Don’t be fooled by the score line, this was close. Really close and really important too. Both sides hovering close to the play-offs needed every point they could get and also for the other one to get the minimum. As well as taking maximum points, we also kept the visitors’ fingers out of the cookie jar (see what we did there?) A tough job done very well.

After a moment’s silence for the recently passed and much-loved member Eddie Byrne, observed respectfully by both sides, the kickoff marked the end to civilities, and it was gloves off from the start. Rapid ruck ball and thundering hits with end-to-end sprints showed this was going to be a proper match.  

If anyone had the edge in the early stages, it was the visitors with their incredibly quick hands skimming the ball to the wings like a stone across a lake. And they were edging the ariel battles too as Man of the Match, James Tarrant, took a moment to adjust to his unfamiliar role at full back.  But for all their territory and possession in the opening ten minutes, they couldn’t penetrate and our try line remained unmolested. Not so at the other end, thankfully. In one of our few early forays into their territory we came away with the spoils as Bobby Sheehan went over for an excellently worked lineout maul following a meticulously constructed advance up the pitch. Stephen Madigan converts 7 – 0

Back in our half, the Munsters resumed their pressure and though our defence was excellent all across the pitch, back rows Barry Fitzpatrick and Paul Wilson winning several turnover balls, an offside led to penalty and they placed it in the corner. Like ours ten minutes earlier, the Cookies’ try was a textbook lineout maul and the scores were even 7 – 7.  They continued to throw everything at us but with less territorial advantage to show for it, so their ever-dangerous full back, Shane O’Leary, took a long penalty when the opportunity to keep the scoreboard moving presented itself. 7 – 10.

As well as being clinical in our overall defence and attacking loose play, our set pieces were pristine.  Scrums were tight and terrific on their put in or on ours, with their half backs frequently having to scoop the ball out of a reversing pack’s feet. But the lineouts were like Cirque du Soleil for ariel acrobatics, Bobby Sheehan finding his gravity defying catchers, Matt Healy, Ruari Clarke and Juan Beukes with awesome precision. 

With half time approaching the game was on a knife edge – the next score would be critical. As under 20’s Maestro, Mark McMahon said, “it will come down to whoever wants it more” and it seems we did, because in the closing minutes of the half we managed to up the tempo further of an already lung-bursting game. Adding panache to percussion, out half Stephan Madigan delicately chipped a ball over the heads of the oncoming centres and but for a bad bounce, winger Cillian Redmond was over the line. But our energy and enterprise continued, and it was a just reward when another penalty brought us to their 10m line and our maul went over with Barry Fitzpatrick touching down. Stephen kicked another excellent conversion from the corner and we went into the break worthy leaders. 14 – 10

The visitors piled on the pressure straight from the restart and we had to bring our best defensive passage of the season to bear as we held back the tsunami of attacks.  We conceded a few penalties in the process and on another day, we might have been given a yellow for our sins, but the ref recognized the tempo and quality of the game and fair play to him, he let it flow.  Buoyed by the quality of our defence, we started again to build up our meticulous reclamation of territory and this time it was using the scrum as our weapon of choice. Jerry Cahir having taken over the prop duties from Greg McGrath, we won scrum penalty after scrum penalty and it allowed Mads hoof us back down the pitch into their danger zone. But it wasn’t just the set pieces, now our attack was coming from everywhere and fittingly it was scrum half Jack Matthews that stretched our lead touching down in the corner and ending a movement he had started earlier with another sniping break. 19 – 10.

The Munsters came back fighting as you’d expect, but they rarely got over our 22 now and so they took what points they could to get back in contention with another well taken penalty on the hour mark. 19 – 13.

But – spoiler alert – they wouldn’t trouble the score board after that and the rest of the game belonged to us. And what a finish. Yes, the scores were magnificent, but it was the calm and heroic precision of the defence that this victory was built on. Try as they might - and they did - the Cookies couldn’t get through our defence with Captain Andy Marks leading by example all day. The first killer blow came when one of our defensive scrums put pressure on their back line that eventually led to a turnover. First, Mads counters with a break, running through pack-peddling defenders. He hands off to Jack Matthews who extends the run before offloading beautifully to Barry Fitz. He sets up a maul on their half way and it is rapidly recycled as the ball goes out to a back line composed now almost entirely of forwards. But the days when those donkeys couldn’t handle or pass a ball are long gone (you know who you are!) and it was silken hands of Juan Beukes and subs Louis McGauran and Tom Daly that the ball glided through before finding on the wing, of course, Bobby Sheehan who hit warp speed to out run the defending wingers. Team try of the season, without a doubt. 24 – 13

Injury time now and Munsters threw everything at us in the noble hope of salvaging some bonus points from the game. But in their desperation, they threw a wild pass and James Tarrant, now loving his new role at full back, saw it coming and intercepted the pass. Thank God he’s still a student at heart, because he still had the legs to sprint from just on our 10 meter line the whole length of the pitch to seal the Cookies’ fate. Mads finished it and it was 31 – 13 when the ref blew it up. 

What a cracker.

View the Match Photos HERE

Match Report Brian Whelan
Match Photos Brian Moran