AN ENERGETIC performance in the second half by Garryowen managed to keep the biting wind at bay in exposed Lakelands Park on Saturday and relieved the Limerick side of some of the disappointment suffered at the hands of Blackrock the previous week.
For a time it seemed that Terenure would add to Garryowen's woes. Facing into a strong wind in the first half, the home side managed to get a fair share of possession and a half-time gap of 10 points did not seem [beyond redemption.
Garryowen made their superior physique tell in the second half however and they rucked and mauled Terenure's lighter pack out of the match to a large extent, making the wind factor irrelevant.
Even then Terenure might have been at least on level terms at the end had they managed to control a crucial line-out near their own try line with 20 minutes left.
Instead the ball managed to avoid the Terenure clutches and the Garryowen hooker, Alan Linnane, dived over to stretch the Limerick's side lead to 12 points (23-11).
Garryowen continued to dominate the tight game, but whenever Terenure managed to gain possession, they quite properly ran the ball and David Coleman's blinding speed on the right wing was always a threat to the Garryowen line.
Coleman's efforts bore fruit when Terenure won a scrum about 40 yards from the Garryowen line and Ciaran Clarke, who had a splendid match, made a well-timed surge into the line. Clarke's brilliant pass under pressure found Coleman in a perfect position to dash over for his second try. Hard though Terenure tried they could not make the other breakthrough which they needed for a share of the spoils.
With the wind at their backs at the start, Garryowen looked like sweeping into a big lead and two well-struck penalties by Barry Everett gave them a six-point lead after only eight minutes. Terenure were always willing to give the ball some air and after a couple of strong runs along the wing, Coleman appeared in midfield and his speed and strength took him through for a touch-down, although not as close to the posts as he might have done.
From then on the pattern of the game began to emerge, with Ben Cronin and Paddy O'Grady taking on the Terenure pack in tight and loose and particularly in the line-out.
O'Grady started a move which continued through Cronin who delivered the scoring pass for McIvor to dive over for an unconverted try.
Terenure were not out of the game yet, though and Coleman was within inches of the line again before being forced into touch. Terenure cut the lead again with a Walsh penalty but Garryowen swept back and from a scrum close to the line, Cronin picked up at the back of the scrum to wheel over the line with the immaculate Everett converting beautifully.
Terenure will try to console themselves with the fact that they were short Peter Bruce and Colin Potts in the pack and Niall Hogan at scrum half. Hogan's name was in the programme and he was there in person but his efforts for Oxford during the week left him with a bruised leg and a heavy cold which meant that Derek Hegarty played at the base of the scrum and did so with considerable aplomb.
Frank Hogan, Garryowen's chief adviser, was content with the result. "You never get anything easy from Terenure so we are happy. Our pack played very well, particularly in the second half and it was a good result after last, week's problems," he said.
Terenure's Eddie Coleman shared the disappointment of his club members and saw the absence of Bruce and Potts as crucial. "We need them back to get the pack moving properly," he said. Needless to say the Terenure coach, Gerry Murphy, shared this view: "We don't have a big pack and we can't afford to lose players of the calibre of Bruce and Potts. Yet we played some good football and might have got another couple of tries," he said. "We look forward to meeting Old Wesley in Donnybrook next week and I think we can win that one," he said.
