TULLOW 22 CLANE 6
FEARS that Tullow’s season could come to a grinding halt before January ended spurred them to victory in the first round of the Provincial Towns Cup in Black Gates on Sunday.
Except for a brief spell in the third quarter there was never any doubt what the eventual outcome was likely to be as the two strugglers in their respective leagues faced up to each other.
In dreadful conditions the Tullow scrum was rock solid and even though the lineouts were more of a lottery the home side pinched a few Clane throw-ins in the first quarter.
The breakthrough came on six minutes when Frank Murphy’s midfield surge yielded a penalty. Will Canavan converted. It took until the 25th minute for the first try to arrive.
In the wet conditions, Tullow did well to spread the play and James Sheerin galloped over. Canavan converted to give his side a 10-point lead at the interval.
Just before the concession of the try Clane had been reduced to 14 when Alan O’Neill was binned.
Clane did not roll over. They dominated the third quarter. Gordon Kearney slotted a penalty and on 54 minutes William Cas O’Brien drifted offside.
He wasn’t the first Tullow player to have strayed in that period of pressure but it was one too many for the referee who promptly dispatched him to the bin.
Kearney exacted maximum retribution when converting the subsequent penalty.
At 10-6 they were hot on the heels of the home side. “We sat back and let them play the rugby,” explained Tullow flanker, Colin Finnerty.
Coach Bernard Jackman, rang the changes. To home delight William Hollow O’Brien returned after a spell out through injury.
Also brought into the action were Spenser Hanbidge and Joe O’Connor. Collectively, Tullow raised their game. A relieving clearance and the Clane resistance was broken.
When a Tullow move broke down William Cas O’Brien gathered and not for the first time this season used an impressive sleight of foot and the occasional side step to worm his way over.
Afterwards a number of Clane players suggested that the ball had been knocked on as the centre touched down but the referee, who was on the spot, was happy. So was Finnerty. “We will take it. That is all that matters. Absolutely delighted.
I think all the hard work has paid off,” said the former Tullamore player who won a Towns Cup medal with the Offaly side back in 2006.
At the end O’Brien turned provider when giving the scoring pass to O’Connor.
On 75 minutes Finnerty was binned for a high tackle but the game was up by that stage.