Garryowen Prevail Thanks To Try Double
Centres Conan Doyle and Corey Hircock crossed for tries as Garryowen came away from Castle Avenue with a prized 23-13 win over north Dublin heavyweights Clontarf.
Former Clontarf captain Barry O'Mahony, now clad in light blue, was hoping to put one over on the hosts, tweeting beforehand about coming 'back to the Bull Ring for the first time'.
O'Mahony's back row colleagues Anthony Kavanagh, Shane Buckley and Thomas Anderson all impressed as the Limerick side made it two victories out of two in Division 1A.
After a delayed kick-off, Garryowen were first off the mark thanks to a drop goal from influential young out-half Jamie Gavin.
The hosts were unable to make best use of their lion's share of possession and a penalty from Gavin, tucked away from in front of the posts, made it 6-0.
The Light Blues, despite a solid set piece game, were on the back foot coming up to half-time and leaked three points to Richie Lane.
The 'Tarf place-kicker squared things up early in the second period, only for Garryowen to raise their game.
They took advantage of a series of missed tackles to send Conan Doyle in for a converted 50th minute try. The initial damage was caused by a terrific long range burst from winger Cian O'Shea.
Despite suffering a sin-binning when James Rael saw yellow, Tom Tierney's men remained in control with Corey Hircock's opportunist try and a neatly-struck penalty completing Gavin's 13-point haul.
A late try from number 8 Martin Garvey was mere consolation for a Clontarf team that struggled to make an impact in the second half, leaving them winless from their opening two league fixtures.
Referee: Mark Patton (IRFU)