Southern Nomads Rugby Club started their Manx Shield campaign with a bonus point 54-12 win away at Western Vikings on Saturday afternoon, with youngster Ethan Watt helping himself to 19 points in a sparking performance.

Vikings didn’t make life easy for them though and perhaps should have scored more than their final tally.

Nomads had clearly enjoyed a good pre-season and they looked sharper from the start. Despite enjoying more possession and territory though, they struggled to complete moves against a very resilient defence.

The opening score came in the 14th minute follow a turnover.

Angelus Long’s run into Nomads’ twenty-two and gave Vikings their first real scoring chance. Two phases later though, they were turned over at a ruck and exposed defensively.

Nomads spotted the space and the ball was quickly fired left to the Nomad flying machine Tony Quinn who lit up the burners and raced 80 metres up the left touchline and scored under the posts. Watt added the first of his seven conversions for a 7-0 lead.

In then 19th minute the score became 14-0 when young scrum-half Seb Meechan finished off a Nomad attack and Watt added the extras.

In the final play of the first half, Vikings conceded a third which was pretty much a carbon copy of the opener.

They were turned over in attack and Watt made the big yards, running the ball 60 metres downfield. His run gave Nomads excellent field position and, from close-range ruck, hooker Jack Sleight dived in. Watt added the extras to leave Nomads 21-0 to the good at half-time.

Two quick tries early in the second half from Watt and Alex Maher, both converted by Watt, effectively put the game beyond Vikings’ reach.

Watt was acting as scrum-half and he picked from the base, sold a dummy and drifted through the gap. Maher’s score was out and out pace on the right wing and this helped take the lead from 21-0 to 35-0.

Just after the hour there was a tit-for-tat trade of tries. Josh Linwood added another for Nomads in the 61st minute when he punched over from close range.

This was swiftly cancelled out when Josh Corteen crossed for Vikings at the other end of the pitch only four minutes later. Richard Seed then raced in for Nomads from the restart to restore the balance.

There was a final flurry in the last five minutes of the game. Prop Jack Goodwin powered over for Vikings with Corteen converting but it was Nomads who had then final say when Alex Maher intercepted for his second of the day to round off a 54-12 victory for his side.

The two other sides involved in this season’s Shield competition get their respective campaigns underway this coming Saturday, when Ramsey host Douglas Celts at Mooragh Park.

Kick-off is 2.15pm.

RESULT

Saturday, September 5:

Hartford Homes Manx Shield

Western Vikings 12-54 PDMS Southern Nomads

FIXTURE

Saturday, September 12

Hartford Homes Manx Shield

Ramsey v Douglas Celts @ Mooragh Park kick-off 2.15pm