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AIL Match Report:
Clontarf 27 UCC 8
By Mark Byrnes
Clontarf surged back to the top of Division 1B with a bonus point win over UCC at a sunny but chilly Castle Avenue.
Conditions were soft underfoot but the calm conditions made it ideal for running rugby. UCC opened the scoring on three minutes with a well struck penalty from centre Andrew Burke.
Clontarf’s response was immediate. From a UCC put in 5 metres from their own line and after a great shove from the Clontarf pack, the ball went loose and the alert Eoin Cremen dived to secure a good score off the back of front five pressure. Noel Reid landed the conversion to make it 7-3.
Clontarf dominated the possession and territory for the remainder of the first half. A great break saw Killian Lett offload to Noel Reid and it seemed certain the outhalf would score but unfortunately lost possession close to the line.
Clontarf were rewarded for their dominant play on 27 minutes when AIL debutant Eoghan Browne mauled over the line from a lineout. On the call of half time Reid landed another penalty to leave it 15-3 at the break.
Clontarf introduced provincial pair Paul O’Donohoe and Jason Harris Wright for the second half, but it was the students who began the half strongly, which required Herculean tackling from the Clontarf forwards to prevent the Cork side from scoring.
On 55 minutes, a superb break from Phil Howard put Michael Keating into space. The Leinster academy star ate up the ground before offloading to the supporting Barry O’Mahony who sprinted into the corner for a wonderful try. Phil Howard was off target with the conversion.
UCC responded on the hour when they scored a try in the corner to give the students some hope and it seemed to spark them into life as they came at Clontarf in waves for the final quarter. Clontarf’s defence was excellent as they drove UCC back.
In injury time, a long pass from the UCC backs was intercepted by Michael Keating who raced clear to score a trademark try to seal the bonus point.
Clontarf next host Lansdowne on 27th November in what should be a hotly contested Dublin derby.