14.01.2011 1st XV v Clontarf (H)

St Mary’s College RFC V Clontarf FC

40 10

Friday 14^th January 2011.

Friendly

Summary

To fill the gap between AIL games this friendly was arranged, and it proved to be a brightly entertaining presentation allowing the full squad of available, uninjured players to buff up their skills and have fun. It also gave an opportunity to the coach to view several young promising players. Clontarf too were below strength, but did present suitable opposition and in the second half, they improved their competitiveness to make it interesting. In the first half Marys were well in the ascendant and scored some admirable tries. When the game had been born only six minutes, a high quality exchange in midfield, between Phillip Brophy and Mark Sexton, the latter taking a sublime line, ended with Mark scoring and Gavin Dunne converting. Two minutes later Kevin Sheahan, who benefited by the night’s exertions, made a good break, Paul Gillespie joined in and the dazzling D’Arcy took it on, to feed Ronan Doherty, who broke away from two clingers and ran in a fine try; it was 12 – 0. It was 17 minutes, when Ronan picked up a loose ball and beat several men at powerful pace only to be stopped short of the line, he recovered the ball amidst a melee of players and scored; so it was 19 – 0. Then Clontarf, after a penalty kicked to the corner, ran the ball wide and scored to make it 19 – 5. When the game reached the half hour mark Phillip Brophy weighted a grubber perfectly for it to hop up to the flying Ronan who out-sped the cover to score his hat trick, Gavin added the points and it was 26 – 5. So the half ended.

Clontarf struck with a try on seven minutes of the second half after a dancing run from outhalf Duffissy, to bring their score to 10, five minutes later we rucked hard on the Tarf 22 and Christopher Lillie, the talented U20 scrum half, on in the second half, saw a chink, skimmed through and accelerated to the line for a try to make it 33 – 10 when Gavin had added the conversion and before full time Darren Hudson who had been actively probing most of the half, ran from deep, leaving tacklers stumbling behind and he had Conor Hogan in support to dive over and the score went to 40 – 10. Enjoyable night, thank you lads.

D O’Brien.