Last year's beaten finalists Garryowen got their league campaign off on a successful note at Dooradoyle on Saturday.

The game failed to stimulate a good-sized attendance and the situation was probably best summed up by the Garryowen captain, Killian Keane, when he commented: "It was a typical start of the season affair. This was the first time we got our team together all season and that was pretty evident".

Brent Pope, the Clontarf coach saw things in much the same light; but was understandably disappointed that his side's late assault on the home line failed to yield the converted try that would have salvaged a point. In the end, the difference between the teams was a try by Ben Cronin, the Garryowen number eight, who gathered a Clontarf drop out after 15 minutes, and ran through a bemused defence for a try, which Keane converted.

Scoring sequence: 5 mins: K Keane pen, 30; 10: R Murphy pen, 3-3; 11: Keane pen, 6-3; 15: B Cronin try, Keane con, 13-3; 30: Murphy pen, 13-6; 33: Murphy pen, 13-9; 39: Keane pen, 16-9; 40: Murphy pen, 16-12; 44: Keane pen, 1912; 59: Murphy pen, 19-15; 66: Keane pen, 22-15.

Garryowen: D Crotty; M McNamara, J Clarke, R Durno, K O'Riordan; K Keane, T Tierney; N Hartigan, P Cunningham, K Ronan, S Leahy, P Hogan, C Varley, D Wallace, B Cronin. Replacements: P Humphreys for Cunningham (47 mins), R Laffan for Ronan (49 mins).

Clontarf: M Woods; R O'Neill, M Smith, T Meagher, O Winchester; R Murphy, R O'Reilly; W O'Kelly, B Jackman, P McQuillen, A Voaster, C Power, D O'Brien, P Ward, C Brownlie. Replacements: C Bewley for O'Neill (50 mins); T Kearns for O'Kelly (52 mins); A Diggan for Brownlie (55 mins).

Referee: M Whyte (Leinster).