On Saturday Clontarf managed to get the start they wanted in the match and managed to conjure it into the start they didn’t want in the League.
Leading 15 nil after 15 minutes Clontarf looked like they were cruising to a bonus point win, however the loss of Brendan Cutriss after 20 took some sting out of the pack and as Old Belvedere worked some parity in the exchanges, the visitors defensive concentration started to wane. A missed pillar at a ruck gifted the home team a score and from looking like a beaten team Old Belvedere started to chip away at the Clontarf confidence with some committed defensive work and clever use of possession.
Another soft try saw them well back into contention and as Clontarf’s composure started to slip a raft of penalties from a somewhat one eyed referee saw the home side into a three point lead with 15 to go. Clontarf then re-established some of their earlier form for the chase to the finish but will rue some decision making out wide which saw numerous overlaps squandered. The game ended with Clontarf conceding a penalty on the Old Belevedere line when a game winning score looked a certainty.