Classic case of one that got away

ANOTHER one that got away. As has been the case so often in this season's first division, this curate's egg of a game at Dooradoyle on Saturday was as much about how the game was lost as how it was won.

It seems to have been especially true of the Leinster title aspirants - Blackrock at Old Belvedere, St Mary's at Ballymena and Lansdowne at home to Ballymena all spring immediately to mind.

There are undoubtedly many other candidates. The Garryowen coach, Philip Danaher, rightly or wrongly, adding their defeat to St Mary's last week as another one.

In many instances one recalls teams with far more possession failing to put away the opposition; almost winning too much ball than they know what to do with.

Given it is less likely to happen with leading Courage League sides, who invariably put away lesser sides clinically, this leads to a couple of thoughts - most obviously that basic technique is poor.

Another thought also springs to mind - Shannon's continuing supremacy is as much mental as anything else. Somehow you just knew that as Saturday's two key games came to their conclusion, and the updated scoreline was relayed by a stream of mobile phones from Stradbrook, the outcomes would turn out as they did. Another Limerick double, another Limerick league.

The line is getting finer but it still exists. Lansdowne had the winning of this game, and no mistake. They largely controlled the line-out, enjoying the first eight throw-ins though crucially the only blemish was a crooked throw close to the Garryowen line.

Paul and Stephen O'Connor, at the front and the middle, generally set up a stream of possession. By comparison, as Danaher accepted, "we didn't have a line-out. But Lansdowne laboured in using it profitably.

Inevitably, it was almost asking the impossible of Brian Glennon to adequately replace the best outhalf in the AIL, Eric Elwood, as well as second choice Richard Governey.

Sidelined for much of the season by injury, and nominally a centre for much of his senior career, the talented former Irish schools' out-half at times linked well and ran threateningly, most notably with a gem of a try when quickening through and then outside four or five opponents from a line-out.

But too often the ball was kicked to the open side when it should have been kicked to the corner, or passed when it should have been kicked or vice versa. Curiously, Lansdowne frequently took on Garryowen through the middle despite the absence of the League's foremost midfield attacking weapon Kurt McQuilkin.

An increasingly agitated Donal Spring at one point turned to Elwood and recalled that the team's tactics were supposed to be "either move the ball wide or kick. We didn't want to play in the middle of the park." Yet that's what they often did.

Thus, McQuilkin was almost missed as much as Elwood. Time after time Glennon made half-breaks but didn't have the Kiwi on his shoulder. Lansdowne didn't have a focal point with which to get over the gain line.

To compound this, when they sought to move the ball wide their angles of running were generally far too lateral, ultimately cramping the wingers and their most likely match-winner Marcus Dillon.

Garryowen made their tackles on the gain line and regrouped well out wide, while also grasping their opportunities stealthily to always stay ahead.

If Glennon's try was an individualistic out-half's gem, then that other rarity, the home side's 80 metre counter-attack involving Dan Larkin, Dominic Crotty,

Brooks and Barry Everett (the latter scoring from half-way thanks to a deft chip over Declan Fassbender along the touchline) was also a gem of its kind.

"I suppose you have to learn to walk before you run," said Spring, adding tongue-in-cheek: "It's all a learning process, isn't that what they say?"