During this season, all teams will have fixtures like this game where you need to get over the line in a tight division and when all is said and done at the end of the season these are the matches that you look back on and note how important that was at the time. That is how to describe this one which went one way and then the other and was only decided as a contest in the last ten minutes of the game.

The J1’s opened brightly and after five minutes left wing Peter Sullivan almost scored in the left-hand corner but was just knocked into touch. However, it did not take long for the opening score to follow and the consistent Oisin Devitt was to touchdown close to the posts after a good break with the conversion added by Tom Bohan.

Terenure struck back after twenty minutes with a try of their own after a scrum penalty and a very good rumble by their forward pack. From the ‘22-meter line and after going through the middle of the Lansdowne defence through offloads the score followed from their flanker near into the posts and with the conversion added left the score at 7 points each.

The game was even with both sides having their moments and with half an hour gone the ball was moved out across the Lansdowne backline to Conor Lenihan who saw a gap open in the defence and broke through that gap and gave a lovely inside pass to Devitt for his try number two after running in under the posts to make the scoreline 14-7 after Bohan’s conversion.

That was to be the last score of the half and the J1’s went in ahead in what was proving to be a close encounter between two evenly matched teams on the night. The second half began with the home side getting on the front foot and after six minutes they drew level when after some attacking play from their back line. There followed a number of phase plays, and a long pass was thrown by the out half to the left winger who touched down in the corner. The difficult conversion was missed but the scoreline was now 14-12.

The tit for tat nature of this fixture reappeared after the J1s increased their lead on the ten-minute marker of the second half following a good break by flanker Robbie Kidney who got close to the Terenure line to allow the finish be applied by Conor Lenihan with the conversion added by Bohan pushing the score out to 21- 12.

The home side had to chase the game and that is what they did and for a period of the second half their forward pack started to gain control of the exchanges. It was following a series of phase plays from their forward pack that the ball found its way to the right winger who broke clean through the defence after 15 minutes to score and bring the score back to 21 - 17.

The home side tails were right up, and they were growing in confidence and with much of the play centred around the halfway line. After twenty minutes of the second half the ball found its way into the hands of their outside centre 13 who broke through several tackles. He then cut through the Lansdowne defence threw a dummy and managed to score a very good try on the left-hand side with the conversion added meaning that the home side now led for the first time in the game at 24-21.

The j1’s time to react had arrived, and the forwards upped the pace leading to a yellow card with 15 minutes to play for Terenure. However, mistakes were being made and possession was being turned over by the J1’s especially at line out time from promising positions with the time running down on the yellow card and the message from the sideline was to show patience and the opening would come.

This pattern continued and the score remained the same until the ball was near the halfway line on the right-hand side with Lansdowne in possession. They opened into a back move and the ball went through a number of players’ hands before an inside pass to the ever-busy Barry Fitzpatrick. This sweeping attack had allowed him to breakthrough the home defence run around under the posts and score a vital try with just over three minutes to play with the conversion added by Bohan. The J 1’s had struck the front again and were now up 28-24.

From the kick-off the home side threw everything at the J1’s and there was a prolonged period of play without interruption with some huge hits going in. During this time the home side retained possession without being able to break through or put themselves in a position to score the match winning try that they needed.

 Again, one must credit the J1’s for their defence and each one of them tackled and competed to achieve a very important away win. The final act in this regard was an unforced error by way of a knock on which turned over the ball giving Lansdowne a scrum which they managed to play out. Time was up with the referee blowing the final whistle and victory had been achieved after a closely run affair.

This win was a hard-fought success, as is any win away in Terenure. That was the message in the dressing room as the J1 team continues their progress in this division.

The remaining results in the division mean that no fewer than five teams are within one win of each other at the top of this division. The J1’s sits second in the table behind St Mary's who they have not played yet and will do so before Christmas and then in the immediate reverse fixture directly after Christmas which fixtures are now looking to be pivotable in deciding who will gain control at the top of this division.

For me this week, I must pay great compliment to Conor Lenihan at out half who performed to a high standard often under pressure and took his try well. Also, the inside centre Tom Bohan is a very clever player and a fine distributor of the ball in the back line. These two combined well and proved to be very effective in giving go forward ball. Captain Devitt also chipped in with his two tries. In the forwards, mention this week for the improver this season Aidan Long who again showed his metal and is durable, hardworking and a very good tackler.

We are now at the halfway point of the season with seven games gone and seven more games to go. The next fixture is at home to Old Wesley who defeated us earlier in the season and so there is an element of wanting payback that will creep into this one.

Match Report - John Kilroy