St Mary's - 20 Garryowen - 20:ALL-IRELAND LEAGUE: Coach Brent Pope would have been chuffed with a share of the spoils before Saturday's AIB League Division One tie. Denied 16 of his first-team squad, he knew his team of seconds and thirds players faced a torrid afternoon against a good Garryowen team.
Seconds after the final whistle at Templeville Road and Pope was seething at the injustice of having what would have been a wonderful victory snatched from his team in the sixth minute of injury time.
"I just knew that he (referee Alaister McKay) was going to give them the opportunity to equalise. He had his hand out for most of the time they were going down the pitch. The guys on the sideline were saying there was no way he would give one but I just knew he would. It's bitterly disappointing.
"I'm very proud of the way that young team played out there, delighted by the character they displayed. We lost to an injury-time penalty against Dungannon last week and now this."
Once again a referee was a prime influence in determining the outcome. The penalty count in the match was 19-9 in Garryowen's favour.
But in the frustration of the draw both teams would do well to look to themselves rather than the match official. St Mary's outhalf Frank Lynch, a 21-year-old making his league debut and who had a fine game in many other respects, succeeded with only four placed ball attempts from nine. Two struck a post, but none of the kicks could be classed as outrageously difficult.
Garryowen will reflect on how they managed to concede a penalty try when leading 14-10 and with St Mary's reduced to 14 man after prop Dave Clare was binned for killing ball at a ruck on his own line. Even in this one interpretation of the laws, referee McKay failed to show consistency, otherwise a sin skip - and not a bin - might have been required.
Lynch's grubber kick over the visitors' line seemed to be a little weighty, but with centre Conor McPhillips in speedy pursuit, Garryowen duo Dermot McInerney and Kevin O'Riordan bundled the St Mary's player to the ground as the latter muscled between them.
It restored the initiative to St Mary's at a time when the likely winners seemed to be the visitors.
Garryowen started the match assuredly, underlining their intent by kicking their first two penalties to touch, although when Killian Keane missed the next two attempts, taken at goal, the team's first inclination seemed the more prescient.
It was the home side which struck first through left wing John McWeeney. The pack took the ball through four phases, making 40 yards, and from just outside the Garryowen 22 the ball was shovelled on to McWeeney who dismissed a couple of despairing tackles with an intelligent change of angle.
Lynch converted, added a penalty and the home supporters dared to dream. Props Brian Moran and Clare, both of whom were excellent, were making serious inroads, Lynch was nudging the pack forward: the only thing missing was more intelligent use of fleet-footed wings Simon Keogh and McWeeney.
Garryowen, on top in the scrums, dominated the closing exchanges of the half and reduced the deficit when left wing Kevin O'Riordan cleverly took a quick tap penalty to himself 15 metres out and raced over untouched. Billy Treacy converted, as he would do again on 46 minutes when number eight Peter Malone dotted down when a depleted St Mary's pack - Clare was binned seconds earlier - could not defend a five-metre scrum.
The concession of the penalty try arrested Garryowen's momentum but they hung in there as Lynch squandered several penalty chances. When he was successful on 67 minutes, it put St Mary's 20-17 in front, but just four minutes later the outhalf hit a post from 26 metres, as the Dublin side frittered away their territorial dominance.
Six minutes into injury time, Garryowen drove forward some 50 metres, St Mary's were penalised for an indiscretion and Treacy showed great composure to post his fourth, and most crucial place-kick, a penalty, from as many attempts.
SCORING SEQUENCE
11 mins: McWeeney try, Lynch conversion 7-0
26 mins: Lynch penalty 10-0
33 mins: K O'Riordan try, Treacy con10-7
Half-time: St Mary's 10 Garryowen 7
46 mins: Malone try, Treacy con 10-14
53 mins: penalty try, Lynch con 17-14
56 mins: Treacy penalty 17-17
67 mins: Lynch penalty 20-17
86 mins: Treacy penalty 20-20
ST MARY'S: D Hughes; S Keogh, C McPhillips, G Gannon (capt), J McWeeney; F Lynch, E McCormack; B Moran, M Duggan, D Clare; J Ryan, P Kelly; E Keane, J Ellis, K O'Brien. Replacements: P Tucker for O'Brien (45-55 mins); C Connolly for Hughes (69 mins).
GARRYOWEN: B Treacy; D O'Riordan, D O'Sullivan, D McInerney, K O'Riordan; K Keane, A O'Sullivan; S Kerr, C Varley (capt), R Laffan; D Fitzgibbon, D Sheehan; P Neville, P Malone, C Hartigan. Replacements: R Niland for Keane 15 mins; P Humphreys for Malone (19-32 mins); Humphreys for Malone (47 mins); E Kelly for Fitzgibbon (65 mins); P Malone for Neville (65 mins); Neville for Malone (68 mins).
Referee: A McKay (IRFU).
Yellow card: D Clare (St Mary's) 45-55 mins.
