Clondalkin RFC carried their impressive preseason form into the league campaign with a convincing 32-10 bonus point win away to Suttonians. The win puts John Bagnalls side top of the table after Day 1 and the performance suggests they are capable of staying their for the full season.
Clondalkins renowned pack had been hit with a number of retirements over the summer but the return of Leinster cap Paul McDermott and former Garda captain David Gilmore to the fold more than makes up for the departure of Derek Glennon and John Walshe. The addition of new recruit and Connacht junior prop Paul McCreanor allowed Clondalkin field a fearsome pack with Brian Doyle, Karl Jebb and Tom McGrath all having to settle for places on the bench. The backline was equally strong with Chris Jebb, Thomas Ankers and Niall Nolan showing their pedigree throughout preseason.Clon got off to a slow start and Suttonians made them pay with a try coming inside the first ten minutes. Suttonians were playing with the wind at their back which was enabling them to play the territory game keeping Clondalkin pinned in their own half. It took resolute defence from Clondalkin to keep them at bay, with Paul Nolan, Neil Finlay and Ben Foran coming to the fore in defence. A storming break from Niall Nolan eventually earned Clondalkin some respite. The forwards began building some phases in Suttonians 22 and a try appeared imminent when the referee was forced to call the game to a halt after an injury to James Kenny.
Clon restarted with a scrum and tough tackling from Suttonians forced a Clondalkin error and allowed them to clear their lines. Clon were dealt another injury blow when John Nolan was forced to leave the pitch. This allowed for the introduction of Matt Stapleton who was making his first appearance of the season. Suttonians cleared their lines and again set up camp in Clons half. John Bagnall made the brave call of retracting Simon King on the 30 minute mark and introducing Karl Jebb into the backrow for the last ten minutes of the first half. Jebbs impact on the game was almost immediate and his ferocious tackling took the fight out of a number of Sutton players. The two teams traded penalties before the break to leave the halftime score at 10-3.
Forwards coach Ciaran Cullen’s halftime words must have been inspiring, as the Clondalkin pack raised their tempo immediately into the second half. Sutton had a lineout on the halfway line and pressure from Paul Nolan forced their second row to slap the ball back to their scrum half who shovelled it on their helpless 10 where he was met by the rampaging Neil Finlay. The ball bounced loose for Matt Stapleton to scoop off the ground and accelerate to the line. Chris Jebb added the conversion to bring the game to 10-10.
Clon were in the groove and their scrum started driving Suttonians off the ball and it was not long before the workhorse Neil Finlay was rewarded with a try of his own to bring the score to 17-10. A Chris Jebb penalty brought the game to 20-10 before the captain took it upon himself to put the game beyond reach with a supreme individual effort from 40m out.
With ten minutes left in the game Clondalkins eyes turned towards the bonus point and it was debutant Paul McCreanor who crossed for the fourth try. If Leinster think they struck gold in getting Robbie Henshaw out of Connacht then Clondalkin can be equally happy that the man who calls himself ‘The Ballina Beast’ crossed the Shannon and came to Dublin. Final score 32-10.
(Thanks to Murts)
