One sideline sage summed it up: “If we keep playing like this, we’ll definitely make it to the playoffs …”  That's slim consolation to the 21 Lansdowne men that gave their all on the pitch, but this really was an excellent and heart-lifting performance and, in spite of the result, a solid platform for the next three crucial games running into Christmas.

Lansdowne started like greyhounds out of traps. Blistering charges on both sides, but the visitors were reeling from the intensity of our attack.  All ‘Hinch could do to cope was try to slow us down and concede penalties.  Indeed, they were lucky not to have been punished further when a high tackle close to the line on winger Cillian Redmond thwarted a certain score, but we would extract our revenge moments later. Centre, Andy Marks led the next charge with a signature swerving break, slicing through their centre and back three, before offloading to Cillian who passed back inside to scrum half, Cormac Foley for a well-deserved try under the posts after just five marvellous minutes. Steve McMahon added the extras making it 7-0.

Our resolve didn’t falter in those dangerous moments after scoring and our defence was feral. Number 8 returning from injury, Harry Van Eeden was intensity personified. Another Harry O’Riordan was also having an impact in the centre both in gain line breaks and defence.  We were playing aggression and accuracy, but Ballynahinch aren’t second in the league (spoiler alert, now they’re first!) by being passive. While we had most of territory and possession, they were composed and vigilant, waiting for their moment to pounce. And pounce they did after turning over a lineout ball on the edge of our 22m line and spinning it quickly wide to tie up extra men in the breakdown, allowing them space to go find our line. A good conversion brought them even, 7-7 as we entered the second quarter, it was clear that whoever the eventual victor, this was going to be a cracking game.

The advantage soon returned to us with the likes of prop Tom Connolly and blind side flanker Rory Suttor harassing the ‘Hinch men at every opportunity. Back in their half and that attacking impresario Marks sears through their defences again and is brought down, let’s say roughly. The ref didn’t penalize them for the tackle but for offside in the ruck that followed, and Steve slotted another kick over confidently, bringing us back to the lead. 10-7.

Our dominance continued with sublime passages of play, our mobility backed up by robust physicality, again Harry Van E standing out. Our patience and control were rewarded when the ball was won in a ruck by prop Jerry Cahir and it worked its way out to Sean “Snoop” Galvin who made a blistering break, cutting inside from his wing to score. Steve’s boot was on song again and our lead was moving in the right direction 17-7 as we entered the last ten minutes of the half.

Still enjoying the best of most of the play, our lineouts were working well as hooker Jack Treanor found jumpers Ruari Clarke and captain Jack Cooke with relentless accuracy. ‘Hinch were conceding penalties by the new time and things were looking good when we hit our first speed bump and Harry Van Eeden went off with a heavy knock. Our bench is excellent, but a chill ran through the Lansdowne supporters as he went ashore, fearing perhaps that this might be a turning point. In the closing minutes of the half, ‘Hinch threw everything at us, but, though disrupted briefly by the enforced changes, we held out till the break.

Any ominous feelings before the half time break were justified very soon after the restart. The visitors came out all guns blazing and though we withstood their pressure manfully, they just varied the play so well that gaps inevitably emerged, and they broke through and scored in the corner. 17-12. Tougher to take, much tougher, was that they scored immediately again following the restart. Let’s not relive it, they just did. 17-19.

Their lead didn’t last long as we recovered our composure to get back into kicking distance and when they conceded yet another penalty, Steve put us ahead again, 20-19. But though we had the lead, ‘Hinch were in the ascendancy. They were disrupting our set pieces now and we starting to concede penalties of our own. Following one such infringement, we found ourselves back on our own 10-meter line defending a lineout, but they prevailed in the maul and touched down in the corner 20-24. But in spite of the wholesale substitutions and changes of position, we kept fighting and now it was we who camped on their line. We nearly touched down when Andy Marks tackled a defender so hard behind his line that he dropped the ball, but it was from the ensuing scrum that we got our reward. A couple of short breaks and half back Foley showed his class with an Olympic pass from the centre of the pitch to substitute winger Louis McGauran who went over in the corner. Steve’s excellent conversion attempt came off the upright and we took the narrowest of margins 25-24 into the closing stages.

Fair play to Ballynahinch, they worked their way back into our danger zone and despite heroic defence and in general excellent discipline, we conceded the inevitable penalty. All Lansdowne hearts hoped their kicker who hadn’t been too accurate all day would oblige with another miss, but for once he hit it sweetly, bitterly breaking Lansdowne hearts on and off the pitch.

So, another close defeat. But this felt very different. An outstanding performance from 1 to 21 and genuine reason to be hopeful for the challenges to come.