CLONTARF 33
GARRYOWEN 3
A 13-point contribution from out-half David Joyce was crucial in Castle Avenue as Clontarf recovered from their 24-21 opening day reversal against Old Belvedere with an emphatic success in their second encounter of the season.
The visitors took the lead courtesy of a sixth-minute Jamie Gavin penalty but Clontarf eventually settled with an excellent try from Joyce 33 minutes in.
This was the score that ‘Tarf needed and, thanks to a converted five-pointer by Michael McGrath on the stroke of the interval, they brought a 12-3 cushion into the second half.
When powerful prop Royce Burke-Flynn broke through for a further score 11 minutes after the restart, the outcome was put beyond any doubt. A superbly crafted push-over try from replacement hooker Bryan Byrne secured a bonus point for the north Dublin outfit, and a fifth try arrived through Bryne’s fellow substitute, Michael Kearney, two minutes from the end of the encounter.