Christmas comes early to Clontarf

The Clontarf players hadn't even the good grace to wear masks as they hijacked an unlikely victory in a generally flawed encounter at Castle Avenue on Saturday.

Christmas came early to Dublin's northside, victory generously gift-wrapped by an Old Crescent team whose second half dominance was frittered away through frailty with the placed ball: fullback Ken Barrett and out-half Stephen Hopkins between them missed seven opportunities, of which only two could be described as challenging.

The train journey home to Limerick will have been tinged with self-recrimination. Old Crescent left victory behind in Dublin in a match that might, uncharitably, have been called a November relegation battle.

Crescent captain, and for the present, coach, Len Dinneen conceded: "We did everything but win and that is very frustrating. We had our chances and did not take them. Tomorrow, when we look at the tables in the paper, it will say that Clontarf have two points and Old Crescent have none, nothing else. I would hope that we can squeeze two points by the Christmas break and that means having a right cut at Shannon and Con."

The new professional era demands general improvement in standards, and that extends to the basics: there was no evidence of that at Castle Avenue for long periods of this Division One clash.

The game degenerated into an aimless kicking duel as players abdicated the responsibility of using possession intelligently and constructively. It was only when the Crescent pack discovered cohesion and structure in the second half that the ball spent more time in the hand rather than in the air.

It is easy to see where the bad habits which good players, educated in the domestic game, bring to the international stage are fostered. The win-at-all-costs ethos threatens to strangle Irish club rugby, where flair, vision and a commitment to the modern game are eschewed in favour of low-risk drudgery.

It is therefore ironic that this match was to be decided by two moments of invention. Trailing 8-6 and deeply ensconced inside his 22, Clontarf out-half Richie Murphy neatly dinked a kick over the opposing centres, regathered, and inspired a move that culminated with a lineout in the Crescent 22.

Second row Michael Coughlan secured possession, the Crescent defenders were flummoxed by a miss-move in the centre that put fullback Mark Woods in space and he took the last tackle before sending Nick Barry scrambling over in the corner; intelligently created and beautifully executed, the try was the highpoint of the afternoon.

Prior to that, indeed for most of the second half, it was the Crescent pack that deserved the plaudits as they frequently drove through the centre of the opposing eight and hauled the Limerick side back into the game. Murphy had given the home side a 6-0 interval lead with two penalties.

Referee Brian Stirling penalised Clontarf for collapsing a maul two minutes after the interval. Barrett succeeded from 22 metres, his first success from three attempts. The lineout ability of second rows Darragh Kirby and Diarmuid O'Malley, and the barrelling runs of the excellent Tom Stapleton, allowed the visitors to conjure a fine try on 52 minutes.

Crescent drove powerfully from a lineout midway inside the Clontarf half, Stapleton choose to work the blindside, linking with Hopkins whose quick hands put Paul McDonagh over. Barrett missed the conversion and a subsequent penalty, but it was Hopkins who failed with both the easiest and most crucial kick of the match.

Two minutes from time he lined up a penalty kick from 22 metres, straight in front of the posts, sadly one of which he hit: it would have given Crescent a draw.

A relieved Clontarf coach Brent Pope admitted his team had been lucky; he is well aware Clontarf's new Division One status will be temporary unless there is significant improvement.

Scoring sequence: 4 mins: Murphy penalty (3-0); 35: Murphy penalty (6-0); 42: Barrett penalty (6-3); 52: McDonagh try (6-8); 67: Barry try (11-8).

Clontarf: M Woods; N Barry, G Aherne, M Smith, M Fitzsimons; R Murphy, R O'Reilly; T Hannigan, B Jackman (capt), P McQuillan; M Meredith, M Coughlan; A Dignam, C Brownley, P Ward. Replacements: I Stewart for Dignam (59 mins); R Noble for Smith (75 mins); S McCarthy for O'Reilly (75 mins).

Old Crescent: K Barrett; P McDonagh, J Noonan, A O'Dwyer, F Walsh; S Hopkins, C Forde; J Cullinane, PJ McLoughlin, T Stapleton; D O'Malley, D Kirby; L Dinneen, B Toland, G Dinneen. Replacement: K McInerney for Walsh (7 mins).

Referee: B Stirling (Ulster).