O’Shea: time for ’Tarf to step up
Like the southern province prior to their first Heineken Cup title, Clontarf have spent the last number of years rubbing shoulders with the top teams without being able to take that last, frustrating step.
The Castle Avenue club has contested an impressive six out of the last seven league semi-finals, as well as two deciders in 2003 and 2006, without claiming outright victory in the play-off stages.
Shannon have been their tormentors in three of those campaigns. The Limerick side stands in their path again this Saturday but O’Shea is hoping that past disappointments can galvanise a breakthrough on this occasion.
“I would like to think so. Look at how long it took Munster to win the Heineken Cup. They say you do have to lose one to win one. I played in the 2003 final as well so I have two losing finals under my belt. I am really looking forward to this one.
“It will be a very tough game, especially against Shannon in Thomond, but there is no-one fearful about it. Apprehensive maybe, but that is natural for this type of occasion.”
That 2006 decider against Shannon was a particularly galling experience for the capital side, the final scoreline of 30-3 encapsulating a game where everything that could go wrong did go wrong. They have earned this third stab at the final thanks to a stunning 25-6 defeat of table-toppers Cork Constitution in Temple Hill in the last four and that should certainly help buttress belief.
“You have to draw on that confidence without reading too much into it because you have to take each game as it comes.
“The one thing we would take from that performance is that you have to work for the 80 minutes to get the result.”
Ask O’Shea what the difference between Clontarf this year and last has been and he suggests it is merely one of timing. Last season, they ran out of puff after a storming start, and just when they needed it most.
This term saw them go through a sticky patch in mid-season, losing some games they should have won, but they recovered just in time to seal fourth place in the table.
Another plus has been their defence.
“We are a good attacking side but our defence had let us down in a few games. We had let in a few soft scores. We lost against Bohs and Belvedere where we conceded some soft scores but we worked hard on it.
“It didn’t come easy but it is starting to some together.”
Both sides possess impressive packs and one man to really catch the eye in the ‘Tarf red and blue has been South African flanker Heinrich Stride who scored two tries and set up a third against Con.
“He was pretty quiet when he came up here but he is a good character, a good personality. He has good experience as well. He has played Currie Cup rugby and he brings a different aspect to it. He would have some input into training too.
“He likes the hard ground at this stage of the season having played on the hard ground in South Africa. This stage of the season probably suits him and we will be hoping for a dry day from that point of view.”
Stride, at 29, would be classed as one of Clontarf’s more experienced footsoldiers but the side has its fair share of youth in its ranks as well and no-one is more exciting than wing Michael Keating.
A member of last season’s Belvedere Leinster Schools Cup winning side, he scored a try with his first touch in senior club rugby, against Terenure last October, and another, against St Mary’s, that is in the running for score of the season.
Said O’Shea: “If he can stay injury-free I have no doubt that he will play for Ireland one day. He has great pace and exceptional stepping ability.
“I haven’t seen anyone beat somebody one-on-one so easily in a long time. It’s probably not good to be boosting his ego so much ahead of the final but he is not short of confidence.”
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