AIL Match Report: Lansdowne 16 Tarf 23
by Mark Byrnes
Lansdowne had the benefit of a strong wind at their backs for the first half and played towards their clubhouse on the synthetic back pitch with the Aviva Stadium looming large in the background.
Former Munster and Leinster Out-half Eoghan Hickey missed an early opportunity for the home side when his penalty drifted wide of the uprights. Clontarf responded and after a break from Barry O’Mahony the ball went through multiple phases and Eoin Cremen touched down with Noel Reid converting.
Lansdowne responded a couple minutes later when they exposed some gaps in the Tarf defence and ex Irish international Kieran Lewis dotted down, with Hickey landing the touchline conversion.
Reid put Tarf back in front with a penalty that went in off the upright, but once again the home side’s response was swift as Hickey tied things up again with a three pointer after Tarf had been penalised.
Hickey took advantage of the wind at his back when he landed a penalty from half way to leave it 13-10 after a sprightly first quarter.
Clontarf dominated the second quarter and after a series of penalties sent to the corner, dynamic hooker Aaron Dundon dotted down for a deserved try. Reid kicked a superb conversion to leave it 17-13 at the interval.
An early second half penalty from Hickey fell short as the home side desperately tried to get back into the game, but Clontarf looked like the more likely to score despite coughing up a couple of try scoring opportunities.
Substitute Martin Dufficy landed a superb penalty from distance on 66 minutes but Hickey cut the gap with another penalty on 72 to leave it 20-16.
Clontarf lost Martin Garvey to the bin with five minutes left, and Lansdowne did themselves little favours when prop Colum Murphy was also binned late on for an altercation with Tarf front row Ciaran Kavanagh. Dufficy kicked a further penalty in injury time to put the results beyond doubt.