If Cork Constitution had a complex about Dave McHugh's refereeing they'll have an even bigger one after this fluctuating encounter. To begin with Clontarf rocked Constitution on their heels with a an early 17-point barrage. Thereafter Con played pretty much all the rugby in scoring four tries before a dubious late tackle decision by McHugh enabled Richie Murphy to land his ninth kick from nine in the 87th minute to pilfer an unlikely win.
Con's consolations were a couple of bonus points, which made this the equivalent of a draw for them and gave them a two-point lead at the top of the table as well as an eight-point buffer from fifth-placed Dungannon. They will also console themselves with the knowledge that after a sluggish start Con played some smashing rugby, mixing the close-in hard yardage game with some pacey, continuity play out wide. It was a potent cocktail which might have yielded another four tries but for last-ditch tackles and lack of support.
For Clontarf, their quickfire, sleeves-rolled-up start, sheer guts and gameness, along with the unerring boot of Murphy had the more tangible benefit of yielding a fifth win (all of them here at Castle Avenue) and with it virtually ensuring division one status. Murphy had missed Clontarf's last two matches after his wife Stephanie had given birth to their first child Ben last Monday.
Primary target runner Dave Moore was the instigator-in-chief of their barnstorming start as he pummelled through almost at will. Fittingly too, both of Clontarf's early tries came from moves off his pick-ups at the base of scrums and were scored by Con AIL medal winners from two seasons ago. First lock Donal Sheahan was mauled over off a back-row move and then David O'Brien slipped out of Conor Mahony's poor tackle off a flat pass by Murphy which had actually made O'Brien check, though the talented Con centre would redeem himself handsomely. Murphy augmented both conversions with a penalty to make it 17-0.
A reverse penalty against Con denied O'Gara a near certain three points and underlined the traditionally tetchy relationship between McHugh and Con, whose coach Brian Hickey once had the temerity to criticise the Grade A international referee. From the start Hickey was angrily beseeching his bench not to criticise McHugh while his players pointedly buttoned each others lips throughout as they tiptoed on eggshells.
O'Gara opened their account soon after and Con gave note of their intentions with a sweetly executed try from Brian O'Meara's tap and go, for the elusive Derek Dillon to score. O'Gara traded further penalties with Murphy before O'Meara tapped another penalty inside his own 22. "O'Meara what are you doing?" bemoaned one member of the Con bench but it soon became clear as Conor Mahony released Tommy Kiernan and then took a return pass inside before eventually putting the supporting O'Gara over. The latter converted this sublime score to leave it 20-18, though by then Con might have been ahead but for a failure to support clean incisions by Anthony Horgan (forced off with a calf strain) and both Mahony centres, before Walsh hit the upright with a drop goal attempt.
Turning around with a slight wind, Con turned the screw. Frankie Sheahan pounced on Ronan O'Reilly's fumble off a Clontarf line-out after O'Gara's huge touch find and Conor Mahony supported the elusive Derek Dillon on the inside after O'Gara had deftly switched the point of attack for further tries.
However, a lob-sided penalty count ensured that four second-half penalties by Murphy to one by O'Gara had seen the lead change hands twice more and with Bobby Baggott binned after scarcely 30 seconds on the pitch for taking out Donnacha O'Callaghan, Clontarf desperately sought to keep the ball alive through countless phases inside their own 22.
Eventually, the ball worked its way to Ollie Winchester who slipped out of Dillon's tackle and chipped ahead as Walsh, committed to the tackle, clattered into him. The ball skewed over the touchline, Walsh and Con maintaining he had deflected the ball, while Winchester went theatrically to ground but McHugh awarded a penalty for a late tackle 15 metres infield and about 35 metres out. And there was never any doubt, even into a now declining breeze, that Murphy would suddenly lose his range.
Scoring sequence - 1 min: Sheehan try, Murphy con 7-0; 5 mins: O'Brien try, Murphy con 14-0; 8 mins: Murphy pen 17-0; 18 mins: O'Gara pen 17-3; 20 mins: Dillon try 17-8; 31 mins: O'Gara pen 17-11; 33 mins: Murphy pen 20-11; 35 mins: O'Gara try and con 20-18; 42 mins: Sheahan try, O'Gara con 20-25; 49 mins: Murphy pen 23-25; 56 mins: Conor Mahony try 23-30; 58 mins: Murphy pen 26-30; 66 mins: Murphy pen 29-30; 70 mins: Murphy pen 32-30; 78 mins: O'Gara pen 32-33; 87 mins: Murphy pen 35-33.
CLONTARF: K Nowlan; D Rossi, D O'Brien (capt), J Downey, O Winchester; R Murphy, R O'Reilly; W O'Kelly, T Kearns, A Clarke, D Sheehan, B Gissing, S McEntee, D Moore, A Cullen. Replacements: D Quinn for McEntee, D O'Shea for Nowlan (both 59 mins), T Foucher for O'Kelly (67 mins), G Kavanagh for O'Reilly (71 mins), B Baggott for Cullen (77 mins).
CORK CONSTITUTION: B Walsh; D Dillon, Conor Mahony, Cian Mahony, A Horgan; R O'Gara, B O'Meara (capt); R McGrqath, F Sheahan, J O'Driscoll, K Murphy, M O'Driscoll, C Taylor, D O'Callaghan, J Murray. Replacements: T Kiernan for Horgan (25 mins), J Fogarty for Murray (54 mins), I Murray for McGrath (64 mins), R O'Donovan for Cian Mahony (67 mins).
Referee: D McHugh (IRFU)
