Good win in Omagh eases AIL worries for Clonmel with four games remaining

All-Ireland League Division 2C

OMAGH ACADEMICALS 8 CLONMEL 21

After a number of disappointing results of late, Clonmel put in a great performance of intelligent rugby to leave county Tyrone with a much-needed and well-deserved 8-21 victory on Saturday last when away to Omagh.

Division 2C of this All-Ireland league has split into two halves and Clonmel find themselves in the wrong half looking nervously over their shoulder. On Saturday last they needed a win in Omagh to keep the club’s senior status in their own hands. Clonmel has a fine young team but some disappointing results since the Christmas break – none more so than a home loss to Ballina – worried some supporters about momentum and confidence ahead of the four-hour trip up North.

Lying seventh in the AIL, Clonmel were one place and 7 points above Omagh with the home side’s need for a win even greater than their guests. This felt like - and was - a really important game.

Clonmel welcomed back a number of players from injury but were still missing some key players. The squad and a small band of supporters travelled up on Friday night and were joined by two such key players, Henry Buttimer and Jason Monau. It is a testament to the tight bond between this squad and both players acquitted themselves very well off the pitch and have a long career ahead as alickadoos in the future! The up-graded clubhouse was a very attractive proposition on a day when the weather was wet and miserable with a soft pitch.

Omagh kicked off in front of a large home crowd and the first 15 minutes was a mixture of sustained pressure by the hosts and organised and committed defence by the visitors. Clonmel won a number of turnovers and executed some excellent relieving kicks. After continuous Omagh pressure, Clonmel strayed offside and Omagh took three points with an excellent penalty kick from 40 metres in testing conditions.

This was shaping up to be a good but nervous contest and Clonmel started to get a foothold in the game after defending for most of the first 20 minutes. Back at out half, Joey O’Connor featured strongly with a mix of breaks and kicks to get Clonmel into the Omagh half. A precision throw by Brandon Delicato and a great take in the lineout by Tom O’Dea at full stretch set up a maul which marched forward. To those wearing green and black tinted spectacles, the referee awarded a turnover scrum a little too quickly. Clonmel also seemed to be getting on the wrong side of the referee as Captain Diarmuid Devaney was summoned for his second consultation. Devaney led by example throughout and after calling his players together managed to reduce the penalty count also.

Clonmel continued to grow into the game and put together lovely attacking moves featuring forwards and backs. There were strong carries by both second rows, Brannock and Cantwell and it was noticeable how well Harry Lane slotted in at centre. With a pack that was motoring well, the service from the base of the ruck was noticeably quicker and put the home side under massive pressure forcing a penalty on the 22m line which was converted by Joey O’Connor.

From the restart a probing kick by the experienced Alex Sheehan forced a knock-on by Omagh and put Clonmel back on the attack. Clonmel continued to grow into this game and put some nice attacking moves together. One such attacking move ended after Captain Diarmaid was hit with a high tackle. The penalty was converted to leave the score at 3-6 after 30 minutes. It was a deserved but very narrow lead and Clonmel hearts raised a beat when, against the run of play, the Omagh winger made serious ground down the left. To a large collective groan from the home supporters, the inside pass was knocked on due to a combination of defensive pressure and a greasy ball as the try line was beckoning.

Clonmel immediately went back on the attack through a thrilling run by Seamus Keating. After an Omagh knock-on, the pack forced a scrum penalty which was missed. Omagh’s defence was heroic, but such pressure tells and Clonmel eventually forced an offside penalty which was easily converted by O’Connor to leave the score 3-9 at half-time.

The visitors resumed playing their best rugby of the day at the start of the second half. The kick-chase was strong and committed all afternoon and put the home defence under massive pressure. As Omagh tried to exit, Clonmel forced two charge-downs by Tom O’Dea and, shortly after, Harry Lane. From relentless attack, Clonmel had the ball over the try line twice but were held up on both occasions. With the pressure telling on Omagh, Clonmel were awarded a scrum penalty in front of the posts which was converted. Given the conditions, taking the points was a wise decision despite the temptation to reset the scrum. A lead of 3-12 meant Omagh had to score at least twice.

After another period of sustained pressure the Omagh defence which was excellent throughout eventually conceded a penalty which was converted again by O’Connor to put breathing space on the scoreboard and lead of 3-15 to Clonmel.
However, neither Clonmel players nor supporters could relax when, after their first serious attack of the second half, the home side got a try following a strong maul. The tricky conversion was missed leaving the score 8- 15 with about 15 minutes left. Back to a one-score game and all spectators wondered how a draw would affect the permutations in the bottom half of the table.

To their credit, Clonmel stuck with the plan and continued to play clever rugby and progressed back down into home territory. A committed chase resulted in an excellent turnover by number 8, Conor Horan, who had a great game on his return to action. Conor claims to like the heavier ground and this could be seen in his performance all afternoon. After a couple of more phases, the home side were penalised for a high tackle on the number 8. With O’Connor in top form from the kicking tee, Clonmel took a lead of 8-18.

As the clock wound down and with Omagh chasing a losing bonus point, an excellent turnover by Tom O’Dea resulted in the ball being transferred quickly through the hands. Zack O’Loughlin made serious ground up the right wing before kicking ahead. He was tackled after the kick and Clonmel were awarded a penalty right out on the touchline right in front of the large home support. Joe O’Connor crowned an excellent display and made it seven kicks from eight to leave the final score 8 - 21.

CLOGHER VALLEY TO VISIT
All the team played very well. The lineout was a highlight and source of secure ball which was a testament to the forward pack on a difficult day. Momentum and confidence restored after an excellent performance as Clonmel look forward to welcoming league leaders, Clogher Valley to Ard Gaoithe on March 2.

Clonmel team v Omagh

Forwards; Tim Nugent, Brandon Delicato, Juan Cruz, Tony Cantwell, Diarmuid Brannock, Tom O’Dea, Diarmuid Devaney (c) Conor Horan.
Backs; Alex Sheehan, Josef O’Connor, Harry Lane, Conor Hogan, Luke Hogan, Zac O’Loughlin, Seamus Keating.
Replacements; Liam Ryan, Sean Sweetman, Conor Bowen, Lar Houlihan, Ben O’Dwyer.