Sexton's boot earns draw for St Mary's
Saturday, 4 November 2006 22:23Jonathan Sexton showed his steely nerve once again as he kicked St Mary's to a flattering 12-12 draw against Buccaneers at Dubarry Park.
Buccaneers, with little form of late, failed to convert their chances as Ireland Under-21 out-half Sexton kicked four penalties from four attempts.
Buccs full-back Tommy Cregan landed four penalties of his own for a 12-3 half-time advantage.
Crucially Sexton slotted over two penalties either side of the break to open Mary's account and his fourth arrived right on 80 minutes.
The pitch markings from a soccer match, played recently at Dubarry, fooled Buccs winger Mark Bruce when he thought he had scored a try.
Referee Marshall Kilgore was on the ball to punish any misdemeanours in a penalty-dominated first half.
Both sides lacked the cutting edge to break down the respective defences and when the line was in sight - Bruce's chance a case in point - the finishing touch was just not there.
A lack of composure from the Mary's pack allowed Cregan to keep them on the move and when the penalty opportunities arose, the former Shannon favourite, who top-scored with 185 points in last season's top flight campaign, did not need to be asked twice.
If Sexton's penalty success in the final minute of normal time was vital, so to was his strike, from 35 metres out, just before half-time.
That gave Mary's a good deal of impetus for the second half with their big ball carriers Robert Sweeney, Paul Nash and Hugh Hogan beginning to exert some pressure.
Buccs were pinged for hands in the ruck, seven minutes into the second half, and Sexton duly bisected the posts for a 12-6 scoreline.
The Leinster Development-contracted player added two further penalties - he also missed a drop goal shot which never really looked on - to grab a share of the spoils for Mary's, who also drew with Buccs at Templeville Road last March, and take his points tally for the current campaign to 54.
