D’Arcy makes Terenure pay the penalty in ‘Tarf triumph
Terenure 0 Clontarf 9 AIL Division 1A Semi-Final
Three penalty goals from Matt D’Arcy steered Clontarf to a grittysemi-final success at Terenure College as they bounced back in style from last week’s Bateman Cup final disappointment in Cork.
The adverse weather conditions made it difficult for both teams at Lakelands and in the absence of injured out-half David Joyce (shoulder), inside centre D’Arcy assumed the place-kicking duties with the experienced Evan Ryan donning the No 10 jersey.
D’Arcy and Terenure out-half James Thornton both missed place-kicks during a tight, scoreless first half before the former finally opened the scoring with a 51st-minute penalty.
The hosts threatened the try-line soon after but powerful lock Fergal Walsh was held up short of the line.
D’Arcy made it 6-0 after Thornton had dragged a shot wide with Clontarf’s Dermot O’Meara in the sin-bin. Two yellow cards dented Terenure’s hopes late on as lock Kevin O’Dwyer and scrum-half Kevin O’Neill were binned, the latter for a high tackle on Max McFarland.
O’Dwyer did return to the Terenure pack for the conclusion of the contest, but thanks to a routine D’Arcy penalty deep into injury-time, Clontarf’s back-to-back title ambitions remain alive.
Terenure College – I Hanly; J O’Donoghue (M O’Neill 78), S O’Neill, H Brewer, H Moore; J Thornton, K O’Neill; G Hamilton (J Barretto 61), R Smyth (K Buckley 61), O Heffernan, F Walsh, K O’Dwyer, R Duke, J O’Neill (capt), K McCoy.
Clontarf – M McFarland; M Brown (A Robles 40+2), C O’Shea, M D’Arcy, C O’Brien; E Ryan, S Cronin (capt, D O’Meara 59, K Moran 73); I Soroka (I Hirst 67) , B Byrne, R Burke Flynn, T Byrne (C O’Keeffe 56), B Reilly, K Moran (S Cronin 65), A D’Arcy, T Ryan.
Ref – S Gaffikin (IRFU)