What better way to follow up a relaxed lunch than with a tense rugby match.
Lansdowne’s season has been somewhat chequered to date; enough to make this game a must win for the home side. An explosion of emotional energy for the first 20 was a given so Clontarf’s strategy of staying in the game needed to be reinforced by accuracy at the set piece and concentration when not in possession. In a game like this you absorb the big start, don’t panic, stay within a score(or better) and apply increasing pressure as the game moves towards full time and the home side starts to fatigue and nerves set in.
As predicted, Lansdowne started like they were on Pervitin, flying into everything with their usual home brand of top of the carpet rugby. Clontarf defended the waves, but were inviting pressure with a creaky set piece. From an attacking scrum on the Tarf 22, Donough Lawlor broke towards the visitors line and Andy Marks was on hand to thread through the defence for a try behind the posts. They followed up on 30 minutes with a turnover at a breakdown which was transitioned quickly and Marks was on hand again, to take the five.
Clontarf then managed some phases and heavy carries and earned a penalty which Con Kelly dispatched to the corner. Jim Peters carried around the front just short of the line and Aaron Coleman was there to score. The rest of the half was messy. 12 7 became 15 7, then 15 10 and finally 18 10 at half time.
Kudos to a few guys at this stage. Charlie Ward was excellent at 3 and the back row was bursting itself, both in terms of aerobics and in dealing with the pitch which, to be fair, is laid on a car park roof, with all the impact forgiveness of the same.
The second half was a tighter affair and was going to come down to key moments.
A few minutes in, Clontarf have a lineout on the home 22. A peach to the back, maul is defended well, ball is moved and intercepted by guess who? ….. Andy Marks…. who takes it the length of the pitch before being mugged brilliantly by Seni O’Reilly. Lansdowne camp for a few phases and earn a pen for 21 10.
Clontarf now started building physical superiority. Lansdowne, to their credit, hung on grimly but were hamstrung by two yellow cards and a bad knock to their replacement back row. The home team now began to invite Tarf into their 22 and Tarf returned the compliment with some stunning inaccuracy allowing the relief of pressure.
As we moved into the final 10 minutes, Tarf finally managed to make it tell with a surging maul which was released to Tadgh Bird who scored by the posts for 21 17.
Lansdowne walked to the restart line like condemned men contemplating a waxed rope. A period of box kick tennis was broken by a burst from Seni to the home 22 where, again, an error in the tackle brought relief to Lansdowne.
Tarf fouled the ensuing lineout and suddenly were defending in their 22, where the home team fashioned a slick, front of the lineout, move and camped 5 yards out until the final score in the left corner.
Fair dues to Lansdowne who clawed their way to victory and left nothing on the pitch.
Clontarf will take small comfort from the fact that the game was theirs for the taking, but their cause was undone by lack of composure and accuracy at key moments.
Three weeks to Ballynahinch who are in first place, 6 points ahead of us and are, for the first time, stags being hunted!!
Thanks to Peter Walsh for the words and Michael Sheridan for the photos