Blackrock College - 31 Galwegians - 33 Blackrock College may have to place a doctor on standby for future games in order to perform a post-match Heimlich manoeuvre if Saturday's collapse is repeated.
The sound of choking was muffled by a locked dressingroom door in the aftermath, Blackrock coach Kevin West seeking an explanation, and probably an apology, for what passed as a performance in the second 40 minutes.
The home side led 31-5 at the interval, Galwegians' small knot of supporters looking longingly at the coaches in the car-park at Stradbrook, tempted to go west, where the club's aspirations appeared to have gone at that juncture.
Galwegians second-half transformation from 'ragball rovers' to a focused team, capable of implementing structures and patterns to telling effect was striking.
Captain and blindside flanker Barry Gavin, a former player at Blackrock, wore a slightly bemused expression as he slumped against the clubhouse wall trying to articulate one of the great comebacks in the club game.
"At half-time we spoke about the fact that we had to stop leaking tries, impose our game plan and play the game in the right areas," he said.
"We needed to take them on up front, maul and drive, aware that Rock wouldn't like that game. The crucial thing was that we tightened up our defence. I suppose the moment I felt we had a chance was when Eric (Elwood) kicked that long-range penalty. The temptation was there to kick to the corner but we knew we needed three scores at that stage."
For all Galwegians' sterling efforts, Blackrock were culpable of appalling mental lapses, especially with the game in injury time.
Leading by a single point, they twice had opportunities to put the ball in Mrs O'Reilly's back garden, probably bringing an end to proceedings. Instead they shunted it across the sideline and Galwegians exacted maximum profit from the reprieve.
Hooker Henry Bourke made the initial surge and two rucks later in the 84th minute, Blackrock crept in front of the hindmost foot at a ruck and were pinged for offside, the visitors trailing at the time 31-30.
Eric Elwood, Connacht rugby's Peter Pan, stepped up and calmly posted the 35-metre effort, completing Galwegians' return from Never Never Land.
They had begun the second half with great resolution, John Casserley, driven over from a lineout, a particularly productive method of attacking the home side. Scrumhalf Alex Page forced his way over for another, Elwood chipping in with a conversion and three penalties to make it 31-23 to Blackrock.
When Bourke, who had grabbed his side's only try in the first half, added a second on 79 minutes under the Blackrock posts, the increasingly skittish home support feared the worst and it was realised with Elwood's late strike.
Blackrock will prefer to dwell on the first half, in which they played some excellent rugby, kept a high tempo to the game and scored almost at will. The back row was prominent, number eight Michael Carroll grabbing a couple of tries, second row Mark Gilbride and Emmet Farrell adding two more and full back Conor Kilroy chipping in with four conversions and a penalty.
Galwegians moved to fifth in the table separated from a playoff berth by points difference behind Buccaneers. They host the leaders, Clontarf, next week and then finish with a game against Lansdowne.
It's a demanding schedule but Gavin remains undaunted: "We spoke about wanting to play in these big end-of-season matches. I think it is fair to say that if we make the playoffs we'll have done it the hard way but derived double the satisfaction." Stradbrook could be a significant signpost on that journey.
SCORING SEQUENCE
3 mins: Carroll try, Kilroy conversion, 7-0; 6 mins: Kilroy penalty, 10-0; 19 mins: Bourke try, 10-5; 28 mins: Carroll try, Kilroy conversion, 17-5; 31 mins: Gilbride try, Kilroy conversion 24-5; 38 mins: Farrell try, Kilroy conversion, 31-5; (half-time: 31-5); 43 mins: Casserley try, Elwood conversion 31-12; 51 mins: Page try, 31-17; 54 mins: Elwood penalty, 31-20; 62 mins: Elwood penalty, 31-23; 79 mins: Bourke try, Elwood conversion, 31-30; 84 mins: Elwood penalty, 31-33.
BLACKROCK: C Kilroy; J Hearty, G Brown, D Quigley, J Ferris; E Farrell, B Willis; A McSweeney (capt), G Van der Vyer, M Cuffe, J Fitzgerald, M Gilbride, R Rogers, M Carroll, G McCarthy. Replacements: G McEvoy for Van der Vyer 59 mins; P Graham for McCarthy 74 mins. Sin-binned: R Rogers 18-28 mins.
GALWEGIANS: W Ruane; C Dooley, N Carolan, M Murphy, J Cleary; E Elwood, A Page; D McFarland, H Bourke, R Hogan, J Casserley, C Murphy, B Gavin (capt), E Peters, I Muldoon. Replacements: F Farrell for Murphy (29-36 mins). Sin-binned: D McFarland 26-36 mins.
Referee: S McDowell (IRFU).
