Clontarf went into an early lead after 7 minutes and Conor Kelly converted this and two later penalties to leave the half time score Armagh 13 points down. No team can cope with giving away 10 penalties in the first half and with referee Sam Holt losing patience, he sinbinned Niall Carville for a scrum penalty. A bit unfair probably as Niall was only on for Griffin Philipson who went off injured.
The second half didn’t get much better as Clontarf turned the screw and scored four more tries. Armagh played bravely as usual, but were no match for the buoyant Clontarf side, though they never gave up and scored a spectacular try of their own through James Anderson, converted by Rocky Olsen. Final score, City of Armagh 7, Clontarf 41
After the mood last week everyone was a bit down. The team will need to bounce back next week against a useful UCD side, who will have a number of Leinster Academy players made available.
Get a win down there and it would seem that Armagh’s 1A status would be maintained. Allowing UCD a win would leave a nervous final three AIL games against Garryowen, St Mary’s and Ballynahinch. Coach Parker acknowledged that his side were beaten by a better side on the day and that some aspects of their game were off. As a result, Clontarf were ruthless and took advantage. He was pleased though that his team as usual fought to the end. The coaching team will certainly be working to get the bodies fit and ready to go against UCD. A win is vital.
