Despite defeat by bogey team Dolphin, Clonmel are still top of the table

Clonmel 21 Dolphin 33

After a busy and successful month of March, Clonmel welcomed Dolphin to a bright but bitterly cold Ard Gaoithe for the last home game of the regular season.

The visitors were playing for a top four spot themselves and to say they were up for this game would be an understatement.
When the final whistle blew on a tough, competitive game, Dolphin emerged as deserved winners and kept their proud unbeaten record against Clonmel intact. They also become the only team to beat the league leaders twice this season.

The 12-point margin was a little flattering to Dolphin and meant that Clonmel left without the bonus point their efforts deserved. While Dolphin were the better side on the day, Clonmel will rue the full suite of errors that disrupted momentum and handed the initiative to Dolphin at key times.

Despite the defeat, results elsewhere kept Clonmel on top of the league heading into the last weekend courtesy of the most wins (13) out of the 17 games played in a gruelling season.

Injuries saw a revised front row, with David Coyne and Sean Wall propping either side of the ever-present Brandon Delicato. Both young props can be proud of their efforts.

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Michael Connellan was a late loss and was replaced by the versatile and committed Zak Cahalane who put in a great shift on the wing and, occasionally, in the pack.

Dolphin kicked off towards the clubhouse and dominated the early exchanges, winning four penalties in quick succession as Clonmel seemed to get on the wrong side of the referee from the outset.

The visitors had confidence in their powerful scrum and opted for the set-piece time and again. Their confidence was rewarded early in the game and they scored to the left of the posts after opting for the scrum from yet another penalty.

Clonmel’s response was instant and thrilling, as Dolphin claimed the restart and passed the ball back for the routine clearance kick. However, they reckoned without Tom O’Dea, who worked tirelessly to charge down the kick, before he regathered the bobbling ball expertly and crashed over the line. Playing in the unfamiliar 13 jersey, Joe O’Connor converted the difficult kick to make it seven points each after just 10 minutes.

Tom O’Dea had a barnstorming day and was a nuisance to the opposition in every phase, including lineout steals. Andrew Daly was another forward who had a good game and played like a man possessed when he gathered the restart before bullocking his way forward, beating half a dozen defenders.

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From the next play the ball went right and Dolphin infringed. O’Connor milked every inch out of the touch- finder to the corner. The lineout was accurate and Clonmel showed great patience, recycling the ball a number of times close to the line before Davy Coyne crashed over. It was a deserved try for Coyne, who carried hard and made the hard yards all day.

This time the kick was from the right side with a stiff breeze to boot, but O’Connor drilled it over the posts to make it 14 points to 7. Unfortunately, Clonmel continued to concede penalties, which saw Dolphin advance to the five-metre line. The defence from Clonmel was outstanding, with a series of crunching hits by Melbourne and his colleagues in the pack, ably supported by a mean back line. Masuka was everywhere and tidied up the scraps to relieve the pressure.

Just when it appeared the threat was dealt with, Dolphin nicked a defensive lineout and went the width of the pitch for a clinical try in the corner. This left the score 14-12 after the conversion was missed.

Dolphin won yet another penalty from the restart and, despite an ugly kick to a player who appeared to be offside, the unorthodox play brought them to the danger zone. Given the sheer number of penalties against the home side, the referee brandished a yellow card to Gerrit Huisamen to the delight of the large and vocal contingent of Dolphin supporters. The second row was unlucky to be singled out and was a big loss as he works his way back after a long break with injury.

Playing with an extra man, Dolphin looked certain to score but Clonmel put in an amazing defensive set to earn a penalty and O’Connor brought play up to the halfway line.

Inspired by the defence, Clonmel played some of their best rugby with 14 men and even won a few penalties of their own. Unfortunately, for the home side, their ambitious attacking play was undone with a couple of knock-ons, a forward pass and a crooked throw in the lineout.

The forward pass was gathered by Dolphin and proved very costly as Clonmel’s attacking line meant there was no one in the back field. The Dolphin out half spotted the space and chipped through expertly for visiting captain and centre, Craig O’Connell, to score under the posts to make it 19 points to 14 on the stoke of half-time.

It was a score against the run of play at a key time in the game and Clonmel would not lead again.

The second half was an arm wrestle with many mistakes and errors, both forced and unforced by the home side. Players most noted for their attacking prowess put in strong defensive shifts, including Freddie Davies who was not afforded much space but put in some big hits. Zak Cahalane worked and tackled hard and chased everything while Tom Ross tackled like a flanker.
Clonmel threatened after a pinpoint throw to the back of the lineout by Delicato was claimed by Melbourne and Clonmel punched up the middle but lost the ball forward.

It was Clonmel’s best period of the game, but the move ended when an obvious knock-on by Dolphin was missed by the officials. These things happen when the pace is fast and furious and the intensity is high but Clonmel also put themselves under pressure, including an ambitious kick that was an inch away from being perfect but went out on the full.

Despite the energy-sapping errors, and a well organised and committed Dolphin defence, Clonmel kept attacking and eventually Huisamen crossed the line but the ball was held up.

It was proving to be one of those days as Clonmel gathered the goal line drop out, but a knock-on handed momentum back to the visitors, who capitalised and played their best rugby of the afternoon.

The next score was a thing of beauty but, unfortunately, went to the club in blue and gold. The pressure was relentless and a deft kick in behind the home defence was gathered by the winger who offloaded to flanker Sheehan, who scored under the post to make it 26 points to 14 to the visitors.

Amazingly, it was the first score in 37 minutes of the second half. Time was running out for Clonmel, but they showed great character to fight back and Tom O’Dea scored his second try of the game in the corner.

The wind was treacherous, rendering the conversion kick almost impossible but Joe O’Connor nailed it to bring the score back to 21 points to 26.

Dolphin threatened to score immediately from the restart but a double hit by captain Henry Buttimer, who had yet another great game for Clonmel, relieved the danger. Unfortunately for the home side, Dolphin were playing with penalty advantage and opted to take the scrum.

Their big number eight powered over despite the best efforts of Jack Walsh, to leave the final score a cruel 33-21 and no points for Clonmel.

Clonmel’s next outing sees them make the long trip to Ballyclare on Easter Saturday. This will be the last trip north for a while and the permutations are both fascinating and head-wrecking! The simplest one is that a win for Clonmel will afford home advantage for the rest of the play-offs and that’s a prize worth fighting for after a positive season.

Clonmel: David Coyne, Brandon Delicato, Sean Wall, Gerrit Huisamen, Keith Melbourne, Tom O’Dea, Ben Masuku, Andrew Daly, Tom Ross, Drew Musa, Freddie Davies, Henry Buttimer (captain), Joe O’Connor, Zak Cahalane, Jack Walsh. Replacements: Liam Ryan, David Brennan, Diarmuid Brannock, Brian O’Dea, Ben O’Dwyer.