Dublin Dogos 28-19 Clane: Late drama means heartbreak for Clane
After an opening 15 minutes that ended the game against Portarlington as a contest last week, Clane travelled to Monkstown hoping to make amends and close the gap to their opponents as the sharp end of the season approached. However, the opening exchanges took on a familiar shape as Robin Michel took charge for Dogos. His pace and trickery broke Clane’s line before feeding Conor Rubalcava, who was able to run in for an easy score. Michel repeated the trick minutes later, again using the offload to find a teammate as Will Hansen ran in Dogos’ second try. Tough conditions resulted in handling errors and difficult clearing kicks for Clane as they attempted to find a foothold in the game, and their mistakes were punished soon after. Michel and Hansen combined well again from a quickly taken penalty, allowing the latter to give the hosts a 21 point lead.
The weather then turned slightly, allowing Clane to escape their own half and attempt a comeback. Clever kicking kept the home side pinned back, and ensured the ball was out of the hands of their dangerous runners. Cormac Palmer thought he had touched down for Clane, but was just about held up over the line. Dogos cleared, but it wasn’t long before the visitors were knocking at the door again. Clane dominated the scrum all game, and used this platform to allow Ronan Connolly to get inches away from the tryline. Wayne Fox was denied too, before Stephen Dwyer squirmed over with a quick pick and go, a move fast becoming his trademark. This gave his side a ray of hope going in to the second half, but there was still plenty of work to do.
Clane continued to starve their opponents of the ball, but their attack was too blunt to make serious gains in to Dogos’ territory. They were causing some frustration though, leading to ill discipline from their opponents. Michael Rogerson saw yellow for the Dublin side first, followed off the pitch soon after by Pierre-Jean Quiers. As soon as the pair returned, Thomas Marashi received a red card for kicking out at a tackler, while Maximilien Shalice’s high tackle saw him leave the field for 10 minutes too. Despite this numerical superiority, Clane continued to struggle to make major inroads in attack. Dogos were dogged in defence, rebuffing the Clane pack and utilising their line speed to avoid being exposed out wide.
Their efforts finally tired them out enough to create cracks in the defence though, and the Kildare side capitalised with minutes remaining. Jimmy McMahon received at pace, bursting down the wing in space that had eluded him and his teammates for most of the game. He was tackled, but managed to turn and find the onrushing Enda O’Connell who would not be caught before scoring in the corner. Clane now had the bit between their teeth, and replaced their passivity with aggression. Great hands from Fox and Joel Dyer released the backs again, and Matthew Betts-Symonds galloped down the touchline and found McMahon. He wouldn’t be stopped this time, and touched down under the posts to put Clane only 2 points down and ready to receive the ball again.
The game had one last twist in it however. An ambitious pass didn’t go to hand, and Dogos finally had the ball back again. They pounced on the error, pouring numbers through the middle as Clane tried to scramble back after being in attack mode for so long. As the clock reached 80 minutes, Hansen crept over the line for his hattrick and the decisive score of the match. It was as devastating for the visiting team as it was euphoric for the Monkstown outfit, as Clane went from a potential bonus point victory to leaving Dublin with nothing. It represented a 9 point swing in the league table and gives Dogos an essentially unassailable lead over Clane in the battle for a playoff spot.
Next up for Clane is their final home game of the league season against North Meath/Athboy, acting as a dress rehearsal for their clash in the first round of the Towns Cup next month and an opportunity to bounce back from two disappointing results.
Dogos: Robin Michel, Conor Rubalcava, Andres Villar, Jose Laphizondo, Benjamin Swift, Gonzalo Saenz, Thomas Marashi, Ben Scroppe, Dara Higgins, William Hansen, Oliver Hamilton, Edurado Ramirez, Christopher Golding, Maximilien Shalloe, Alan Glynn.
Replacements: Cathal Dempsey, Rodrigo Maruso, Michael Rogerson, Vicente Dasal III, Joaquin Aleanzi Fernandez, Pierre jean Quiers, Jack Scroope.
Clane: Barry Connolly, Oisin Shortt, Jimmy McMahon, Matthew Betts-Symonds, Enda O’Connell. Robbie Hyland, Joel Dyer, Cormac Palmer, Glenn Predy, Shane Redmond, Ronan Connolly, Lawrence Cooper, Stephen Dwyer, Owen Daly, Wayne Fox.
Replacements: Cillian Shortt, Killian Morar, Scott Sterling, Sean Southgate, James Devine, Luke Gannon.