The semi-final of the Leinster Womens League Division 1 was played in a sunny Gordon Park on Sunday 19 January, Clondalkin in front of a large crowd who had come to see a game of rugby involving two sides that had met twice before in the regular league with Clondalkin coming out tops in both encounters. However, Clondalkin knew before the kick-off that these earlier matches counted for nothing – this was pure knock-out, the winner going onto the final and the loser left to prepare for the cup. The cards were stacked even higher for Clondalkin when their scrum half and captain, Shóna Byrne, was unable to take her place in the starting 15 due to illness, but her scrum half slot was very ably filled by Michelle Rowan and Mairead Holohan seamlessly took over the captain’s role.
Clondalkin kicked off into the club house end and applied the early pressure with the majority of the first five minutes taking place in the Barnhall half. The home side got the reward for this pressure when outside centre, Sara Phelan collected the ball some 40 meters out and applying her trademark burst of speed, rounded the Barnhall defence to touch down for the first try of the match to the right of the posts. The conversion just went wide of the posts. From the resultant kick-off, Clondalkin gathered cleanly and made their way once again down into their opponents half aided by Barnhall being adjudged offside in a ruck. Clondalkin outhalf, Gale Stowe, found touch half way between the Barnhall 22 meter and their 10 meter. Clondalkin won the ball cleanly in the lineout and when Barnhall were once again penalized by the referee for impeding the Clondalkin scrum half, Michelle Rowan, without the ball, Ailbhe O’Nolan stepped up to slot the ball over the posts to extend the Clondalkin lead to 8 points.
Barnhall hit back almost immediately winning a penalty near the left touchline for a Clondalkin player coming into a ruck from the side. Their kick to touch was good and after a series of mauls and rucks, Barnhall opened their scoring account with a try on their left wing. The conversion was not made. Clondalkin applied pressure again from the restart and forced Barnhall into making an error with an infringement in the scrum. The mark was in almost the same position as their first penalty and once again, the Clondalkin Number 8, Ailbhe O’Nolan, slotted the ball over the posts. 11 to 5 in favour of Clondalkin. There were to be no more scores in the remainder of the first half – with both sides trying valiantly to break the other down and find a gap in their defense.
The second half started as the first had ended with a succession of forward moves from Clondalkin and Barnhall followed by the ball being passed out to the backs. After such a passage of play, Barhnall won a scrum deep in the Clondalkin half. Their outhalf took the pass from their scrum half but was immediately engulfed by the Clondalkin back row of Sandie Healy, Naomi Fynes and Ailbhe O’Nolan who managed to steel the ball and present it clean for their scrum half. The ball was fed quickly to the Clondalkin second row, Mairead Holohan, then to Anne Marie Whelan and finally Sara Phelen who once again rounded the Barnhall defense sprinting half of the pitch to touch down under the posts. The conversion by Gale Stowe was made – Clondalkin 18, Barnhall 5.
Barnhall never gave up, applying repeated pressure on Clondalkin who were reduced to 14 players midway through the half when Michelle Rowan was harshly adjudged by the referee to be slowing down the ball in a ruck. But try as they would, their efforts were in vain and with the final whistle, Clondalkin had qualified for the League Final.
Clondalkin will play that final against Old Belvedere who finished above them in the regular league. The final is scheduled for 2:30 on Saturday, January 25 in Edenderry RFC where all four Leinster League finals will take place. It will be a festival of Womens Rugby and your support for Clondalkin Womens Rugby at that final would be greatly appreciated.
Clondalkin Womens Rugby Team: Amanda Boland, Shóna Byrne, Caroline Conway, Niamh Farrelly, Naomi Fynes, Aideen Grogan, Sandie Healy, Debbie Hendrick, Mairéad Holohan, Brid Holohan, Melissa Kavanagh, Ciara Lennon, Ailbhe O’Nolan, Sara Phelan, Michelle Rowan, Nicola Smyth, Gael Stowe, Laura Wall and Anne Marie Whelan.
