Clondalkin RFC’s first XV are determined that victory in their last Leinster League Division 1A match of the year against Enniscorthy will see them claim the honour of going the entirety of 2014 unbeaten at home in all competions.
Their victory over Coolmine at Gordon Park last weekend puts them in prime position to achieve that milestone, and they come up against the Wexford side, currently placed second in Division 1A and nine points ahead of Clon, this weekend.
Coolmine started the better team, and dominated possession for the first 20 minutes, and kicked two penalties to go 6-0 ahead in the opening quarter of the match.
Clon got back into the mix when Owen Delaney collected a crossfield from Chris Jebb and went in at the corner, and a tough conversion kick from the touchline was narrowly missed by Jebb.
The remainder of the half was nip and tuck, and there was a point in the difference at half-time.
From the restart kick, Paul Nolan put in a big tackle on the receiver and from the ensuing ruck, Clon managed to extract possession and scrum half Michael Russell chipped the ball over the top in behind the Coolmine backs and gathered his own kick to score, and Jebb converted to put Clon into a 12-6 lead.
Almost immediately thereafter, Clondalkin again scored a try to put them into a clear lead, which came from a scrum in midfield which saw number 8 Derek Glennon attack through midfield, for out-half Jebb to cover almost 20m to receive Glennon’s offload and romp in under the posts.
However, Coolmine staged a revival with a pair of penalties and a converted try to bring them level with Clondalkin as the game entered its final phase.
Clon did not make things easy on themselves when a yellow card was issued and they went down to 14 men for the last eight minutes.
Clon took possession against the run of play, and Jebb attempted a penalty from the halfway line that went just barely shy of the posts. From the resulting 22, possession ping-ponged before once again, Clon were awarded a penalty that Jebb did manage to slot, giving Clondalkin victory with the final kick of the game.
They face Enniscorthy at home this weekend, having previously faced the Wexford side away from home earlier in the season in a tough match that they lost 22-17 at Ross Road.
