The snow didn't come, but ice, slippery footpaths and the Letterkenny Under 14s squad, came to Rainey Old Boys RFC.
As with every match, this season, pleasant weather conditions, prevailed.

The Under 14s, played on the "4G" pitch/field, for the first time. Although not muddy, the astro-turf type surface, makes it sore on the knees, when tackling. It provides a faster surface, so the players are able to run, and spread the ball, with greater effect.

Rainey kicked off. Kaymin Shortt ( outhalf ) kicked the ball into touch. A short lineout. The ball went out Rainey's backline, Peter Sparks ( first centre ) put in a tackle, ( around the arms ) on Rainey's flanker. Under the new tackle laws, the referee deemed the tackle to be high, and penalised Letterkenny. This put Letterkenny, on the back foot, and signposted the ways things went, in the first half.
Letterkenny tried their backline moves - Alpha, Bravo, Hot ball, etc - and none of them, to any effect. Each time, Rainey put in good solid tackles and stopped Letterkenny, in their tracks.
Eventually, Rainey broke through the Letterkenny defence, and scored a try.

Half time: Letterkenny 0 - Rainey 5

Letterkenny made five changes, after the disappointing first half.
Thankfully, things were on the turn, and the momentum was shifting.
Letterkenny ran in a ( soft ) try, when Rainey made a forward pass, and expected the referee, to stop the game. The referree played "advantage", Tiernan McFadden, managed to run, almost under the posts, and score. Kaymin Shortt converted the try.
Rainey came back, when second-centre, Rory O'Connell, misjudged a possible interception, and allowed Rainey to have a backline overlap, and score a try. They converted this try, giving Rainey a 'Twelve-to-Seven' lead.
Letterkenny was forced to reshuffle the backline, after an injury to Kaymin Shortt and he had to leave the field.
While down near Letterkenny's tryline, the backs had an overlap, fed the ball out the backline, and Tiernan McFadden scored his second try, of the match. Rory O'Connell converted the try.
Just like the earlier match against Rainey, this season, the Rainey team were ( again ) camped on their tryline, for the last six minutes of the match, but were unable to score.

Full time: Letterkenny 14 - Rainey 12

Letterkenny Under 14s ( starting ) XV:

1 Jack Gibbons
2 Eoin Parkinson
3 Dan Geoghegan
4 Jynaid Rayes
5 Conor Mangan
6 Lorcan Sweeney
7 Issac McIlaine
8 Jack Speer ( Captain )
9 Ben Hopkins
10 Kaymin Shortt
11 Tiernan McFadden
12 Peter Sparks
13 Rory O'Connell
14 Alex McDermott
15 Ewan Douglas

Reserves
Forwards - Jack Doherty, Gaetano Cinquenani, Matthew Murray, Daithi Doherty-Vago
Backs - Eoin Harris, David Sparks, Alex Wylde

Thanks to the coaches, referee, supporters and Rainey Old Boys RFC.