Wegians fall to powerful Clontarf for a second time

Date Published: {J}

Galwegians suffered a second comprehensive defeat this season at the hands of Clontarf on Saturday. In the corresponding fixture last October in Glenina, the Blues were well beaten on a try-count of five to one, and it was a case of déjà vu on Saturday as they had no answer to a powerful performance from the runaway leaders of the Ulster Bank AIL Division 1b.

The Blues got off to a promising start when they took an early lead through a penalty by young out-half Tadhg Leader, but the north Dublin outfit soon gained the upper hand, setting up camp in the visitors half.They made the breakthrough and took the lead with their first try which came from winger Mick McGrath, but the Blues will be disappointed with their defence which was breached all too easily. The hosts then put themselves in a commanding position of the game before half-time, running in two further tries.

One came from a trademark lineout maul by their dominant pack which saw Aaron Dundon ground the ball, and before the break their promising young out-half Noel Reid ran in try number three. However place-kicker Martin Dufficy was not having his best day with the boot, landing only one conversion from three to give the hosts a 17-3 half-time lead.

Any chance of a Blues revival was ended within 10 minutes of the restart, as Bernard Jackman’s ‘Tarf continued their domination and effectively made the game safe with a bonus point fourth try, this time ex-Dolphin flanker Barry O’Mahony getting the touch down.

However credit is due to Wegians who stuck to their task, and their hard work was rewarded after the hour mark with a penalty try following strong forward pressure on the Clontarf try-line.

For more, read this week's Connacht Sentinel.