On a beautiful day for rugby, Clontarf and Young Munster served up a game with enough variation in each course to sate the appetite of every kind of rugby purist.
In the world of Irish rugby, the spotlight naturally shines brightest on the international team and the provincial campaigns. TV swings a big bat, and commercial success is a reality. That said, the All-Ireland League and the club game often operate outside that glare, quietly sustaining the heartbeat of Irish rugby communities.
While the national pathway now largely flows from schools through provincial academies and into the professional ranks, AIL clubs have steadily built their rugby credibility. They have raised coaching and player management standards in tandem with the provincial academy system and, in doing so, have become a compelling adjunct and support to players en route to professional careers. The next challenge lies in achieving the broader recognition the club game deserves – both in media coverage and public awareness – of this powerful product. And it is a very powerful product.
On Saturday, two big beasts of the Irish club game went at it for 80 minutes plus. Clontarf brought their A game in the first half and pulverised the visitors from Limerick for 40 minutes. The opening score came from scrum-half Sam Owens after a break from Aaron Coleman was carried on by Connor Fahy, who put Sam clear under the posts.
Tarf followed up with a score from debutant Jordan Coghlan, who forced his way over after some shunting from the pack on the Young Munster line. True to tradition, Dylan Donnellan finished the Tarf scoring on the back of a home maul for a 21–0 lead at half-time.
The second half brought a rejuvenated and focused Young Munster. It wasn’t that they decided to chase the game, more like they decided to hunt it. A try after five minutes helped, and with a game plan that hinged on moving the ball wide at every opportunity, they soon had the terraces thrilling at their fast hands and the aggression of the Tarf defence, which at times brought gasps from spectators at the power of the tackles.
Young Munster got in twice out wide on the left, and Tarf replied through Con Kelly, who read an over-drift in the defence and got in behind the posts. As time ran down, Young Munster worked field position in the Tarf 22, and full-back O’Leary threaded his way through the tired home defence to secure two bonus points with a fourth try for the visitors.
It ended 28–26 to the home side, five points for Tarf and two for Young Munster. As a rugby occasion, it was well worth the modest entrance fee. Anyone with a modicum of interest in rugby union should be looking to give an afternoon at an AIL game a shot… or is it all about the prawn sandwiches?
I was speaking recently to a friend who was an avid soccer fan; a devoted Sky Sports man, hanging on every word, nuance, and pointless factoid. He told me he was fed up with the Premier League and had started getting a serious buzz from attending local FAI soccer games. He loved the atmosphere, the endeavour, the ground-floor commitment, and the real connection to the sport.
This is where rugby will and should go. In Castle Avenue, Greenfields, Temple Hill, and beyond, we need to be ready.
Peter Walsh
Chronicler of scrums, storms, and all the beautiful chaos at Castle Avenue.
