And the hits just keep on coming … but in this team’s case, that means crushing and beautifully timed tackles as well as big wins. What a defensive display.

Temple Hill sparkled in the early spring sun and the conditions certainly promised an open encounter, but it was the visitors that took full advantage from the first minute and never really lost their grip on the game from there. Literally from our kickoff we forced Con to kick for touch just outside their 22. Jack Treanor’s throw finds, Ruari Clarke and Jack takes the tap down at speed and pops it up to Harry Van Eeden running a straight line to break the first tackle and off load inside to centre Rory Parata. Rory carries for another five meters and offloads to openside Barry Fitzpatrick. At their best, few defenders in the league will stop Barry at full tilt and the Con winger certainly wasn’t going to, so we were treated to our first try inside two minutes. Stephen Madigan topped up the afters and it was 0 - 7 as we entered the third minute.

Already a naturally cheerful lot, the Lansdowne visitors’ joy was soon doubled as we contained the hosts’ attempted strike back with a brilliantly stolen lineout on our 22 and worked the ball back into another attacking position. Whether we had the ball or they did, we were in complete control. Our rush defence smothered their ambition at source and with Mads consistently playing for territory, it wasn’t long before Con were defending their line again with another nervous lineout. We steal (or were we gifted?) yet another lineout and we work the maul brilliantly, setting up a series of phases with backs and forwards interplaying from all positions on the park. And after a series of phases run at electric pace, it was speedster winger, Peter Sullivan who eventually touched down in the corner, wearing his tackler like a cape. The heroics continued as Stephen Madigan struck the conversion beautifully to bring us to 0 - 14 as the first quarter came to an end.

This time, the Con strike back was more effective as they finally won their own lineout and a rare mix up in our midfield defensive line presented a gap which they exploited, going under the post. 7 - 14.

But the Con’s resurgence was short lived and we reverted to our harassing and badgering all over the pitch. Our rush defence forced them into kicks where we inevitably won the ariel contest, or the lineout that followed. Winger Rob Hedderman was already proving a menace to his old club with excellent high ball catches and counter attacks, jinking off both feet, so it wasn’t a huge surprise that his talent and tempo would deliver points as his were the last hands to take the ball for our next try in the corner. Mads, also on fire, slotted over the conversion again sending Cork heads into Con hands all over the ground. 7 - 21.

Our control of the game continued for the remainder of the half, though their scrums may have had the edge and they eventually won one of their own lineouts. But ferocious, yet mostly disciplined defence (the ref might have been deploying “light touch regulation” on occasions) continually frustrated the Con’s attack and they couldn’t convert a late flourish into points before the whistle blew for the break.

If the first half started with a try at record breaking speed, the second followed suit as try-hungry winger Peter Sullivan seized a wild Con pass on the halfway and powered over in the first minute after the restart for his second try. 7 - 28

The four try bonus point was now already in the bag so the assembled Lansdowne dignitaries could be seen pouring over their Apps and AIL tables to see how other games were going and what the implications were for us. (I say Apps, but it should be noted that Frank Kenny was still using log tables and a slide rule).

Inevitably, the Champions came back fighting and did disrupt our pattern for what seemed like an age. Though the extraordinary accuracy we’d shown thus far slipped a little bit, our overall composure wasn’t shaken. When the inevitable yellow card was produced after multiple penalties, we never looked in real danger and didn’t even concede a point while we were a man down.  But Cork never let up and now their lineout was functioning properly, so the opportunities mounted for them, but they still struggled to land any points. As they too got a yellow card for a deliberate knock on, their chances seemed to be ebbing away, but as we’ve seen from this club over and over, their never say die spirit kept them going and they did touch down with ten minutes to go. Faint hopes of a dramatic comeback were extinguished, however, as their kicker missed a very getable conversion. 12 - 28.

If we had looked a little ragged for the previous 20 minutes, we regained total control for the closing ten minutes of the contest, commanding 90% of territory and possession. Indeed, we looked like scoring on a few occasions and only Con’s proud defence and our own assurance of a job already well done prompted Mads to kick the ball out when the clock went into the red. 12 - 28 Full time. Very satisfying.

With play-off hopes still very much alive, let’s keep the flame lit and support the lads against Terenure at HQ on 22 March!

Match Report - Brian Whelan

CORK CONSTITUTION 12 LANSDOWNE 28
Scorers: Cork Constitution: Tries: Sean French, George Good; Cons: James Taylor
Lansdowne: Tries: Barry Fitzpatrick, Peter Sullivan 2, Rob Hedderman; Cons: Stephen Madigan 4
HT: Cork Constitution 7 Lansdowne 21

CORK CONSTITUTION: George Coomber; Daniel Hurley, Sean French, Niall Kenneally, Rob Jermyn; James Taylor, Adam Maher; Luke Masters, Danny Sheahan, Charlie Connolly, Sean Duffy, Eoin Quilter, Jack Kelleher, Ronán O’Sullivan, David Hyland (capt).
Replacements: George Good, David Good, Cian Barry, Jacob Sheahan, Louis Kahn, Bruce Matthews.

LANSDOWNE: Cillian Redmond; Peter Sullivan, Andy Marks, Rory Parata, Rob Hedderman; Stephen Madigan, Jack Matthews; Jerry Cahir, Jack Treanor, Greg McGrath, Ruairi Clarke, Juan Beukes, Jack Cooke (capt), Barry Fitzpatrick, Hardus van Eeden.
Replacements: Chris Poole, George Morris, Louis McGauran, Donough Lawlor, Oisin Devitt, Harry O’Riordan.