Out half Mark O’Neill had received a yellow card on the stroke of half time, so James Thornton entered the fray and made an immediate impact, stopping Mick McGrath dead in his tracks with a thundering tackle close to our line, before knocking over  a penalty to regain the lead. It proved to be the template for most of the second half, with the home side controlling possession and territory, only kept out by heroic defence. Second rows Fergal Walsh and John Dever challenged the back row for most tackles, and sub Kev O’Dwyer flattened a couple of Tarf players. Eventually the pressure told, and despite claims of a knock on, a try was awarded and converted.

Bad went to worse, as O’Dwyer was adjudged to be offside for one tackle, and received our second yellow card. However, as with the first sinbin period, we came back into the game with 14 men, and were almost over following a driving lineout maul. Despite the pressure we put on Tarf, we couldn’t find the score, and the match ended 16-11. The losing bonus point keeps us four points ahead of Clontarf in second place, and our players can take heart from knowing that despite not hitting the high standards we’ve become used to, they still came away from the home of the All Ireland champions with a bonus point.