Clondalkin Rugby Club made their first senior appearance in all-Ireland rugby this weekend and made a statement that “WE BELONG”.
Clon started the game nervously and it took time for the team to believe they were capable of mixing it at this level. Playing last years All Ireland finalists, Clogher Valley, a mixture of a lack of self belief, a mammoth opposition forward pack and absent first team props Ciaran ‘SuperCux’ Cullen, Kevin Kelly and James ‘Shrek’ Kenny saw Clon enter the break 6-0 down. Clon probably showed too much respect to their opponents in the first half which seen Valley tick the scoreboard over with 2 converted penalties.
Clon suffered from their absent front row but big games from forwards Paul Nolan, Sean Brennan, Simon King and Derek Glennon almost allowed Clon pull off a fairy-tale start to this All-ireland cup campaign. Number 8 Derek Glennon put in a shift that Jamie Heaslip would have been proud of while Kingo demonstrated his aerial abilities with a fine performance at the tail of the line out. Seanie, Noelie and replacement prop Conor Maloney took the fight to Valley ensuring every yard made was fought for and earned.
The second half began much the same as the first with Valley maintaining the lion’s share of territory and possession. This eventually proved too much for the travelling team and Clon’s defensive line was finally breached on the 50 minute mark. Valley’s try finally saw Clondalkin wake up with out half Chris Jebb taking control of the game as he began showing some of the skills that earned him international honors at underage level.
Clon registered their first score of the game courtesy of Brian Doyle. Bruiser’s try came from all of 50 metres out with the hooker initially fending off 4 would-be tacklers before rounding the opposition fullback to score a remarkable try. This score gave hope to Clondalkin who upped their game and went in search of the winning score with 15 minutes remaining. However, Clon’s eagerness seen them penalized which allowed Valleys outhalf to extend the deficit to 9 points.
Coach John Bagnall decided it was time to empty the bench and the introduction of Dave Gaule and John Walshe lifted Clon’s enthusiasm and belief. Walshe showed no respect for his body or the opposition and put in a series of big hits which drove the Valley pack backwards. Niall Nolan then set up a nail biting finish after the winger crossed the line with 3 minutes on the clock to bring the score back to 16-14. However, the large travelling Clondalkin support would not be treated to the perfect finish as Clogher Valley managed to wind down the clock and close out the game.
Despite ending in defeat, Clon’s first excursion into AIL rugby shows there is plenty still to come from this growing club. Clon played the game without 6 of their first choice team and still competed with one of the top junior teams in Ireland. A big positive for the future was the youthful appearance to the team with all but 3 of the starting line up yet to celebrate their 30th birthday. Other positives to take from the game were the emergence of 19 year old centre Matt Stapleton, son of the legend Eamonn, John Allen once again filling in for Ciaran Cullen and Mark Molloy’s eagerness to hang on to the number 9 jersey. Molly has fought off numerous contenders over the years and it’s rumored that Kev Dunphy is the latest to feel the wrath of The Molligator.
Clondalkin will look to get back to winning ways this weekend when they take on Monkstown at home. The performance against Clogher Valley showed that Clondalkin has the ability to beat any team on their day and Clondalkin will look to get a string of results together to put them at the upper end of the league table for the business end of the season.
(Thanks to Derek Murtagh for report).
