Despite a hot-headed Clontarf side being reduced to 13 players for the final moments of their All-Ireland League encounter, Dublin University Football Club (DUFC) couldn’t quite catch their opponents, eventually falling to a 29-24 defeat.
DUFC came into the game sitting third from bottom on the back of a defeat to league high fliers, Garryowen. Meanwhile, Clontarf were full of confidence following their narrow win over Young Munster last week, leaving the Castle Avenue side sitting in fourth place.
The game kicked off in freezing conditions, and the Clontarf pitch promised to provide testing conditions as heavy rain had left the surface notably heavy underfoot. The hosts started strongly, fielding a big, physical side that would test DUFC’s carefully developed running game.
Clontarf were first on the scoreboard within the opening two minutes when they were awarded a penalty for hands in the ruck. Outhalf David Joyce expertly bisected the posts with a fantastic kick. DUFC soon began to play themselves into the game, with good work from Rowan Osborne and James Fennelly in midfield helping them gain territory in the opposition half. It was flyhalf Fennelly who claimed Trinity’s opening points when he converted a penalty earned by Sam Pim, following a fantastic break by the flanker.
Parity restored, DUFC seemed to grow into the game, with winger Billy O’Hora looking dangerous. However, it was the hosts who claimed the opening try of the game. Excellent play by Conor O’Brien brought his team within inches of the Trinity line, before quick hands found Rob McGrath in space, as he crashed over to put his side in the lead. Clontarf could have extended their advantage moments later when Cormac Daly touched down, but his effort was ruled out for a forward pass.
Despite struggling to deal with the physical advantage of the home side at times, which manifested itself in Clontarf’s dominance in the scrum, DUFC showed promise when they tested the opposition line. Hard running by O’Hora and Michael Silvester was causing problems for the home side, and DUFC were rewarded for their hard work when Jack Kelly latched onto an excellent grubber kick from Fennelly before shrugging off the tackle to touch down. Fennelly added the additional to give Trinity a narrow lead midway through the first half.
The Clontarf scrum was proving dominant, earning a penalty from a collapsed scrum, before Cormac Daly crashed over the line a few phases later. Soon after Clontarf were awarded a questionable penalty try, Rowan Osborne tugged at his opposite number, Sam Cronin, as he chased after a grubber kick to give the hosts a 22-10 lead at halftime.
It was DUFC who drew first blood in the second half. Michael Courtney was found on the overlap and he touched down to bring the game within five points. However, any hope of a DUFC revival seemed to be dashed moments later when Clontarf centre Matt D’Arcy was found in space out wide and he touched down to restore the home side’s lead.
Despite this 12 point lead as the game drew to a seemingly inevitable conclusion, the visitors completely lost their discipline. With 13 minutes remaining, Tony Ryan was sent to the sin bin following a late tackle, and Jack Power followed him to the line shortly after. What followed was a period of sustained pressure from a reinvigorated DUFC attack. Patrick Finlay and Richard Dunne were causing problems for Clontarf as they attacked an increasingly frayed defensive line. Kelly had seemingly claimed his second try of the game, but was called back by the referee for a forward pass.
It seemed as though DUFC were going to be unable to crack the undermanned Clontarf defence when James Fennelly sprung Michael Silvester loose with a fantastic kick. The latter shook off the Clontarf tackle to touch down in the corner. It was a simple move, beautifully executed, and drew the visors within five points of the hosts with moments remaining.
Clontarf were seemingly losing all sense of discipline, and following a brief brawl, Royce Burke Flynn saw red for a punch on Darragh Higgins. It seemed as though DUFC would claim the unlikeliest of victories as the game entered the closing moments. However, some expert defending from their beleaguered opponents eventually led to a mistake at the breakdown and the hosts wasted no time in kicking the ball to touch to call an end to proceedings.
Despite the defeat, it was an impressive performance offering plenty to build on by DUFC, who showed some considerable creativity in their attacking play, and impressed even hardcore Clontarf fans with their running game. Having claimed the losing bonus point, DUFC move four points clear of Buccaneers who sit at the foot of the table. Next up for DUFC is a reverse of this fixture, as they host Clontarf at College park next Saturday with the stage perfectly set for a Christmas Cracker.
