After a spellbinding contest between these two sides at HQ just before Christmas, this rematch may have lacked some of that seasonal sparkle, but, oh my, what an exhibition coaching and preparation.  Where before Marys’ jumpers harassed our lineouts, their half backs ran amok and their back three seemed to turn every opportunity into points, on this occasion all those gaps were plugged watertight and while still attacking with flair, our discipline and determination won the day. And what a big win.

Not that we looked all that clever in the first three minutes.  Mary's showed their menace by slicing through our defences from a scrum inside their half and only a penalty decision against them on our try line prevented an early score. But calm was soon restored with a perfect lineout and maul, precipitating another penalty against Marys. Four penalties in as many minutes. Another perfect lineout and maul followed and this time our backs got a run out, with centre Andy Marks breaking the gain line and triggering another penalty for Marys for not rolling away in the ruck that followed. Outhalf Charlie Tector opted to kick, and we were on the score board with seven minutes played. 0-3

Straight from the restart the pattern was repeated. We take it well in the air, and Mary’s concede a penalty trying to play on the ground. Tector puts it into the corner and another perfect lineout follows and yes, you guessed it, another penalty for interfering with the jumper. Now the referee has a chat with the hosts’ captain, number 8, Ronan Watters and it’s clear that their minutes with a full complement of 15 on the pitch are numbered.  Another lineout, maul and penalty soon follow and off to the sideline trots Marys' first yellow card, centre Dan Goggin.

Now in complete control of the game we win the scrum under their posts, and our number 8 Donough Lawlor takes it into contact before releasing the ball to scrum half Cormac Foley. Cormac passes wide to winger Peter Sullivan (very wide, actually), who draws his marker, cuts inside and offloads to full back Cillian Redmond who waltzes through the gap where their binned centre used to be in for a relatively easy try. Charlie adds the extras ten meters from the touchline and it’s 0-10.

At this stage, Lansdowne supporters (of which there were many) could be seen quietly pinching themselves (and in some cases each other), because this isn’t quite what we were expecting. Lansdowne were not only dominant, but we also looked like we had a lot more in us. Of course, Mary’s are lethal on the counter and ooze talent all over the pitch, but only if allowed to play. And we just didn’t allow them to play.

With solid handling, we work our way back into Mary’s half from the restart, and before too long, we’re within Charlie’s range as another penalty comes our way. 0-13

The gap might have been greater still, but for some spectacular covering tackles by three or four Mary’s defenders (it took that many) to stop the freight train that was Peter Sullivan staying in play as he touched down. The move came at the end of a scrum inside their half and then an inch perfect kick through from Charlie to release Peter.  Mary’s clear their line well but as soon as we recover the ball from the lineout inside their half, they infringe again and gift Charlie another shot at goal on the half hour mark. 0-16.

Mary’s seemed finally to get into their stride as the half time mark approached and in spite of losing another to the sin bin, this time their talisman jumper Greg Jones, they launched a series of spirited attacks. But now our own steely resolve to manifest itself and we defended robustly, but legally, conceding our one penalty of the half (to Mary’s 16), and we went into the break still firmly in control. Stand out defender and for general work rate throughout the half was openside flanker, Liam Molony.

Changing ends in the second half didn’t change the balance of the game much. If the visiting supporters were anxious about a Mary’s resurgence, the players were made of sterner stuff and extended their comprehensive control of the game.  Indeed, Mary’s seemed to show signs of frustration as early as ten minutes in when after several phases of attack gaining them precisely no territorial advantage, they kicked a hapless clearance, comfortably fielded by winger Sean Galvin who pegged them back on their 10 meter line.  Only the penalty count suggested a change in fortunes and after a series of infringements it was a Lansdowne man, Greg McGrath’s turn to take a ten-minute snooze in the bin.

But again, Mary’s weren’t allowed to turn the advantage to account. We defended a scrum on our 10 meter excellently, sub prop, George Morris ably filling in for Greg and that nippy nine, Foley snaffled the ball from their back pedaling scrum half. We counterattack and from defending our line with just 14 men one minute, we’re back in their half showing all the hunger of a side 16 points down, not ahead.

But they’re not league leaders for nothing and on the half hour mark Mary’s worked their way back into our half and, much as they had done before Christmas, they worked the phases well, tying in our troops, eventually releasing their full back Conor Hayes to get over in the corner.  The conversion proved out of range for Hayes, also their kicker, and the score was 5-16 with less than ten to play.

But our control of the game, briefly relinquished, was soon restored and we spent the closing minutes peppering their line with attack after attack.The coup de grace came from lineout on the 10 meter line (from yet another Mary’s penalty). I won’t even try to describe the intricacies of the lineout (for reasons of competitive secrecy as well as not having a clue what actually happened), but suffice to say, Greg McGrath finished off the move with an excellent try. Charlie slotted over yet another from the corner making it 5-23.

And just to top off a near perfect performance by the players, but also the coaches for their preparation, we were awarded another penalty inside their half well into injury time and in the last kick of the game, Charlie made it 5-26.

It’s starting to look like it might be a Happy New Year sportsfans!

Match Report - Brian Whelan