Another glory day for Shannon

IF EVER there is a reason to protect and enhance the club structure, the IRFU need look no further than this high quality AIB League final at Thomond Park on Saturday.

It might also be timely to devise a new set of rules to ensure there will never again be such an unsatisfactory end to the club showpiece, Shannon taking their ninth title after extra-time failed to separate two splendidly committed teams.

Unfortunately for Clontarf, the officialdom ruled that the first try of the match was decisive, so David O’Donovan’s 22nd minute strike was enough to bring the title back to Limerick.

Shannon coach Geoff Moylan sympathised with the Dublin club, pointing to the Heineken Cup penalty shoot-out win in Cardiff last week: “We feel a little like Leicester, I suppose. It would have been much better to win on the scoreboard, but we don’t make the rules.”

Shannon captain David Quinlan concurred: “It’s an awful way to lose a match, I have to say, I feel for Clontarf. The way the game went, they ended up having to go for it and we ended up having to hold on; it could easily have been the other way around had they scored the first try.”

Naturally, Clontarf found it hard to come to terms with the defeat, following their stunning contribution to an absorbing final.

Daragh O’Shea, an inspirational captain, admitted that he felt numbed. “It’s hard to swallow, it doesn’t feel like as if we have lost, but we have. I’d prefer to get hammered than lose it like that – it’s even worse than losing by a point.

“We do feel hard done by, but we did know going into extra-time that we needed to get a score, so I suppose when you know that going into the game, you can’t complain about it.”

O’Shea, and coach Andy Wood, can still be proud of a quality team performance that allowed a number of individuals to prosper. Amongst that group were full-back Phil Howard, Paul O’Donohue, Simon Crawford, Ben Reilly and Henrick Stride. Scrum half O’Donohue won the man-of-the -match award and his inspired display will have been greeted enthusiastically by Leinster coach Michael Cheika.

Shannon flanker Eoghan Grace was, arguably, O’Donohue’s closest rival for the award, but the winners also reaped the benefits of strong displays from captain Quinlan, Donncha Ryan, Fergus Walsh, Frankie McNamara, Fionn McLoughlin and David O’Donovan.

O’Donovan scored Shannon’s two tries, while McNamara came out of self-imposed retirement six weeks ago to take over the scrum half position from injured club captain Fiach O’Loughlin. He directed operations with some authority on Saturday, but it was Grace who caught the eye more often than anyone. The 21-year-old powerfully-built and devastatingly quick flanker should be fast forwarded from the academy ranks in Munster.

Shannon took the early initiative with a Tadgh Bennett drop goal before Daragh O’Shea equalised. Bennett kicked a penalty and O’Shea responded. David O’Donovan went in for a 22nd minute try for Shannon, but Hendrick Stride finished off a brilliant attacking movement just afterwards and secured the equalising try.

Shannon powered back in search of the lead and they got due reward in the 31st minute when O’Donovan stretched out enough to snatch his second try, after Shannon elected to tap and go from a penalty close to the Clontarf line to establish a 16-11 lead.

The game turned briefly Clontarf’s way in a five-minute spell early in the second half when Shannon’s Padraic O’Brien was sent to the sin bin for handling the ball in a ruck and O’Shea kicked the resultant penalty. Then, Crawford charged over for a try near the corner and Clontarf took the lead for the first time.

It didn’t last for long, with Bennett kicking a penalty after a brilliant attacking run by Grace was illegally halted. Niall O’Brien, the Clontarf winger, was immediately dispatched to the bin by referee Alain Rolland.

Bennett missed a subsequent attempt in the 69th minute, while O’Donovan’s speculative drop goal effort was doomed to failure and the game went to extra time.

Shannon had one opportunity in the first half of additional time, with Bennett sliding a drop goal effort inches wide, while Clontarf were denied a try in the early moments of the second spell when substitute winger Max Rantz McDonald knocked-on as he dived for the line.

That was the last chance for Clontarf, the moment they came agonisingly close to clinching a first title, a moment of heartbreak for substitute McDonald who did well to get so close in the first place.

Disappointed coach Wood remarked: “It came down to that, we came to within an inch of grounding of the ball to winning.”

CLONTARF: P Howard; M Keating, D O’Shea (captain), B O’Donnell, N O’Brien; M Dufficy, P O’Donoghue; K Dorian, A Dundon, N Treston; B Reilly, S Crawford; H Stride, M Garvey, N Carson.

Replacements: J Wickham for Dorian, 61; M Rantz-McDonald for O’Brien, 72; C Keegan for O’Donnell, 80; B Focas for Carson, 90.

SHANNON: D O’Donovan; R Mullane, F McLoughlin, J Clogan, S Kelly; T Bennett, F McNamara; K O’Neill, M Essex, K Griffin; P O’Brien, F Walsh; D Ryan, D Quinlan (capt), E Grace.

Replacements: L Hogan for O’Neill, 58; M O’Driscoll for Kelly, 90; E McLoughlin for O’Brien, 91.

Referee: A Rolland (IRFU).