CLONTARF 6 TERENURE COLLEGE 13, Castle Avenue
Scorers: Clontarf: Pens: Rob Keogh 2
Terenure College: Try: Eoin Joyce; Con: Mark O’Neill; Pens: Mark O’Neill 2
HT: Clontarf 3 Terenure College 10
Bottom side Terenure College stunned Division 1A title holders Clontarf with a 13-6 defeat at Castle Avenue last night, inspired by a ferocious defensive display.
Terenure number 8 Eoin Joyce crossed for the game’s only try close to half-time. Willie Devane’sturnover set up scrum half Kevin O’Neill for a sniping run and his offload sent the supporting Joyce over, with Mark O’Neill’s conversion making it 10-0 in the wet and muddy conditions.
Handling was proving particularly difficult and fourth-placed Clontarf, who hammered Trinity without conceding a point in the last two rounds, were brought back down to earth by the nuggety visitors.
‘Tarf full-back Rob Keogh missed his first penalty attempt of the night and they also had to cope with the early injury-enforced departure of talismanic flanker Tony Ryan.
It was Mark O’Neill who opened the scoring with a penalty on the half hour mark, with prop Oisin Heffernan and flanker Harrison Brewer both playing prominent roles for ‘Nure up front. Joyce’s converted effort was followed by a late Keogh penalty for a 10-3 scoreline at the turnaround.
With winger Mick McGrath back on the pitch following a spell on the sidelines, the hosts sought to eat into that deficit in the third quarter, but ‘Nure knuckled down again and O’Neill popped over one of two penalty attempts to restore the 10-point gap.
Knock-ons prevented ‘Tarf from building for a couple of potential tries and their attack really came up against a veritable brick wall in the Terenure defence.
A typically forceful carry from McGrath teed up a second successful penalty from Keogh in the 74th minute, however the hosts’ full-back was off target with a further effort as James Blaney’s men deservedly held on. Terenure are now only five points in arrears at the foot of the table, chasing down both St. Mary’s and Dublin University.
CLONTARF: Rob Keogh; Sean Long, Conor Jennings, Matt D’Arcy, Mick McGrath; David Joyce, Sam Cronin; Vakh Abdaladze, Jason Harris-Wright, Royce Burke Flynn, Ben Reilly (capt), Eoghan Browne, Tony Ryan, Karl Moran, Michael Noone.
Replacements: Jonathan Larbey, Adrian D’Arcy, Dylan Doyle, Mark Sutton, Cian O’Donoghue.
TERENURE COLLEGE: James O’Donoghue; Willie Devane, Conor Finn, Marc Hiney, Sam Coghlan Murray; Mark O’Neill, Kevin O’Neill; Gary Hamilton, Robbie Smyth, Oisin Heffernan, Mike Murphy, Kyle McCoy (capt), Stephen Caffrey, Harrison Brewer, Eoin Joyce.
Replacements: Risteard Byrne, Cian Madden, John Dever, Conor Weakliam, Robbie Murphy.