Dolphin angered by scrum controversy

Garryowen 13 Dolphin 12
By Charlie Mulqueen

Monday, February 08, 2010

DOLPHIN returned to Cork last night convinced they had been the victims of sharp practice after losing 13-12 to Garryowen in a bruising AIB League encounter at Dooradoyle.

Controversy raged when referee John Carvill was left with no alternative but to award uncontested scrums for the final 15 minutes once Garryowen lost each of their original front-row to injury.

Having been heavily penalised for scrummaging infringements in the first half, Dolphin took complete control of this area on the turnover and narrowed their half-time deficit of 13-0 to a single point on the hour when awarded a penalty try after Garryowen collapsed on their own line.

Munster’s Damien Varley started his first match for Garryowen in more than two years but departed with a damaged pectoral muscle in the eighth minute. He was followed to the sideline by tight head prop Declan Harney after 53 minutes and when loose head John Paul Harney went off in the 70th minute, it was time for unchallenged scrums.

There is no doubt that Garryowen benefited considerably from this development but insisted they had done nothing underhand or unsporting.

"We must go by what the doctors and physios tell us, that’s what they are there for," said head coach Greig Oliver.

Dolphin head coach Steve Forde certainly made a valid point when he said: "The uncontested scrums took a huge advantage away from us," nor was he in any way impressed by the referee’s interpretation of the scrummaging law, especially in the first-half when he penalised them on several occasions.

Garryowen got off to a great start when speedy full-back Ronan O’Mahony made a fine run in the second minute and after he was tackled, they recycled a couple of times before Varley forced his way over.

Conor Murray converted and also kicked a couple of penalties to put his side 13-0 ahead at the break.

Dolphin were a re-energised side on the turnover and within a few minutes had worked left wing Paul Hurley over for a fine try; if anything, the introduction of Christy Condon for Munster import Julien Brugnaut in the 53rd minute made them an even more potent scrummaging force.

It hardly came as a surprise when the penalty try (converted by Barry Keeshan) followed on the hour by which stage Garryowen were all at sea. Substitute Mark Melbourne was yellow carded for a dangerous tackle and so many players went down injured that they ran out of replacements and had to play the closing seven minutes with only 14 men.

It will take a little time for Dolphin’s anger to dissipate at what they regarded as bending of the rules by Garryowen but they have the consolation that a losing bonus point keeps them in third place in the table behind Cork Constitution and Shannon.

However, Dolphin also had their chances, a point well made by Steve Forde: "Maybe we rushed things a bit at the end and it was disappointing that we failed to put the chances away. Garryowen were a team fighting for their lives and now we look forward to the return game in Cork in two weeks."

GARRYOWEN: R O’Mahony; I Hanley, C Doyle, K Hartigan, A Gaughan; W Staunton, C Murray; J Harney, D Varley, D Lavery; F McKenna, E Mackey; C Hartigan, A Kavanagh, D Sherry.

Replacements: D Rowley for Varley 8 minutes; M Melbourne for C Hartigan 45; R Brosnan for Lavery 53; A McCloskey for Sherry 57; L Burke for Harney 70.

DOLPHIN: N O’Driscoll; R Kenneally, C Bohane, E Moloney, P Hurley; C O’Flynn, S Cronin; D Ryan, R O’Neill, J Brugnaut; C Rowe, K O’Dwyer; F Stone, B O’Mahony, J Coughlan.

Replacements: C Condon for Brugnaut 53; B Keeshan for O’Flynn 56; G Finn for Stone 65.

Referee: J Carvill (IRFU).

This story appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Monday, February 08, 2010