Pedigree counts. Clontarf and Cork Constitution set up a heavyweight Energia All-Ireland League final next Sunday in the second leg of an Aviva Stadium double with the women’s final after taut, tight, hard-earned semi-final wins over Lansdowne and St Mary’s respectively. Clontarf, the 2022 champions, will thus meet the reigning champions Con in a Leinster-Munster affair.
It was always unlikely that the Clontarf-Lansdowne semi-final would scale the heights of the former’s astonishing 49-46 win between the sides at Castle Avenue, which had been played on the club’s all-weather pitch. Aside from the heightened stakes, the heavy rain of the previous 24 hours or so had left the pitch gluey.
That said, it was a lively start. The Lansdowne backs had the better individual flair and strike plays, as evidenced by the move from deep which eventually led to outhalf Stephen Madigan cross-kicking perfectly for lock Ruairí Clarke to score.
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Clontarf began to find more traction and Ben Griffin burst through the Lansdowne defence from Conor Kelly’s pass for scrumhalf Sam Owens to finish. Kelly converted, but his pass was then picked off by Charlie Tector who scored from halfway and added the conversion.
But Kelly and ‘Tarf are tough competitors, and after he exchanged penalties with Tector, Clontarf opted for the corner with the last play of the first half for a trademark power play and a try by Griffin which Kelly converted for a 15-13 interval lead.
Though scoreless, the second period ebbed consistently. The margins remained tiny and the noise levels ratcheted up before Aaron Coleman won the game’s final penalty to huge home celebrations.
Con will be seeking to become the first club to win back-to-back AIL titles since Shannon in 2006 after a 16-8 arm wrestle over newly promoted St Mary’s on an even heavier pitch at Templeville Road.
The home side went ahead through a blindside try off a maul by flanker Ethan Baxter but Con availed of successive yellow cards for the influential St Mary’s duo of captain Ronan Waters and fullback Conor Hayes either side of the interval.
First James Taylor landed a penalty and then scrumhalf Adam Maher set up captain David Hyland for a try, which Taylor converted. Taylor extended the lead before Hayes trimmed it again. But after Mary’s went to the corner with one penalty to be repelled, Hayes then missed another before Taylor sealed the deal.
The promotion/relegation semi-finals featured four wins by just one or two points. Nenagh have moved to within one match of becoming the first Tipperary club in the top flight after a 25-17 win over Blackrock to set up a promotion decider next Saturday at New Ormond Park against UCC, for whom first-half tries by centres by Daniel Squires and Irish Under-20 midfielder Gene O’Leary Kareem helped earn the day’s only other away win to relegate City of Armagh.
Trinity earned themselves a Division 1B lifeline with a nerve-jangling 20-18 win over Greystones to earn a promotion/relegation decider against Cashel, relatively comfortable 26-14 winners over Barnhall.
Similarly, Navan will seek to avoid relegation in their centenary year after their 29-19 win over Galwegians earned a decider at home to Dungannon, for whom Ben McCaughey’s penalty with the last kick earned a 23-22 win over local rivals Clogher Valley.
In the 2B promotion playoff, Skerries’ 27-18 semi-final win over Ballyclare has earned them a decider against Midleton, who beat Dolphin 18-17 in their all-Cork semi-final.
Energia All-Ireland League results
Division 1A semi-finals: St Mary’s Col 8 Cork Con 16; Clontarf 17 Lansdowne 15.
Division 1A promotion playoff semi-finals: City of Armagh 10 UCC 17; Nenagh Ormond 25 Blackrock College 17.
Division 1B promotion playoff semi-finals: Cashel RFC 26 MU Barnhall 14; Dublin University 20 Greystones 18.
Division 2A promotion playoff semi-finals: Dungannon 23 Clogher Valley 22; Navan 29 Galwegians 19.
Division 2B promotion playoff semi-finals: Midleton 18 Dolphin 17; Skerries 27 Ballyclare 10.
