CLONTARF FEAST ON LANSDOWNE SCRAPS
Author: Peter Walsh
2006-01-09
Lansdowne 20 Clontarf 35

I think the Clontarf supporters could be excused a mild degree of trepidation coming into this game. Shorn of both first choice second rows due to injury, missing their foreign player due to 'holidays' and debuting a centre/wing at out half we were then greeted by a massive Lansdowne pack with 6' 10" Devon Toner towering over all around him. To add insult to injury the referee decided to rule out any competition for the ball at the breakdown .... a long afternoon beckoned!
Both sides started briskly with Clontarf much sharper in the loose and Lansdowne dominating the primary areas of the game. Clontarf should surely have scored early on but had to be content with exchanging penalties with Daragh O'Shea for 'Tarf and Cory Burt for Lansdowne both on kicking form. After 20 minutes the deadlock was broken; good ball retension saw the ball moved left to right outside the home 22, O'Shea joined the line and a show of the ball followed by a disco wiggle and a sidestep saw him in. He added the conversion for good measure and 'Tarf had settled. The first half finished with Lansdowne ahead 12 11 after Burt continued to punish 'Tarf indiscretions.
'Tarf kicked off the second half and poured into the Lansdowne 22. Second row Trenier threw all thoughts of personal safety away and leathered into the home forwards, the ball was recycled for Clontarf and centre O'Donnell forced his way over for 12 18.
Lansdowne continued to dominate possession, out of touch and, particularily, on the restarts which was putting the visitors under huge pressure in their own 22.
It was from one of these intense surges that the killer blow came. Clontarf were defending magnificently against wave after wave of home attacks when they forced a turnover on their 22, O'Brien moved it blind and a quick transfer put Keane clear to the line for the score. O'Shea added the conversion and exchanged penalties again for 15 28. Finally Lansdowne were rewarded for their pressure and Fiachra Baynes got in after a superb diagonal run across the 'Tarf defense, crucially, Burt missed the conversion leaving 'Tarf 8 points ahead and time running out.
With the game set up for a nailbiting finish Lansdowne surged forward again and began to build phases in the 'Tarf 22: going right to left they ran a screen move but put too much air on the pass and Mark Hewitt stepped in from the wing, intercepted the ball and scored under the posts. Not surprisingly that was the final score of the game.
Lansdowne will be wondering how they lost a game in which they dominated territory and possession for long periods. Clontarf will be reflecting on the rewards for aggressive defense and their spectators will be relishing that warm feeling that comes with a victory for heart over brawn against an old respected foe.
When dealing with heart ...it comes down to the little things...... like Mark Hewitt taking responsibility for a key role in the first half, like Pete O'Brien making the fixture straight from a tragic family funeral in the Midlands ..... like Alan Trenier bashing Lansdowne off the park and taking the last lineout from Toner.... like Daragh O'Shea playing with the swagger of 'The Kid' again... and finally, like Dave O'Brien's cool head defending under pressure with Breffni O'Donnell hitting again and again like a rubber ball outside him.
Clontarf have now played 7 and have 7 bonus points ... Is there a record for bonus points earned in a season?

P.S. I attended the J1 fixture on Sunday to run the line and hopefully to pick up some interesting titbits on old O'Sugercane who has been posing in the second row for the J1's ........... I must admit he played very well considering he's a J2 player but that is probably due to the fact that he was packing down behind Sean (or is that Johnny) Brophy fresh home from Oxford Yah! and didn't need to push in the scrum.

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