Clondalkin men make a bright start to Hosie Cup campaign

By Stephen Leonard

CLONDALKIN RFC got their Hosie Cup campaign off to bright start after they beat Naas 21-13 in the first of their three round-robin fixtures in Group A in Gordon Park last Sunday.

Looking to exact revenge for defeat at the hands of their Kildare rivals in the competition decider last season, Clondalkin raced 6-0 in front thanks to two penalties from Chris Jebb.

Naas managed to halve that deficit only to see Jebb split the posts again and Niall Nolan touch down in the corner to make it 14-3 at the break.

A good drive by their forwards off a line-out was the platform for another try in the second period, Jebb applying the finish when he broke through under the posts before tagging on the extras.

Naas did manage to chalk up a late try, but it did not threaten Clondalkin’s grip on this match which leaves them on a sound footing for their trip to face North Kildare on Sunday.

Victory here and in their final pool match against Portlaoise will see them directly into the Hosie Cup Final.