Portadown Cruise to the next round of Towns Cup
Portadown began the game strongly with forwards taking the game to the City of Armagh 2s. Strong drives by Taylor Tweedie and Jamie Wright set the tone. The Armagh 2s side were not going to make the game easy by some good attacking play . Armagh backs had some quick runners and they made Portadown realise they could not take the game as granted.
Portadown scored first however when the forwards secured ball from the lineout and delivered it to the backs. A strong run from Andrew Morrison fed Marshal Clint who then scored in the corner to make it 5 nil to Portadown. After the kick-off, Portadown defence went offside from a ruck and this allowed Armagh a penalty chance which they duly kicked to give them 3 points.
From the kick-off Portadown pressed the Armagh defence and forced errors which allowed to attack and Ryan Neill squeezed in at the corner.
The conversion was missed and Portadown led 10 to 3. Just before half time another error by Portadown gave Armagh another 3 points to make the half time score 10 points to 3 in Portadown’s favour.
The second half was totally dominated by Portadown and they ran in tries from the starting whistle. Strong forward work at a maul allowed Ben McKinnon to score and make it 15 to 6 in Portadown’s favour. The next score was some great interplay from Forwards and backs leaving the Armagh defence stretched. Robbie Mathers finished the movement with the try and Niall Davison converted making it 22 to 6.
Taylor Tweedie who had been a strong force in the pack from the start, was next on the score sheet with a score. A set move from the lineout saw Tweedie drive over the line. The conversion was missed leaving it 27 to 6 to Portadown.
But did not end there as Portadown seemed to score at will against an Armagh team with no idea how to stop the attacks. Marshall Clint got his second score, racing through a stretched Armagh defence to score. Davison converted taking the score to 34 to 6. From the kick--off Portadown were running again, though Armagh stopped the attack at their 22 m area, but from the ruck Drew Flack passed to Niall Davison who gave a dummy and raced through the gap to score following his own conversion making the score 41 to 6.
Two more scores by Andrew Morrison and Micheal Hannath both converted by Davison gave Portadown a final score of 55 to 6
On a wet and windy Saturday afternoon, Portadown 3rd XV took to Chambers Park to face Instonians 4ths in their latest league encounter.
Both sides started strongly in what proved to be a tight, physical contest from start to finish, with neither team willing to give an inch. Instonians were first to strike, crossing the line twice after sustained pressure in Portadown’s 22 to take a 0–12 lead.
Despite defending bravely for nearly 20 minutes, the home side found themselves on the back foot—but the resistance only seemed to fire them up. As the first half drew to a close, Portadown turned defence into attack.
Veteran centre Tom Ryan rolled back the years with a touch of class as he drew the defence andpassed to Alex Bleakney putting him through a gap . Bleakney made no mistake with the gift, racing in to score under the posts to narrow the deficit to 5–12 at halftime.
Portadown began the second half brightly, with a series of strong carries and some smart recycling of the ball from the pack creating good team momentum. Slick interplay between Johnny Hampton, Luke Aston, and Frankie Gibson saw the ball into thehands of Jonathan Reid.
The Instonians defence, wary of Reid’s earlier line breaks, closed in quickly tostop him, but this only allowedhim to offload beautifully to Ryan, who jogged in for a try under the posts. The conversion levelled the score at 12–12 and lifted the spirits of the home crowd.
Instonians responded by pinning Portadown back inside their own 22. This time, however, Portadown’s defence stood firm, forcing the visitors to settle for a penalty to edge ahead 12–15.
Continued pressure eventually yielded a third Instonians try, stretching their advantage to 12–20. Refusing to give in, Portadown threw everything into the final stages. Once again, it was Tom Ryan pulling the strings, delivering a second exquisite assist to get the ball to Luke Aston and send him bursting through a gap. Aston rounded the fullback to score under the posts, closing the gap to 19–20.
Despite their late surge, time was not on Portadown’s side. The final whistle blew before they could mount another attack, leaving the home side agonisingly short of what would have been a memorable comeback.
The Portadown Women travelled to the Palace Grounds to face a strong Armagh RFC side in the Cup. It was a highly competitive match, with both teams putting on a great display of skill and determination.
From the outset, Armagh applied early pressure, managing to cross the line for the opening try around the 15-minute mark. The conversion attempt drifted wide, leaving the score at 5–0.
Despite Portadown’s attacking intent and solid defensive organisation, the score remained unchanged at half-time. In the second half, Portadown continued to contest every breakdown and showed real intensity in defence. Armagh, however, found a gap and added a second unconverted try midway through the half, extending their lead to 10–0.
The Portadown side fought until the final whistle, showing resilience, teamwork, and plenty of heart throughout the match. While the result didn’t go their way, the performance highlighted the team’s growing cohesion and competitive spirit.
The Portadown U12 Youth Academy team took to the field on Friday evening against a strong Armagh side, and from the very first whistle it was clear we were in for a proper contest.
Both teams started with great intensity — strong tackles and fast rucks that kept us on the edge of our seats. As the final whistle blew, Portadown finished a few tries ahead — a result that reflected the team’s effort, teamwork, resilience, and determination.
A brilliant day at Chambers Park for the PRFC boys with three outstanding wins over Clogher Valley. The hard work, skill, and team spirit were on full display from start to finish. U14s: Portadown 50 - 24 Clogher Valley ,U16s: Portadown 31 - 05 Clogher Valley, U18s: Portadown 50 - 00 Clogher Valley