Clontarf Set Up Shot At Back-To-Back #EnergiaAIL Crowns

Captain Dylan Donnellan’s 18th try of the season helped Clontarf to qualify for their eighth Energia All-Ireland League final in 10 years, as they emerged as 39-28 play-off winners over Lansdowne at Castle Avenue. Watch the match back on irishrugby+.

ENERGIA ALL-IRELAND LEAGUE MEN’S DIVISION 1A SEMI-FINAL:

Saturday, April 18 –

CLONTARF 39 LANSDOWNE 28, Castle Avenue
Scorers: Clontarf: Tries: Fionn Gilbert, Jordan Coghlan, Hugh Cooney, Dan Magner, Dylan Donnellan; Cons: Conor Kelly 4; Pens: Conor Kelly 2
Lansdowne: Tries: Juan Beukes 2, Bobby Sheehan, Barry Fitzpatrick; Cons: Stephen Madigan 2, Charlie Tector 2
HT: Clontarf 0 Lansdowne 14

Advancing to face St. Mary’s College in next Sunday’s decider, Clontarf scored 29 points in a hugely productive 26-minute period either side of half-time. They had out-half Conor Kelly in talismanic form with 14 points from the tee and two try assists.

Andy Wood’s men will bid to become Division 1A’s first back-to-back champions since Shannon in the early 2000s. Lansdowne scored four tries, contributing handsomely to a high-quality encounter, but could not avoid their fifth semi-final defeat since 2019.

With the wind behind them, Declan Fassbender’s charges briefly led 14-7 thanks to tries from Juan Beukes and Bobby Sheehan, but Clontarf capitalised on Cillian Redmond’s sin-binning to go into the second half with a 21-14 advantage.

Jordan Coghlan and Leinster’s Hugh Cooney both finished smartly, adding to Fionn Gilbert’s 14th-minute score. With their scrum and lineout hugely influential, ‘Tarf kicked on with replacement Dan Magner and Donnellan both crossing, and Kelly reaching double figures with the boot.

Narrow 19-17 semi-final losers at the same venue last year, Lansdowne were unable to trouble ‘Tarf’s lead despite Barry Fitzpatrick getting over and Beukes completing his brace. Portlaoise man Kelly’s 70th-minute penalty booked the hosts’ return trip to the Aviva Stadium.

Kelly pushed a penalty wide inside the opening two minutes, and while it was a cagey start to the game, Lansdowne’s variation in attack saw them made inroads. They had two close-in lineout opportunities, but a Paul Deeny steal took the pressure off ‘Tarf.

The north Dubliners succeeded in opening the scoring on the quarter hour mark. Quick lineout ball allowed Peter Maher to gain ground on the right, before Gilbert ran onto a Sam Owens pass to ghost through a gap and gallop in behind the posts. Kelly made it a full seven-pointer.

Nonetheless, Lansdowne were back level by the midpoint of the first half. Matt Healy, their go-to lineout jumper, and Charlie Tector – on for injured captain Andy Marks – both carried well before Beukes broke around the side of a ruck in determined fashion to get the visitors off the mark.

Following Stephen Madigan’s conversion to square things up, Harry O’Riordan came to Lansdowne’s rescue when the electric Maher launched a dangerous counter attack and went close to retrieving his kick through. O’Riordan scampered back to make sure he was first to the ball, then drawing a high tackle.

The headquarters club profited from some more Clontarf indiscipline, using their lineout as an launchpad again. Leinster’s Hugo McLaughlin and Madigan made incisions deep inside the 22, before the forwards took over, with Sheehan eventually burrowing over for his 11th try of the campaign.

However, ‘Tarf put together a big finish to the first half. Redmond’s yellow card for a deliberate knock-on invited them forward, and two defenders could not prevent Coghlan from powering over out on the right. Kelly converted and also supplied the assist for Cooney’s 36th-minute effort.

Gilbert gobbled up a high ball, and Maher went on another dazzling run before unfortunately hobbling off. As Lansdowne try to realign in defence, Kelly released Cooney for a pacy 40-metre run-in. An Aaron Coleman turnover penalty, coupled with a Dylan O’Grady burst, saw ‘Tarf hold onto the momentum.

Inside six minutes of the restart, young winger Magner got on the scoresheet by touching a Kelly cross-field kick that had a low trajectory to it but got away from the covering James Tarrant. The out-half increased his influence with another crisp strike from the tee to open up a 28-14 lead.

Wood’s side also continued to force scrum penalties, their latest one allowing Kelly to widen the margin to 17 points. He then flighted a 50:22 kick out to the right, and off the back of a maul penalty, a strong forwards drive saw hooker Donnellan crash over out wide.

Credit to Lansdowne, they mustered a fast reply with their backs and forwards combining to very good effect. Sheehan brilliantly bounced off a couple of tackles and offloaded for replacement Fitzpatrick to raid over from the right wing. Tector, moving to out-half, swung over the conversion, leaving 15 points in it (36-21).

Driven on by a bandaged-up Marks, the visitors tried to get speed merchant Cathal Eddy into open space. But he was well marshalled by Conor Gibney, who carried an attacking threat himself when ‘Tarf moved back downfield. Kelly punished a high tackle from Tector with three more points.

Donnellan conceded a penalty at the breakdown, giving Lansdowne a promising position on the clubhouse side. As the rain came down, they kept plugging away, winning a scrum penalty before their reward came in the form of South African Beukes’ second score, converted from straight in front by Tector.

There was still time for Beukes to threaten to register a hat-trick, the big second row striding towards the try-line before Kelly brought him down with a well-timed tap tackle. Fitzpatrick was held up soon after in what was Lansdowne’s last scoring opportunity.

TIME LINE: 2 minutes – Clontarf penalty: missed by Conor Kelly – 0-0; 14 mins – Clontarf try: Fionn Gilbert – 5-0; conversion: Conor Kelly – 7-0; 18 mins – Lansdowne try: Juan Beukes – 7-5; conversion: Stephen Madigan – 7-7; 24 mins – Lansdowne try: Bobby Sheehan – 7-12; conversion: Stephen Madigan – 7-14; 30 mins – Lansdowne yellow card: Cillian Redmond; 33 mins – Clontarf try: Jordan Coghlan – 12-14; conversion: Conor Kelly – 14-14; 36 mins – Clontarf try: Hugh Cooney – 19-14; conversion: Conor Kelly – 21-14; Half-time – Clontarf 21 Lansdowne 14; 46 mins – Clontarf try: Dan Magner – 26-14; conversion: Conor Kelly – 28-14; 54 mins – Clontarf penalty: Conor Kelly – 31-14; 59 mins – Clontarf try: Dylan Donnellan – 36-14; conversion: missed by Conor Kelly – 36-14; 62 mins – Lansdowne try: Barry Fitzpatrick – 36-19; conversion: Charlie Tector – 36-21; 70 mins – Clontarf penalty: Conor Kelly – 39-21; 78 mins – Lansdowne try: Juan Beukes – 39-26; conversion: Charlie Tector – 39-28; Full-time – Clontarf 39 Lansdowne 28

CLONTARF: Tadhg Bird; Dylan O’Grady, Hugh Cooney, Daniel Hawkshaw, Peter Maher; Conor Kelly, Sam Owens; Ivan Soroka, Dylan Donnellan (capt), Charlie Ward, Fionn Gilbert, Jim Peters, Paul Deeny, Aaron Coleman, Jordan Coghlan.

Replacements: Declan Adamson, Conor Bateman, Richie Whelan, Michael Moloney, Dan Magner, Conor Gibney, Darragh Doyle, Alvin Amaniampong.

LANSDOWNE: James Tarrant; Cillian Redmond, Andy Marks (capt), Harry O’Riordan, Hugo McLaughlin; Stephen Madigan, Jack Matthews; George Morris, Bobby Sheehan, Greg McGrath, Ruairi Clarke, Juan Beukes, Matt Healy, Ross O’Neill, Paul Wilson.

Replacements: Tom Barry, Julien Valleise, Evann Shelley, Louis McGauran, Barry Fitzpatrick, James Kenny, Charlie Tector, Cathal Eddy.

Referee: Keane Davison (IRFU)