The first 10 minutes was very much a case of each side warming up to the task at hand with the ball being played by both sides from side to side. But after this initial spell of parity, Old Belvedere started to gain confidence and exerted tremendous pressure on Clondalkin forcing a huge defensive effort on their part. This pressure eventually told with the home side scoring a try courtesy of their scrum half to the left of the Clondalkin posts. The Old Belvedere out half was successful with the conversion to make the score 7 to nil.
Towards the end of the half Clondalkin began to come more into the game – centre Amanda Boland spotted an opening in the Old Belvedere defense and made a lot of ground before the ball came to her centre partner Sara Phelan who was 5 meters short of the try line only to be tackled into touch. The subsequent line out was stolen Clondalkin which allowed them to maintain the pressure on the opposition. A Clondalkin scrum on the Old Belvedere 22 resulted in some clever inter-play between scrum half Shona Byrne and number eight Mairead Holohan only for Mairead to be stopped short of the try line. The referee blew for half time with the score line at 7 to zero in favour of Old Belvedere.
Clondalkin continued into the second half as they had finished the first and it was time for Old Belvedere to experience tremendous pressure. On an number of occasions Clondalkin came close to scoring but failed to do so – a knock on within the opposition 22 or the ball narrowly going over the dead ball line after a clever kick ahead. However, the break finally came some 15 minutes into the half with flanker Ailbhe O’Nolan managing to touch the ball down for a try in the extreme right corner despite the best efforts of three Old Belvedere players. Ailbhe attempted the conversion herself but the angle was extremely acute and the kick was not successful.
Clondalkin maintained the pressure and were awarded after a further 10 minutes with a penalty inside the opposition 22. Clondalkin opted to go for the posts but the resultant penalty from Ailbhe O’Nolan fell just short of the cross bar. However, Clondalkin got the break their continued pressure deserved with Sara Phelan taking the ball from around the Old Belvedere 10 meter line and beating a number of tackles to score under the posts. The conversion from out half Gael Stow was successful. The score now stood at Old Belvedere 7, Clondalkin 12.
Not wishing to be beaten at home Old Belvedere then piled on the pressure against Clondalkin but all on the Clondalkin team showed tremendous courage and stamina to stem the constant Old Belvedere tide. With under ten minutes to go, a break by the Old Belveder centre was stopped just short of the try line by an excellent foot tackle. From the resultant passage of play, Old Belvedere finally got a try in the extreme right corner. The conversion was missed and with the score tied at 12 apiece, the intensity of the game increased even further with both sides trying to get a final score that would allow them be the victors but good defense on both sides – including a textbook tackle by Anne Marie Whelan on the left wing to stop dead an Old Belvedere move – kept the score as was as 12 all. The result keeps Old Belvedere at the top of the table on 16 points closely followed by Clondalkin in second place on 14 points.
The next league match for Clondalkin Womens Rugby will be away to Railway Union J1s in Park Avenue, Sandymount on Sunday, November 10. Your support at this match will be very much welcome.
Clondalkin Womens Rugby Team: Amanda Boland, Kerryn Buck, Shóna Byrne (captain), Caroline Conway, Niamh Farrelly, Naomi Fynes, Aideen Grogan, Sandie Healy, Debbie Hendrick, Brid Holohan, Mairéad Holohan, Melissa Kavanagh, Ciara, Lennon, Amanda Madden, Kerri O’Halloran, Ailbhe O’Nolan, Sara Phelan, Nicola Smyth, Gael Stowe, Laura Wall, Claire Winters, Anne Marie Whelan,
