Back in season 13/14 Clontarf we’re locked in a two-horse race against rivals Old Belvedere for the AIL title.
They were simpler, and some would say purer, days when the league was a race to the finish without playoffs. With three games to go Tarf entertained Old Belvedere on a sloppy Friday night in Castle Avenue and managed a narrow victory which put us on course for the title. We just needed an away win to UCD, who were ultimately to finish third, but were well out of the title race for some weeks, followed by a home win over Ballynahinch who were far from their current power. UCD had long gone into exam mode so their selection on the day was a mix of J1’s, U20s and the rest. No problem there!
What followed was a trauma that is seared into my memory never to be expunged!
The students set about us with a circus display of sevens rugby, ably assisted by a shocked Clontarf, who like men in a tactical coma responded to every UCD try by promptly giving them back the ball. The final score of the game, in a 39-33 loss, was a try to Mick McGrath which earned us a losing bonus point but the defeat handed League momentum back to Old B, with just one game to play. This was not a happy event. Clontarf were 11 years chasing glory, had suffered three lost finals, and were starting to run out of hope and energy.
The rest is Clontarf history. We duly defeated Ballynahinch and waited in agony while an already relegated Garryowen applied their own particular trauma to the travelling Old Belvedere. In the end we won the league by that point earned in Belfield in a game we never controlled and deserved to lose. But that’s life!
My reason for relating this is that every time I see the blue jerseys, I get a surge of anxiety and remember that you should never take anything for granted in this league .
The current playoff structure, applying at the top and bottom of the league, has effectively abolished “dead rubber” games. It makes for a brilliant, consistently competitive, league with meaningful match ups all the way to the finish.
UCD arrived on Saturday with the motivation of needing points to avoid the league relegation playoffs, depending on how Shannon got on in Lakeland’s against already qualified semi-finalists Terenure. Tarf needed 1 point to secure top spot and a coveted home semi. The fact that UCD were down a few players due to Leinster in SA, only made me more anxious than normal. What young gods would be released?
Clontarf eased all anxieties by producing as clinical display as you could design against a young side. They owned the ball, built ugly physical phases, earned penalties and started over again.
The students hung on gamely, but were points down early on and when Tarf had the try bonus point in the bag by 29 minutes, the work was done and everything from then on had a distinctly relaxed feel. In the end Clontarf scored 9 tries to UCD’s 5.
As the scores came in from around the league it became clear that everyone would be happy at the final whistle and both sides could adjourn to the bar and cheer on their respective teammates playing for Leinster in SA.
There are so many statistics that could be wheeled out at this point after two amazing seasons, but given the work to be done I will leave that to another report. Suffice to say that we have another home-semi against Young Munster next weekend. We welcomed back some notable players on Saturday namely Conor Kearns back from injury and Michael Browne back from premature retirement, so the squad is strong and motivated. All credit to UCD who, despite being under duress for most of the game, held in and got their just reward. I’m told there were a number of young guys making their debuts. I have to give a shout out to Daragh Gilbourne, the young No 12 in Blue. He was defending a difficult channel in a physical game with many heavies pouring down on him. Like Horatio on the bridge he stuck in! Left the battle with his breastplate dented, his sword a bit bent, but his honour maintained and his courage confirmed!
Fair bloody play !