Halloween treat as Clonmel move to outright leadership of Division 2B South

Clonmel 16 Old Crescent 5

Old Crescent landed the first blow, but Clonmel had the last say on Halloween in this All- Ireland League Division 2B South clash in Clonmel on Saturday.

A fiercely committed defensive display, a Tom Ross try and the steady boot of Josef O’Connor carried the home side to victory at Ard Gaoithe — and sole possession of top spot in Division 2B South.

After the storms of the previous week, the weather behaved itself. The rugby was less gentle. The joint leaders tore into an arm-wrestle of bruising carries and crunching tackles, with Gerrit Huisamen, Keith Melbourne, Andrew Daly, Henry Buttimer and Jack Walsh setting the tone for Clonmel.

The hosts thought they had opened their account after kicking a high-tackle penalty to the corner, only for a penalty to the defending side to wipe out the score. It would become a familiar frustration.

Instead, Old Crescent struck first. With Melbourne in the sin bin after a decision that looked harsh, the visitors moved the ball smartly and Junior Okafor finished in the corner after ten minutes. At 5–0 down and a man short, Clonmel had a few ghosts to chase away.

They did it the hard way. David Brennan helped the seven-man scrum earn a precious penalty to lift the siege, while the home defence dug in. Old Crescent had made a lively start; remarkably, they would not score again.

O’Connor settled home nerves with a penalty from 40 metres. Clonmel were back in the contest at 5–3, and Walsh’s sharp break through a gap at a ruck soon had Old Crescent retreating.

The visitors then lost their number 5, Kinloch, to the sin bin for a deliberate knock-on. Again, Clonmel went to the corner, again they crossed the line — and again the celebrations were cut short, this time by an obstruction decision.

The home crowd might have wondered whether those missed chances would come back to haunt them. Clonmel kept their heads. O’Connor’s next penalty edged them 6–5 ahead around the half-hour, before an AJ Thomas break up the left ended with another penalty against the hosts in the attacking zone.

The breakthrough finally came after Jason Monua threatened the line, with O’Connor running a strong support line alongside him. From the next phase, scrum half Tom Ross — a constant nuisance around the fringes — crashed over to the left of the posts. O’Connor converted, and Clonmel went in 13–5 ahead.

Old Crescent came out swinging after the interval. Okafor threatened a second try up the right wing, only for Thomas to bundle him into touch with an excellent covering tackle.

The pack then took its turn to slam the door. With Crescent pressing after a penalty to the corner, Melbourne and his colleagues won a crucial maul turnover, greeted with the sort of roar usually reserved for a try. A scrum penalty brought further relief.

Clonmel went on to enjoy the better of the half, although turning pressure into points remained maddeningly difficult. An interception and repeated held-up decisions denied them, leaving the scoreboard looking distinctly modest beside the afternoon’s effort.

Daly remained a powerful presence despite taking a heavy knock, while Huisamen’s work in the tight and loose earned him the man-of-the-match award. This was a day when the less glamorous jobs mattered every bit as much as the finishing touches.

The only score of the half arrived on 70 minutes. A penalty on halfway was advanced ten metres after Old Crescent protested, and O’Connor gratefully supplied the finishing touch for a 16–5 lead.

With Clonmel’s defence in no mood to hand out Halloween treats, two visiting scores never looked likely in this tight contest. Fittingly, Melbourne won the turnover penalty that brought the game to its close.

There will be plenty for the video review, not least the chances that slipped away and the repeated held-up calls. But the most important evidence was on the scoreboard: Clonmel had beaten their fellow leaders without conceding a point after the tenth minute.

The victory leaves Clonmel as the only unbeaten team in the division and alone at the summit on 24 points, four clear of the chasing pack. There is a long road ahead, with some big games to come; not least a visit to Bruff next Saturday at 2.30.

If international rugby is your thing, Clonmel RFC has tickets available for Ireland v Fiji on Saturday November 14. Apply by emailing [email protected]

Clonmel: Jason Monua, Brandon Delicato, David Brennan, Conor Bowen, Keith Melbourne, Gerrit Huisamen, Ben Masuku, Andrew Daly, Tom Ross, Josef O’Connor, Michael Connellan, Henry Buttimer (captain), Robert Wall, AJ Thomas, Jack Walsh.

Replacements: Tim Nugent, Billy Coffey, Zak Cahalane, Brian O’Dea, Ben O’Dwyer.