On a roller coaster final day of the Leinster League, Clondalkin secured their Division 1A status with a dramatic 30 all draw against Tullow on Sunday 9th March in Gordon Park.
Tullow were bottom of the table coming into this fixture with Clondalkin just two places ahead of them. The prospect of relegation was a genuine fear for both teams which significantly increased the pressure that this match would be played in. Tullow were first out of the blocks and capitalised on some slack Clondalkin marking to score a try in the corner. The resulting conversion left them 7 – nil ahead and things got worse for the home team when Tullow went over for a second try wide on the right which left them 12 points to the good. Just when the home fans thought matters couldn’t get any worse, Niall Nolan shipped a heavy shoulder charge in midfield, with the Tullow centre picking up the loose ball to run the length of the pitch and score under the posts. Vociferous protests from Clondalkin as to the legality of the challenge saw the referee aware a penalty from the restart on the half-way line which Tullow converted to leave the away team 22 points ahead with half-time approaching. The home team eventually got on the score sheet with a penalty from Chris Jebb before veteran centre Ali Collier made a great break from the Clondalkin 22 and an interchange of passes saw Any Dixon touch down for a 5 pointer and that was the final score before the break.
The team talk at half time requested a lot more aggression in contact from the Kingswood men and Brian “Bruiser” Doyle was the first to respond and he crossed the line from a driving maul. The unsighted referee was reluctant to give the try but a definitive call on the touchdown from the linesman meant the score was awarded but the conversion went astray. However, the mood of the home supporters went from excitement to despair when immediately from the restart, Clondalkin conceded a soft try after Tullow charged down a clearance kick. With the score now standing at 13 points to Clondalkin against 27 to Tullow, the outlook looked bleak for the Dublin side. But the only score that counts is the one when the final whistle blows and with time still on the clock, Clondalkin set about clawing back the 14-point deficit. Chris Jebb did managed to get over the Tullow line and was held up but Clondalkin had begun to put together some good phases and having won possession from a Tullow line-out, quick hands in the backline saw Barry Mulloy score in the corner. Chris Jebb converted to leave just a 7-point deficit between the teams. This deficit was eliminated when Jebb created a 2 vs 1 overlap and when the Tullow defender bought his dummy he went over the whitewash to score and his own conversion made it 27 points all. With a 4-try bonus point in the bag for each team, computations and permutations of what was needed to survive in Division 1A were being furiously worked on by both sets of management – news filtering in from other games saw Enniscorthy leading Newbridge and Cill Dara drawing against Wanderers. It looked like a draw would be enough for Clondalkin until they conceded a penalty just outside their 22 which Tullow kicked between the posts to regain the lead and with it their safety. Staring relegation in the face, Clondalkin reshuffled their back line, moving Chris Jebb to out-half from full back.
With echoes of Ronan O’Gara in Cardiff 2009, having been put into position via some great forward work, Jebb held his nerve to land a crucial drop goal with only seconds remaining. Incredibly the similarities from Cardiff did not end there as the referee penalised a Simon King challenge from the kickoff which gave Tullow the chance to win the game with a penalty in front of the posts. Fingernails were nibbled down to the bone on both sides and the pressure on the Tullow kicker Willie Canavan was immense. The kick looked straight and true but just drifted wide and as the final whistle blew, Clondalkin knew they would have Division 1A rugby again next season. A late try from Cill Dara to beat Wanderers sealed the fate of Tullow who despite the draw, finished bottom of the table. Clondalkin finish ahead of both Cill Dara and Newbridge and with the right sequence of results may have a chance to play in the All-Ireland Junior Cup next season.
Clondalkin 1st XV: M Moynihan, B Doyle, C Cullen, S Brennan, S King, D Lennon, J Dooley, P Nolan (Capt.), M Molloy, B Foran, N Nolan, A Collier, A Dixon, B Mulloy, C Jebb. Subs: K Kelly, C Moloney, K Jebb, D Gaule, S Cunningham.
