Ulster Bank League: Division 1A Review
LANSDOWNE 38 CLONTARF 8, Aviva Stadium back pitch
Scorers: Lansdowne: Tries: Adam Leavy, Daniel McEvoy, Alan Bennie, Aaron Conneely, Scott Deasy; Cons: Scott Deasy 5; Pen: Scott Deasy
Clontarf: Try: Conor O’Brien; Pen: Conor Kelly
HT: Lansdowne 21 Clontarf 3
An inspired performance from Scott Deasy helped Lansdowne claim a comprehensive 38-8 bonus point victory over their chief chasers Clontarf in the top flight of the Ulster Bank League on Saturday afternoon.
The former Munster out-half contributed an impressive 18 points for the runaway Division 1A leaders, and with Adam Leavy (brother of Leinster flanker Dan) also in excellent form, Mike Ruddock’s men comfortably overcame the challenge of their Dublin rivals.
Clontarf put their unbeaten hosts under early pressure, but Conor Kelly, who deputised at out-half for David Joyce, sent a fourth minute penalty wide. Lansdowne kicked into gear from the subsequent restart, and in their first meaningful attack, they worked the ball wide where Deasy released winger Leavy for a try in the corner.
A brilliant conversion by Deasy made it 7-0, and while ‘Tarf enjoyed their share of possession for the remainder of the first quarter, Lansdowne dug deep to secure a succession of defensive penalties. Deasy provided his second try assist on 19 minutes when his sublime cross-field kick landed into the chest of winger Daniel McEvoy who fended off the retreating ‘Tarf defence to score in spectacular fashion.
Another Deasy bonus strike already left the visitors 14 points behind, but following much persistence, ‘Tarf eventually opened their account courtesy of a routine Kelly penalty just shy of the half hour mark.
However, Lansdowne quickly wrestled back control as scrum half Alan Bennie dotted down under the posts after throwing a smart dummy. Deasy’s conversion, followed by a wayward effort from distance by Kelly, ensured Lansdowne led 21-3 at half-time.
When the second half got underway, the fresh legs of Jack Dwan and Leinster Academy starlet Charlie Rock gave the headquarters club an extra edge against a ‘Tarf side that were still searching for a coherent attacking rhythm.
Deasy increased his own tally with a close range penalty, and the bonus point that his side craved later arrived in the 55th minute. After much probing inside the opposition 22, Rock picked out openside Aaron Conneely, who powered through a gap to bag Lansdowne’s fourth converted try of the afternoon.
Inside the final quarter, a five-metre scrum finally had Clontarf within touching distance of the Lansdowne whitewash, before Hugh O’Sullivan and Matt D’Arcy did the spadework for a Conor O’Brien score on the left hand side.
Yet, in a similar vein to Kelly’s first half penalty, this unconverted effort was immediately followed by another Lansdowne try. A pass out of defence by Clontarf was intercepted by the alert Deasy, who sprinted through unopposed for a clinical five-pointer and a resounding 30-point winning margin. ‘Tarf have now dropped to fourth in the table, and courtesy of their eleventh straight win, Lansdowne have sauntered 13 points clear of defending champions Cork Constitution.
LANSDOWNE: Eamonn Mills; Daniel McEvoy, Harry Brennan, Fergal Cleary, Adam Leavy; Scott Deasy, Alan Bennie; Greg McGrath, Tyrone Moran, Ian Prendiville (capt), Josh O’Rourke, Oisin Dowling, Jack O’Sullivan, Aaron Conneely, Willie Earle.
Replacements: Ronan Kelleher, Adam Boland, Jack Dwan, Charlie Rock, Mark O’Keefe.
CLONTARF: Jack Power; Rob McGrath, Conor O’Brien, Matt D’Arcy, Sean O’Brien; Conor Kelly, Hugh O’Sullivan; Ivan Soroka, Dylan Donnellan, Royce Burke-Flynn, Tom Byrne, Ben Reilly (capt), Tony Ryan, Adrian D’Arcy, Michael Noone.
Replacements: Jonathan Larbey, Vincent Gavin, Kenneth Knaggs, Mark Sutton, James McKeown.