Weekend Report 17 November 08

Kilkenny (30) vs Clondalkin 1st XV (22)
Clondalkin first fifteen are finally beginning to establish themselves in Leinster League Division 2 and were unlucky to come away empty handed from a tough encounter with Kilkenny at the weekend. In fact had it not been for some defensive lapses late on in the game Clondalkin could have easily taken their biggest scalp in League competition to date. Tries from Philip Byrne and Peter Fitzgerald put the Gordon Park men into an early 12-0 lead. However some foolish play by the backs inside their own 22 gifted Kilkenny their first try of the match and that along with two penalties from the Kilkenny outhalf meant Clon went into the break 12-11 up. An Andy Tyndall penalty early in the second half put Clondalkin 15-11 in front but Kilkenny remained undaunted and picked away at the score board to take a 23-15 lead midway through the second half. A Mark Molloy try with ten minutes to go in the game left Clondalkin in with a real chance of taking the game but a missed tackle allowed the Kilkenny men in for their fourth try of the game which left the game beyond doubt. The game finished 30-22.
The first XV have reasons to be optimistic as they are now adopting to the speed of the new division and the five teams to beat them so far this year occupy positions 1 to 5 in the league. With what hopefully will be somewhat less difficult games to come in the next few weeks, the Clondalkin elite XV will hope to start picking up more wins and moving up through the leage table.

Kilkenny (36) vs Clondalkin 2nd XV (0)
It was not to be a fairytale ending for 2nd XV regular Eddie Martens who was playing in his last game for the club at the weekend. Clondalkin went down 36-0 to a team who just had too much for them to handle. Kilkenny pressured hard at every breakdown and forced turnover after turnover against a team who were taught a few lessons in the art of robbing the ball on the ground. Kilkenny like all good teams pushed the rules to the limits making it difficult for Clondalkin to secure their own ball at ruck time. The lessons learned against a street smart team like Kilkenny will benefit Clondalkin as they develop through the year but the Gordon Park men will be kicking themselves for loosing the game by so much. Four of Kilkennys six tries came from Clondalkins inability to clear their lines from inside their own 22 and a fifth came from a hometown touch judge decision where the ball appeared very much to touch the sideline before being picked up by the Kilkenny winger who went on to score in the corner. Although Clon may rue the score they cannot feel hard done by as Kilkenny were deserved victors.

Clondalkin 3rd XV (11) vs Clontarf (3)
John Stapletons 3rd XV continued their unbeaten record this season with an 11-3 victory over their main opposition in the J4 league, Clontarf. A try from Shrek and two penalties from Ciaran Jones assured the 3rds of the victory but it was hard work from veteran forwards Maurice Featherstone & Bren Ward that set the platform for such a crucial victory. The last minute penalty by Man of the Match Jones deprived the away team of a loosing bonus point, something that may prove crucial when it comes to deciding who takes the J4 league. At the minute its the Clondalkin men who hold pole position.

‘Straightjacket’ let loose
Under 18 Leinster League Divisions 1
Newbridge School Saturday November 15
Newbridge 0 vs Clondalkin 15
Report by Jonny Stapleton
A moment of Stephen McKenna magic inspired Clondalkin to victory in a tight and hard fought Leinster League tie Newbridge last weekend.
The man they called ‘straight jacket’ set loose arms flailing on a magnificent individual run from deep within in his own half, before exploiting the panic and space he himself had created to touch down the vital effort seconds later.
The open-sides flankers run, which comprised of power, pace and panache, eventually resulted in the try that gave the visitors a two score cushion, and more importantly a vital lift at a time when Newbridge looked like breaking the Kingswood based sides resolve.
Media hungry McKenna’s break may have grabbed him the headlines, but some brilliant defensive work form the entire team ensured Clondalkin are only two wins away from the Leinster League quarter finals.
For large periods in the second half Clon were under pressure from the Newbridge team. The City West based youth side were more than equal to the challenge, however, and thanks to some superb counter rucking, tackling and organised defensive play managed to keep a well deserved clean sheet.
Clondalkin made a positive start to the game and were 3-0 up within minutes of the kick off as Niall Nolan slotted an early penalty. Clon continued to pressure but misfired in the line out and as a result failed to turn pressure into points. Kev Dunphy eventually extended the hosts lead when he profited from a mistake enforced by some brilliant Darragh Ward work to touch down.
Injury then forced the visitor’s main attacking threat, Nolan, from the centres into the full back line and Clondalkin immediately lost some forward momentum. But while they suffered offensively they didn’t waver defensively and some super defending, which included a magnificent last ditch Tom McGrath try saving tackle, saw the visitors carry a ten point advantage into the break. McKenna’s try extended the advantage further not long after the turn, but Newbridge emptied their bench and dominated from there on in. But the unsung heroes and supporting cast stepped up to the mic and delivered the defensive X-Factor. Tom McGrattan, David Heffernan, Alan O’Brien, Paul O’Keefe, Ronan Higgins, David Jebb and virtually the entire team tackled, rucked and kicked their way to victory.
“We came of age today. We did what we had to do to win despite not producing our best stuff. We were defensively brilliant and some quality kicking from hand from Ronan Higgins saw us close out the tie in the second half. It may not be as exciting as our usual 77-77 ties but it was a mature victory and it shows the lads are progressing even further,” coach Ken McMahon explained.

Added by Murts November 17, 2008 (5:07PM)

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