corteen snaffled tries three and four. The first came when he finished a Meechan break and the fourth when he stole a Nomads line out and galloped in from thirty metres. The net result was a 46-5 lead and no prospect of a Nomads comeback. The men in green kept fighting though and with twelve minutes remaining they picked up their second. Dick Seed fielded a Ramsey drop out and made a huge carry back to the Ramsey twenty two. The ball was recycled and a grubber past the defence was removed by Mark Young for the try. He converted it himself to make it 46-12.
The final seven minutes brought three more tries. Ramsey full back Will Millsopp got the first of these with Simon Corlett’s head claiming the assist. Jared May, who had been replaced in the Ramsey side by Kyle Shnier, donned a Nomads shirt when they lost a man and he piled over the Ramsey line to score Nomads third try of the day, before Meechan went in to complete his hat trick with Moffatt’s fourth conversion bringing down the curtain.
