For any neutral who might have wandered in, this was stick-it-up-your-jumper rugby from a bygone age. But for Buccaneers, this was fantasy rugby. Never mind the quality, just savour the victory, for none will come any sweeter.

That it came against their most bitter of Connacht foes, and on their historic arrival in the top flight of the AIB League alongside Galwegians, and at Keane Park, made it just about perfect.

That it was the result of their tried and trusted formula was also somehow appropriate. Their hard-edged juggernaut of a pack fairly steamrollered the Galwegians eight, pulverising them in the setpieces and starving the classy Galwegians' backs of any real opportunity.

Buccaneers' newly-imported back-line hardly counted, except defensively, and for all their superiority up front the home side made heavy weather of the win in rain-sodden conditions - albeit on a pristine pitch.

Somewhat controversially, two of their tries were penalty tries awarded by referee Bertie Smith following sustained scrum pressure, and there was the strong hint of a couple more in Buccaneers' main attacking gambit. For something completely different, the pack mauled a short-range penalty over the line for, fittingly, one of their veterans, 35-year-old Brian Rigney, to get the second half's solitary and decisive try.

And that was it. Save for when Stephen McIvor was sniping and once linked with the under-used David Beggy, the eventual winners hadn't much else to offer. Hence, unnervingly for the vast majority of the slightly disappointing 3,000-strong crowd, the home team couldn't put themselves out of reach.

Given they are unlikely to enjoy such forward control in most of their games, Buccaneers will have to add a few more arrows to their quiver.

McIvor agrees. "We will have to use our backs a bit more. We've got plenty of talent there but you must remember this was the backline's first competitive game together," he said. To that end, this was a priceless start. They have the momentum now and could go on to surprise a few people. Their juggernaut should stand up to any pack in the scrums, and when Jimmy Screene, Martin Cahill and the Rigneys get their close-in drives going they'll be hard to stop. Whatever about the back-line, the athletic number eight from New Zealand, Martyn Steffert and the livewire McIvor could really flourish behind them.

Then juggernaut alone wasn't sufficient against Galwegians last season but the difference here was that several of the pack are now full-time and, so, considerably fitter - Screene and Cahill being the most marked cases in point.

For Galwegians, though, the manner of this defeat ought to prompt some serious self examination. One or two of their pack didn't seem to have the stomach for the fight. Unfortunately, too, excellent though he was around the pitch and especially in his blind-side tackling, Kevin Tierney's arrows were badly askew.

Galwegians were understandably livid with unconvincing referee Smith, scarcely helped though he was by his passive assistants.

Buccaneers' territorial base for the first penalty try followed a decision that Willie Ruane had knocked on - when he was blatantly taken-out in mid-air by Michael Devine. The award itself followed a penalty when the first scrum popped up, and then the next three wheeled. The second penalty try followed a home penalty when the second scrum went down, and then the fourth wheeled. The penalty count, at one stage 16-2, finished up 18-7.

A visibly upset Eric Elwood described the decisions as "just not fair", while Galwegians' coach Joe Healy was scarcely impressed with the referee's explanation that the first scrum was brought down and the second broke up. But his stunned post-match look was also the consequence of Galwegians' poor performance. "I don't think we can play that badly again," he said.

They'd better not, or else they'll be returning to the second division as quickly as they left it.

Scoring sequence: 6 mins: Murphy try, Elwood con 0-7; 26 mins: penalty try, Allnutt con 7-7; 35 mins: penalty try, Allnutt con 14-7; 39 mins: Elwood try and con 14-14; 45 mins: B Rigney try, Allnutt con 21-14.

Buccaneers: D Beggy; M Devine, O Cobbe, E Molloy, R Southam; S Allnutt, S McIvor; J Screene, J McVeigh, M Cahill, B Rigney (capt), Donal Rigney, Des Rigney, M Steffert, E Brennan. Replacements - (temp) N Mannion for Brennan; R Lee for Beggy (46 mins).

Galwegians: W Ruane; N Carolan, P Duignan, M Murphy, A Reddan; E Elwood, D Reddan; P Kay, K Tierney, M Finlay, J Duffy, G Heaslip, J Casserley, B Gavin, G Dinneen. Replacements - (temp) D Lee for Tierney.

Referee: B Smith (Munster).