O’Brien Powers Clontarf To Bonus Point Win
Clontarf and Buccaneers shared out 11 tries in a free-flowing, attack-dominated clash at Castle Avenue on Saturday afternoon, with the north Dubliners running out easy winners.
AIB LEAGUE: DIVISION ONE: Saturday, March 28
CLONTARF 46 BUCCANEERS 26, Castle Avenue
Scorers: Clontarf Tries: Niall O’Brien 3, Ben Reilly, Daragh O’Shea, Phil Howard, Adrian Clarke; Cons: Martin Dufficy 2, Daragh O’Shea 2; Pen: Daragh O’Shea
Buccaneers: Tries: Alan Gaughan, Kolo Kiripati 2, John O’Brien; Cons: Alan Gaughan 3
Some lacklustre defending from Buccs let them down, particularly in a first half which ended 34-7 in the home side’s favour.
Clontarf had the bonus point chalked up by the end of the first quarter, after tries from former Buccs and Connacht winger Niall O’Brien, Ben Reilly, team captain Daragh O’Shea and Phil Howard.
That put Andy Wood’s men into a clear 24-0 lead.
Buccs got themselves up and running with a well-executed try from Alan Gaughan, who added the conversion himself.
But ‘Tarf closed out the half in fine form with a second try for O’Brien, a conversion from Martin Dufficy and a penalty from O’Shea.
Credit to Buccs, they made a real fight of it in the second half and managed to close the gap to 34-26.
The visitors scored 19 points without replay as big back rower Kolo Kiripati grabbed a brace of tries and John O’Brien also crossed the whitewash, with Gaughan kicking two conversions.
However, ‘Tarf reasserted their dominance in the closing ten minutes when experienced prop Adrian Clarke touched down and Niall O’Brien claimed his hat-trick score.
It was a barnstorming effort from the AIB Club international player as he intercepted a pass close to his own try-line and sprinted clear and all the way to the other posts.
Dufficy’s conversion brought the curtain down on a memorable game.