Clondalkin’s 2nd team reached the Leinster 2nds Towns Cup Semi-final with a committed and disciplined performance against Wicklow on Sunday 6th April in Wicklow RFC.
Playing into a stiff breeze on an unseasonably warm Sunday afternoon, there was little between the sides in the opening exchanges. Clondalkin were first to put points on the board through a Dave Gaule penalty kick – a lead which was doubled after his second successful penalty saw the Dublin side go 6-0 ahead. Wicklow pulled this back to 3 points after their own first kick at goals was converted successfully. The moment of the match arrived when Josh Dunne ran in from the 22 and scored under the posts after a pick and pass from Number 8 John Walsh put him into space. Making his first senior start for Clondalkin 2nds the performance of 18-year old Dunne throughout this game shows that the future is bright for Clondalkin rugby.
Half-time arrived with a 13-3 lead for the visitors but the favourable wind that Clondalkin were expecting for the 2nd half had died down to a light breeze. Nevertheless, they set into the task of defending their lead with no little enthusiasm and Gaule managed to convert two further penalites to extend the score to 19-6. Cue Wicklow sending on a raft of replacements and the arrival of fresh legs onto the pitch coincided with their first real spell of concerted pressure the result of which yielded a try in the corner. Failure to convert the try left Clondalkin 19-11 ahead but this was as close as Wicklow were to get as the away team dominated possession for the remainder of the second half. A further 3 pointer from Gaule finished out the match and set Clondalkin up for a semi-final showdown with Athboy in Ashbourne Rugby Club on Sunday 13th April at 3.00pm.
Reflecting on a very satisfying performance, manager Alan Hickey was greatly encouraged by the support play shown by Clondalkin throughout the game in addition to the belief and stamina demonstrated to close out the tie in the 2nd half. John Walsh and Neil Finlay were the pick of the forwards with Dave Gaule’s kicking keeping the scoreboard ticking over throughout for Clondalkin.
Clondalkin 2nds XV: T McGrath, J Kenny, C McCrea, K Cullen, C O’Connor, C Tighe, N Finlay, J Dunne, J Murphy, K Horan, R Fitzgerald, D Gaule, C Kelly, S Cunningham. Subs: K McMahon, T McGratten, L Sweetman, O Brady, L Beresford.
