Can Clontarf end a six-year wait for silverware?
Dublin can be a particularly testing place to be over the winter as the sun sets just after 16:00 and the icy grip of the season begins to take hold. There seems to be a storm rolling in every other day and the winds that arrive off the Atlantic Ocean cut through you like a million daggers. For all the charming and romantic notions of a crackling fireplace in a warm pub with the sound of an uplifting violin in the background to soothe holidaymakers, the truth is that life goes on in the capital of Ireland with people forced to put their best foot forward in the face of the most challenging Arctic blasts.
With this in mind, you can imagine that life gets even more difficult for those who don’t have the cosy heating of an office to ride it out in and are instead tasked with playing any type of outside sports for a living. For these brave souls, there is nowhere to hide when they run out onto the pitch and are greeted by the most hostile weather conditions of the year. At least, you would believe that to be the case but for Clontarf Rugby Club, their squad is lighting up Castle Avenue during the year’s darkest times and providing an awesome Christmas gift to their loyal supporters.
Indeed, Clontarf are playing a brand of rugby this season that will warm the hearts of their fans and bring pride to those who brave the elements on matchday. The story of the season goes as follows.
Sitting atop of the league after nine fixtures, Clontarf have managed to win eight matches and lose just once, although that loss was to their arch-rivals Lansdowne but more on the response to that defeat later. All in all, it has been a barnstorming start to life in the All Ireland League for Clontarf this season which has led many to wonder if they could indeed repeat their league title successes of 2014 and most recently 2016?
Interestingly, Paddy Power has Clontarf as odds-on favourites to win the All Ireland League. The Irish bookie, who can be found on this list among many other bookmakers offering free bet codes in the form of a bonus to be used on any sporting event, won’t be alone in pricing the Dublin-based outfit as the team to beat. Needless to say, the best sports betting bonus codes on this page will be used by many to back Clontarf in their quest for a trophy this season.
Carrying on, it has indeed been a prolific run over the opening nine games that included a thrilling 31-24 win over Cork Constitution and then a 33-17 win over Young Munster at Tom Clifford Park in Limerick which looked like a performance from a team that was destined to win the league. As previously alluded to briefly, it came on the back of a loss to rivals Lansdowne which is perhaps the most telling aspect of the win in Limerick given how the team bounced back in pulsating fashion. It’s worth saying at this point that it’s important to keep in mind that Young Munster are third in the table and are also very much considered title contenders.
So, what is the driving force behind the resurgence in 2021 given how well Clontarf Rugby Club are playing as well as expertly dealing with the odd setback?
There are three crucial factors spurring Clontarf on and the first is the dynamic captaincy of Matt D’Arcy that has seen the on-field decision-making markedly improve when the pressure is on. The second is that Clontarf doesn’t rely on one or two players for their tries and have seen a host of their first team already cross the whitewash this season. Last but by no means least is how physical a team Clontarf have become with the onus focused on being hard to breach. Tellingly, the league table makes for convincing viewing when you take into account that the club have only conceded 116 points this season which is the least of any team in the league by a considerable margin.
In other words, that rock-solid defence is providing the ideal foundation from which to win games from and the results are there for all to see. When all is said and done, if you want to win the All Ireland League then you have to be miserly in defence and that’s why Clontarf are excelling at which suggests that they will indeed end their six-year wait for silverware.
