What is it about flat packed furniture? You go to that Swedish place for a look around and end up leaving with a big box full of an adult puzzle. Loads of predrilled holes and plastic bags of military ordinance, along with a barely decipherable map. You lay it all out and start in knowing that, at some point, you’ll be a sweaty mess fast losing your will to live.
In the end, you have something resembling a piece of furniture. It looks shiny, it looks complete, but is it sturdy? Will this home constructed piece of nerd invented wardrobey looking horror be functional. Will it take clothes without folding into its component parts with a big sigh.
Probably not …… and you will never get the 4 hours of tears back.
Clontarf look like, and are, a serious rugby outfit. When it clicks, when it fits together and is buttoned up tight, the bulls rumble like a RAM truck. When it doesn’t, when the ambition doesn’t chime with the timing, then it wobbles, passes don’t stick, moves become disjointed and the frustration of reset after reset bubbles to the surface.
On Saturday Clontarf finished the first half of the season by shaking off a spirited Shannon side. The scoreboard flattered Tarf somewhat as two scores were added in the last 5 minutes. The story of the game was a lot closer.
Clontarf opened the scoring with a screamer down the right from debut winger Stephen Ryan. Shannon then went into the ascendancy due to some clunky game management from the home side and some committed defending from the visitors. They scored a beauty down the middle and added another with a maul for 7 14 as Tarf struggled to maintain possession through phases. Thankfully, Seni got in on the left after a visitor’s error saw Clontarf go to the corner. Half time was 12 14 to the visitors.
In the second half, the game started to develop a pattern. Clontarf began to dominate territory and despite their wobbly possession Shannon could not relieve the siege. The next try summed up the game. Clontarf attacked a Shannon scrum, won a tight head but fumbled for a scrum repeat. Shannon managed to clear to touch, but not far enough for comfort and when the Tarf maul started to fragment, Donnellan appeared through the middle and surged over. As we moved to the final quarter Ru Byron, off the bench, came with a little personal cameo. A long kick asked the visitors sub full back a question which he didn’t answer. Byron went in for the turnover penalty and at the ensuing lineout, had the temerity not to release to Dylan and bagged the try for himself!
That was the critical score and as Shannon chased, the errors piled up. Noah scorched in for one on the left after the visitors lost shape coming out of defence and turned the ball over.
The game finished with a try to sub scrum half Sam Owens after a defensive line out was tapped back over the Shannon line.
So …… half way through, unbeaten, 7 points clear at the top. Not to be sniffed at.
It has to be mentioned also that we have used 15 different backs in the last 3 games. 4 different half-back combinations and 3 different centre partnerships.
Two of the tries on Saturday were scored by Ryan and Owens, both played together for the Clontarf U13’s back in the day.
Happy Christmas to everyone. All starts again on the 13th Jan in Thomond Park.