Clontarf came up short in their bid to win their third AIL in four years as Cork Con avenged last years loss with a thrilling 25-21 victory in a sun-bathed Aviva Stadium on Sunday.
Last year it was Joey Carbery who ran the show (and has since gone on to break into the Ireland setup) as Clontarf lifted the AIL trophy, but this year it was former Munster academy player Tomas Quinlan who dictated the play and punished 'Tarf for their indiscipline.
That said, the highlight of the game came from a Clontarf player, as former Leinster winger Mick McGrath set up a fantastic try with a truly colossal hit with ball in hand. He send his defender flying, found his man with the offload, and it was a done deal from there.
HT: Clontarf lead 14-12 thanks to this wonderful try from Matt D'Arcy - catch the second half live now on @RTE2 #rterugby pic.twitter.com/mjTAcfECOs
— RTÉ Rugby (@RTErugby) May 7, 2017
Like something out of the WWE, that was as disrespectful a bosh as you will see.
But Con battled back from a half time deficit and saw out the game, and in doing so collected a treble having already claimed the Bateman Cup and the Munster Senior Cup.
And they celebrated in style having claimed their first AIL title since 2010.
Cork Con are the Ulster Bank League champions for the fifth time #RTErugby pic.twitter.com/LWQX4YWhNy
— RTÉ Rugby (@RTErugby) May 7, 2017
Congratulations to Cork Con, and commiserations to Clontarf, but both sides can be proud of participating in a game that showed how good the club rugby scene in Ireland can be.
