4 first half tries and a 26-7 half time lead was not enough for Clondalkin to gain a precious away victory against Tullow in a high-scoring Leinster League Division 1A match. Tries by Niall Nolan (twice), Ali Collier and Karl Jebb gave Clondalkin a seemingly unassailable lead heading into the second half but a spirited fightback by the Sean O’Brien coached side saw the concession of 3 converted tries to leave Clondalkin trailing 28-26 mid way through the 2nd half. Clondalkin responded with a second Karl Jebb try before Tullow crossed the line for the 5th occasion to retake the lead. With just 90 seconds on the clock, Chris Jebb looked to have rescued the points for Clondalkin with a well-taken penalty to leave the away team ahead by a single point, but Clondalkin failure to gather the restart gave Tullow possession and they continued to apply pressure to the Clondalkin line as the clock ticked into the red. Resilient tackling by Clondalkin kept Tullow at bay until a seemingly legitimate turnover ball from Ken McMahon was harshly punished by the unsighted referee to give Tullow a penalty chance to win the game. Tullow coverted the 3-pointer with the last kick of the game to close out the game 38-36.
The result was severe disappointment for Clondalkin who at half time looked on course to win their first away league match of the season, but a combination of uncharacteristic poor defending and ill-discipline let Tullow back into the game and roared on by a partisan home support, they gathered a momentum that the away team struggled to contain and which ultimately saw them achieve an unlikely result.
Despite the loss, Clondalkin picked up 2 bonus points and stay in third place in Leinster League Division 1A. It is however a very congested mid-table and only 6 points separates Clondalkin from Enniscorthy in 8th and last place. Clondalkin can look forward to a two-week break before the local derby takes place against Coolmine on Saturday November 30th.
