Clontarf FC 27-28 Terenure College RFC The 1st XV pulled off one of the great comebacks yesterday, as they overcame a 19 point half time deficit to beat Clontarf in the Leinster Senior League opener. In almost perfect conditions for rugby, both sides played out an enthralling game for the Kennedy-McCann Trophy in Castle Avenue. Facing into the breeze and up the hill in the first half, Terenure started well, looking sharp in their first game of the season. Clontarf had played two friendlies before this encounter, and eventually it showed, as a couple of defensive mix-ups allowed them to gain a healthy advantage at the break. Tarf struck first, as the ball shot out of a wheeled scrum in the Terenure 22, leaving a gap that allowed their outhalf to get close to the line before offloading for the score. However, a turnover let Terenure clear upfield, where a wicked bounce beat the covering defence and allowed Graham Coffey to offload neatly for John Bollard to score in the corner to bring the scores back to 7-5 to the hosts. A couple of breakdown penalties allowed Clontarf to take a grip on the game, and their out half was unerring with the boot. Mark O’Neill fought back with a penalty of his own, but two quick-fire tries just before half time allowed Clontarf to stretch the lead to 27-8 at the break. A big lead, but Terenure were never far off in terms of performance. The handling in particular was impressive, with new signing Fergal Walsh showing some nice touches (for a second row!) and winger Shane Donavan taking a great catch from a garryowen. Set pieces were impressive, and despite a couple of losses, the lineout picked up where it left off last year, with Al Dunlop pinching a couple of opposition throws. With the O’Neills sniping from half-back, and Graham Coffey consistently getting over the gainline, you felt the scoreline didn’t truly reflect the parity on the field, and the second half backed this up. Playing with the slight advantage that the breeze allowed, Terenure continued to grow into the game. After a turnover in their own 22, the ball was worked left to great effect, and after a couple of phases close to the Tarf line, the backs combined perfectly to put prop Jonny Barretto over close to the sticks. Mark O’Neill tagged on the extras, and the game was on. Continued Nure pressure led to another penalty for O’Neill, before a trademark rolling maul led to captain James O’Neill squirming his was over the line, with O’Neill succesful with the conversion – 27-25. Clontarf came roaring back, earning a couple of penalties in the Terenure 22. An error at a lineout allowed Terenure to clear their lines, but Tarf weren’t going to go away easily, and earned a penalty from a scrum close to the Terenure line. They chose another scrum, but an almighty heave from the Terenure eight reversed the penalty and relieved the pressure. Before long, it was Terenure’s turn to earn a shot at goal, and they didn’t turn it down. O’Neill banged it over to give Terenure the lead at 28-27. The hosts didn’t give up, and a penalty from out wide gave them the chance to steal the match back at the death. It went narrowly wide however, and more excellent defence in midfield finished the game off. Twenty unanswered points in the second half were enough to start to the season in style, and were just reward for a dominant second half performance. For a first outing this season, it didn’t take long for Terenure to get into the swing of things, and they grew into the match. Against a side who finished 3rd in Division 1A last season, the pack did more than hold it’s own, strong in set pieces and dynamic around the park, with Alex Dunlop in particular linking well with the back line. Graham Coffey had a standout game at inside centre, while Ryan Roopnarisingh was impressively calm at full back. New signings Richie Smith and Fran Cooney impressed on debut, replacing Mark O’Neill and Coffey respectively. Bective are up next in the Leinster Senior League, next Saturday in Donnybrook. A great start to the season, and surely a sign of good things to come. Terenure team: 1. Jonny Barretto 2. Robbie Smyth 3. Keith Molloy 4. Fergal Walsh 5. Brian Moroney 6. John Dever 7. James O’Neill (c) 8. Alex Dunlop 9. Kevin O’Neill 10. Mark O’Neill 11. Harry Moore 12. Graham Coffey 13. John Bollard 14. Shane Donovan 15. Ryan Roopnarisingh Replacements: Gary Hamilton for Barretto, Kev O’Dwyer for Moroney, Fran Cooney for Coffey, Richie Smith for Roopnarisingh.