Kicking king Keane leads way in Clontarf’s bonus-point win

CLONTARF maintained their AIL Division One top-four position with this bonus-point win over Terenure College at Lakelands on Saturday but it was much closer than the final 12-point margin would suggest.

Ten tries the two teams shared, an even split at five each; the difference was in the kickers.

Clontarf full-back Conal Keane succeeded with all of his four try conversions before departing the scene in the 60th minute. Out-half Peter O’Brien then took over the kicking duties and the full-back berth, missed his first attempt — the fifth-try conversion — but made emphatic amends with a 45m penalty, shortly followed by a superbly-struck long drop-goal.

In stark contrast, poor Bob McCarthy had a day to forget, missed his first three attempts — kicks that would have seen the sides level 15 minutes into the second half — did manage the next attempt, a conversion from in front of the posts, before missing again with his fifth attempt.

Clontarf led 21-10 at the break courtesy of tries by centres Darragh O’Shea and Max Rantz-McDonald, flanker Simon Crawford with the third, from a 5m lineout maul. In reply Terenure had tries from Jonathan Barretto and sleek winger Adam Hughes, after lovely work from out-half Shane Cullen.

On the resumption it was the home side breaking fastest from the traps.

Captain and number eight Alex Dunlop did brilliantly from an under-pressure Terenure scrum inside their own 22, picking off the base, good break, good offload in the tackle to Hughes on the blindside, then up instantly in support, taking the scoring pass for a superb try.

Clontarf had their noses still in front, and in the 55th minute it was the turn of captain Fiach O’Loughlin to get on the score-sheet, going straight through the middle and under the posts for the bonus point, converted by Keane.

That should have been that but again Terenure came back, scrum-half Mark Mahoney with their bonus-point try.

Again ‘Tarf responded, Rantz-McDonald with his second try after yet another hacked ball out of defence, this time by sub Dave O’Brien.

Again Terenure responded, Brian Moroney last man up after another 5m lineout maul, 33-27 to the visitors.

Finally it was O’Brien with those two mighty kicks, maintaining Clontarf’s position as the dominant Dublin club, denying Terenure even the consolation of a second bonus point.

“Very topsy-turvy,” said a relieved O’Loughlin. “But if want to progress in this competition we can’t continue to concede 27 points in a game. Having said that, we came here for a win, got that, got the bonus point as well, and that really is a bonus for us.

“We didn’t start well in the second half and they put up some fight; usually our forwards are the driving force in our team, but we came up against a very powerful pack out there.”

Clontarf manager Phil Werahiko said: “Our guys have a tendency, when they think they’re playing well, to start throwing the ball around.

“They become too loose, start to play touch rugby rather than the controlled rugby they played to create those chances in the first place.

“The cracks start to appear, then they struggle to get back to the game-plan.”