Clontarf, significantly depleted by injury before Saturday's game at Eaton Park, saw their problems compounded by a further carnage of personnel during the 80 minutes: a litany of casualties rendered the closing passages little more than a procession for Ballymena.

Denied the services of exam-tied captain and hooker Bernard Jackman, Clontarf's prospects further diminished with the late withdrawal of New Zealand centre Matt Smith and flanker Pat Ward: by the 65th minute, they had lost two further centres, a prop and a flanker. For Mervyn Meredith, the bench must have seemed a lonely spot.

But attributing the Dublin side's defeat to injuries solely would be misleading. Ballymena played excellent rugby at times, producing the quality that would have unhinged any defence.

Clontarf coach Brent Pope harboured no misgivings about the afternoon: "We lost Ward, Jackman and Smith before the match and Nicky Barry by half-time.

"I knew that it was probably a bridge too far. At 12-11, I thought we had an outside chance, but needed the next score. When they got into the comfort zone they played some wonderful rugby, great angles of running and support play."

If Ballymena ever get into the "comfort zone" more quickly than they did on Saturday, then heaven help their opponents, for they produce an amalgam of power and poise with devastating results. Obtuse or acute, the Clontarf midfield defence struggled to cope with whatever angles which James Topping produced as he ripped through the rearguard.

He was often the catalyst for Ballymena, conjuring openings with his pace and nifty footwork, and must be a strong contender for a place on the Ireland team for the clash with Scotland.

Fullback Jan Cunningham and centre Stanley McDowell have both been asked to attend an Irish squad training session next Wednesday: against Clontarf both mixed the good with the bad, with Cunningham the more culpable in the latter respect.

Endowed with pace and balance, Cunningham displayed a worrying lack of vision at times; on a couple of occasions he rushed kicks to touch when faced by a single forward with support outside, and he tended to fling wild passes without looking.

McDowell grabbed a fine individual try when he cut back against the cover. But earlier, when put through a gap with the line 30 metres away and no one to stop him, he was caught within five metres, which suggests the lack of an extra gear. Both players should make the A side to be announced next week.

Ballymena were 12-0 ahead after just eight minutes, the product of two fine tries. A Derek McAleese half-break was taken on by McDowell and, although he was caught, he managed to get the ball away to Andy Park who easily outpaced the covering Mick Coughlan.

The second try, from Andy Dougan, was directly attributable to a Topping break that appeared a certain score for the flying wing, only for Mick Fitzsimons to catch him from behind. One feared for the visitors, but, to their credit, they rode their luck in terms of numerous Ballymena errors, and produced some excellent rugby of their own.

Richie Murphy's two penalties were sandwiched either side of a super try from fullback Mark Woods.

Coach Nelie Smith's interval redirection and the benefit of a strong breeze ensured Ballymena dominated territorially, and within 14 minutes of the re-start they extended their lead with a try from impressive prop Rab Irwin and a McAleese penalty.

The out-half converted McDowell's try and a penalty try to leave the home side cruising at 3411 after 63 minutes.