All-Ireland League semi-finals:Shannon may have stumbled but two familiar powerhouses will take the field at Musgrave Park in next Saturday's AIB League final.
By the time news filtered through to Castle Avenue that Cork Constitution had avoided a massive upset with a late intercept try against UL Bohs, Garryowen had long since buried the challenge of Leinster rugby's perennial flag-bearers.
The sun split the stones in north Dublin as Phil Werahiko's productive six-year tenure with Clontarf ended in disappointment. The Kiwi departs for Rotherham, who just missed out on promotion to the English Premiership.
Werahiko never managed to break the Munster stranglehold on this competition but he leaves Clontarf in decent shape. He was also adamant he would not fleece the club of talented players, as his Rotherham predecessor, Andre Bester, did to Belfast Harlequins two years back.
"I would have liked to finish on a high and I know the lads wanted to win it for me as a farewell but it just wasn't meant to be. Garryowen spoiled the party," he said.
"I've had a great six seasons with the club. Winning the league was always the reason for coming here so falling at the final hurdle is always disappointing.
"I thought their pack fronted up well. They particularly disrupted our lineout. We got one ball (off the top) and scored a try from it. We could have done with more ball like that but they didn't really allow that."
The Garryowen halfbacks, Gerry Hurley and the London Irish-bound Eoghan Hickey, eventually dominated this encounter, though after Hickey had posted a penalty Clontarf took full advantage of a stiff breeze early on.
Martin Garvey supplied clean possession off the lineout, and two skip passes later Garryowen were exposed as Clontarf's powerful winger Derek Keane brushed aside Kevin Hartigan on 11 minutes.
Conal Keane landed a penalty soon after when Hurley was sinbinned for a deliberate knock-on as Clontarf piled pressure on the visitors' line.
Garryowen's lack of control during the scrumhalf's absence provided Clontarf the scope to come again. Derek Keane crossed for his second try after a clever reverse pass from Darragh O'Shea left three defenders stranded. Keane rampaged over Hickey, and his namesake Conal added the extras for 15-3 as the Clontarf faithful began to dream.
Garryowen, understandably, resorted to the Munster way, the pack duly applying the squeeze. Clontarf dug in manfully but an inevitability descended on the contest.
Garryowen captain Paul Neville spurned a kick at goal for an attacking lineout in first-half injury time and it was the flanker who peeled off the ensuing maul to exploit the loss of Garvey to the bin moments earlier.
"We took a gamble," said Garryowen head coach Paul Cunningham. "It showed a lot of maturity and hunger to win this thing. We had to score something. I would have been happy with three (points) but they went for five and got it.
"They are young but they have lost two semi-finals in the last two years and most of them played in those. The average age of the team is only 23 or 24 but . . . they are starting to make those decisions for themselves."
Neville and John Duffy were lucky to get only a caution from Alan Lewis for "afters" in the dead-ball area. Cunningham noted that one of Ireland's World Cup referees would be required again in the final.
"The refereeing appointment will be important. Lewie was excellent out there. Same with (Alain) Rolland in the AIB Cup final. They referee sensibly. They know they don't always have to blow . . . That makes the game flow and for us it keeps the spectators and people on the sideline from getting on the referee's back. A bit of common sense."
Garryowen drew level early in the second half when a Hurley break and offload eventually saw hooker Damien Varley rumble over.
Werahiko's response was to replace his props with Leinster hopefuls Cian Healy and Johnny Wickham, while Declan Quinn came in for blindside flanker Simon Crawford. The impact was minimal against a pack with a back row of Neville, Peter Malone and Anthony Kavanagh so dominant.
Hickey nailed another penalty for the lead, in a performance that reinforced the fact he is a cut above this standard.
It was fitting the game's stand-out player, Hurley, crossed for the pivotal try when he scampered down the blindside after a solid scrum in the Clontarf 22. Hickey converted and added a penalty seven minutes from time to set up a third meeting with Con this season - Cunningham's last game at the helm.
Garryowen won the Munster Cup final but lost 12-11 to Con in the league at Dooradoyle.
"Con are the best team in the league so they should be in the final," said Cunningham. "We wouldn't mind a crack off them again but I'm sure they will feel the same way. It may not be the greatest spectacle but it will be a battle."
True, it might not be pretty, but enthralling viewing is guaranteed, especially for those who take delight in the Munster style. Batten down the hatches.
SCORING SEQUENCE: 6 mins: E Hickey pen 3-0; 11: D Keane try 3-5; 27: C Keane pen 3-8; 35: D Keane try, C Keane con 3-15; 42: P Neville try 8-15 (half-time 8-15); 45: D Varley try; Hickey con 15-15; 56: Hickey pen 18-15; 63: G Hurley try 23-15; Hickey con 25-15; 73: Hickey pen 28-15.
GARRYOWEN: C Kilroy; A O'Loughlin, K Hartigan, C Doyle, Ciarán O'Boyle; E Hickey, G Hurley; R Brosnan, D Varley, J Staunton; M Melbourne, E Mackey; P Neville (capt), A Kavanagh, P Malone. Replacements: Cillian O'Boyle for Hartigan (16 mins), D Sheehan for Mackey (39 mins), D Sherry for Neville (79 mins).
CLONTARF: C Keane; M Nethery, M Hewitt, D O'Shea, D Keane; P O'Brien, F O'Loughlin (capt); K Dorian, N Carson, A O'Donnell; A Trenier, J Duffy; S Crawford, D O'Brien, M Garvey. Replacements: J Wickham for O'Donnell, C Healy for Dorian, D Quinn for Crawford (all 46 mins), N McNamara for C Keane (65 mins), R Dillon for O'Loughlin (69 mins), C Keegan for Hewitt (73 mins).
Referee: A Lewis (ARLB)
