Clane 24-12 RCSI: Third bonus point of the season for Clane

Clane solidified a mid table finish this season after a comeback victory against RCSI on Sunday. Surgeons had gotten the better of the home team in the early weeks of the season and secured a bonus point victory. They had won the majority of contests between the two sides over the last few seasons , becoming somewhat of a bogey team for Clane. This time however, Clane managed to overcome their familiar rivals.

This contest seemed to be shaping up the same way at first. Surgeons managed to break down their right hand side, exploiting an exposed blindside from Clane. Some handy offloads followed, allowing them to cross the line early on. They quickly added to their score, giving the Surgeons confidence that they could follow up an impressive win away at Dogos last time out. They were able to find more space out wide by spreading the ball quickly. Surgeons utilised their pace out wide to find a gap and break a tackle, and were in again. Fifteen minutes in, Clane were down 12-0 after struggling to gain much of a foothold in the game.

This seemed to wake the home side up, and they soon started to gain the ascendancy. Powered by Robbie Hyland’s excellent kicking, Clane began to win the territory battle. Their first major chance came when they were given advantage on the RCSI ten-metre line. Enda O’Connell opportunistically chipped through, reached the ball first, and kicked on again. Hyland’s follow up kick was just a tad too long to reach however, going out of play before he could reach it. Clane wouldn’t have to wait much longer for the breakthrough. Surgeons failed to clear their lines and Clane began to cycle through the phases in the opposition 22. Wayne Fox managed to break two tackles before offloading to Ronan Connolly who crashed over for his 3rd try of the season.

Clane started the second half 12-5 down, but quickly went about fixing their initial issues. Whereas the first half saw some sluggish attacking, the home side had no such problems early in the second. A quick tap allowed Noel Casey free reign down the wing, before offloading to Fox. The ball eventually made its way to Jon Slattery, who was tackled 10 metres out. Clane kept their patience and again built up the pressure though some great carrying from the forwards. Connolly almost found his way over the line again from a penalty, but was just about kept out. Luke Gannon spotted a gap in the ruck defence however, and wormed his way across the whitewash. Brian Corbett added the extras to level the scores.

Momentum had definitely shifted at this point, but Surgeons were not content to sit back quietly. After winning a few penalties in quick succession, they marched up into Clane’s 22. This seemed to be the turning point off the game. Clane’s renewed focus in attack after half time carried over to their defence. This unlocked a totally new level of aggression that drove RCSI back outside the 22. Corbett and O’Connell led the tackle count with some ferocious efforts, and eventually this defensive excellence allowed Clane to turn the ball over and clear. Soon after, they were over the line again. Another quick tap-and-go from a penalty pushed the away side into their own 22 again, only for Slattery to be tackled into touch. The pressure did not let up however, as their line out was put under scrutiny next. RCSI chose to pass short, but were met with a quick defensive line who hit hard and forced a turnover. Slattery then popped up again to drive over from the base of the ruck, giving Clane their first lead of the game.

Surgeons tried to regain some ground, but they faced a defence that showed no signs of letting them do so. They managed to keep possession for a spell, but again were turned over by their opposition. The visitors were again forced back to their own 22, where an attempted breakaway was met by Corbett, who ended it with a dominant dump tackle. Clane then repeated their trick from earlier and began to use their forwards to go through the phases. They drove across the pitch initially, but Fox finally found the gap, and managed to touch down and secure the bonus point. Corbett nailed the conversion, leaving Clane 12 points in front. There were a few more chances for Clane to add to their score, but they couldn’t make it stick on a pitch that had withstood a lot of damage up until that point.

A first win of 2020 for Clane then, in a year that has been badly set back by storms so far. Indeed, this was only the fourth time the team have taken the field this year, with their momentum from the end of 2019 impacted by the unusually large gaps between games. With the team taking on Portarlington next week, everyone will be hoping they can end the league campaign on a high note. Both teams have their positions set at this point, but Clane will be looking to end the season with as many wins as possible, as focus shifts to the cup.