A game of two very different halves saw Tarf come within touching distance of an extraordinary comeback at Templeville Road. After trailing 33-14 at half-time, a remarkable second-half response secured two valuable bonus points and left the champions hanging on for the win.
In life there are always great events that you just don’t want to end. A free bar ……. A great concert …… a bottle of fine cognac …….
On Saturday we had a chance to have another look at the current champions in sunny Templeville Rd. It was, as expected a superb game with both sides getting an opportunity to show what AIL rugby is all about. Mary’s dominated the first half with their brand of fantastic slashing rugby. Making full use of a harsh winter sun at their backs they had Tarf scrambling to get to grips with the high ball coming out of the autumn light. Defending against Mary’s is like playing a rugby version of whack a mole. They come short, they come long and most of all, on Saturday, they execute at pace. It’s compelling rugby and it’s hard to defend because opportunities to get over the ball are very rare, so your defensive set must be accurate and composed. If it isn’t, the best you get is penalties conceded, and the worst is tries conceded.
So, you have to hang in, and hang on for dear life as triple banks of blue jerseys pour down on you.
Some credit due here to No 12 Matthew Brennan, who has increased his rugby experience exponentially after a Leinster Cup campaign, followed by two run-outs against a couple of very experienced centre partnerships in the game against Wesley and, on Saturday, against O’Gara and Carey. This is learning at the coal face and to his great credit Matthew is taking the shots and standing up.
He probably could have done without the slap in the nuts though. Kinda rounded out the day !!
Tarf started by conceding two penalties; first to a ball lost in the sun which resulted in offside and the second to a limp high shot.
Tarf collected the kick-off and, after a bit of left and right, won a penalty for a late hit. Ball to corner, throw to Slav at the back and, after some grunt and shunt, Tadhg Bird scored by the posts for 6 7.
Mary’s kicked off, Tarf box-kicked and jackeled the carry. The ensuing lineout maul was fouled, Tarf used the advantage, and Dylan drove over, under the posts for 6 14.
Mary’s then benefitted from some good fortune. The kick off was fielded, the box kick looked to be knocked on by a blue hand but both officials deemed otherwise and Mary’s scored a routine try for 13 14.
Marys added 3 for not releasing under the posts for 16 14.
Marys then added another try for 23 14, after great work on the Tarf 22 finally found reward on the right.
They added a penalty when Tarf were pinged standing up in the passing channel for 26 14 and, as time ticked down to half time scored again when after a few phases, Dan Goggin got in on the right.
Half time was 33 14 and Tarf had just gone through a 2nd quarter from hell. Things needed to change …… and they did.
I’ve no idea what was said at half time, or whether anything was said at all. Maybe the players stood in a sullen circle and stared at each other, maybe, like the movie “Bull Durham” they discussed pizza or wedding presents. Maybe they just said enough is enough because the change in performance in the 2nd half was like a switch had been flicked.
In the 2nd quarter of the game Tarf conceded 8 penalties and one knock on turnover. In the 3rd quarter they conceded 3penalties, 2 in the same phase, which ended with a Mary’s penalty, their only score of the second half.
Tarf’s renewed control of possession brought a lot of hurt to Mary’s.
In the modern game, possession of the ball is crucial. That’s pretty obvious, I hear you say! You can only score when you have the ball. My point is that the team in possession of the ball rarely concede penalties. The flow of decisions generally favours the attacking side. Not because of any bias, but because all the crimes committed on the pitch, i.e. offside, high hit, hands on the ball, hands over the ball, are committed by the defending side. Mary’s are smart at playing this anomaly so their super-fast, slick hands game reaps reward, even if not making ground with carries. They are also supremely skilled at maintaining possession, so even when the tackle goes in the recycle is super quick.
In the second half, the tighter Tarf defence started forcing errors rather than conceding penalties. The result was more possession to Tarf, more defending by Mary’s and a swing in the momentum away from home pace and over to Tarf power.
Mary’s also benefitted from another lucky break in the second as well when a high block tackle on Peter Maher was blown despite Dan Hawkshaw gathering a Mary’s knock back and heading for the line.
In the end Tarf’s possession resulted in more penalties, more kicks to the corner, and three mauled tries in the second half to bring the try count to 3 5.
They finished the game looking like a win was on the cards but couldn’t control the ball and Mary’s forced a turnover penalty and full time.
This was a fascinating game. Mary’s started looking like world beaters but finished holding on for dear life and the win. Tarf’s first half could not have been worse, had it been written by Laurel and Hardy but the second half, while it didn’t deliver a victory, did earn 2 points and confirmed that no matter what challenge confronts this group, external or internal, the ability to reset and refocus on solving a seemingly insurmountable problem runs deep. This mental capacity to go from chaos and inaccuracy to concentrated resolve is the mark of champions.
Peter Walsh
