John Lacey wore the resigned air of a man who knew he was the topic of conversation as knots of supporters congregated inside and outside the Shannon bar at Thomond Park on Saturday.
Fifteen minutes into Saturday's AIB League encounter, Lacey accelerated on to the ball, glided past one tackler, side stepped another but just as the crowd rose to acclaim a fine try, the Shannon full back fumbled the ball in the in-goal area, dropping it.
In attempting to evade Galwegians right wing Ger Brady's despairing dive, Lacey's concentration wandered for a split second. "He (Brady) never gave up and when I felt this tap on my leg I concentrated on pulling it away and in doing so lost control of the ball."
The conversion would have been a formality even allowing for the fact that both Andrew Thompson and David Delaney did not enjoy a successful afternoon with the boot: a seven-point error magnified by the margin of Shannon's defeat. Lacey's misfortune overshadowed his contribution to the match. He was easily the most penetrative and accomplished attacker on either side and given greater opportunity might have atoned.
Shannon must look elsewhere in analysing this defeat. Decimated in the scrums, they were forced to play the ball out of the tackle to avoid set pieces, something they accomplished to telling effect in the first half. They scored two tries, could have grabbed a couple more and produced a tempo with which Galwegians struggled to cope.
The Connacht club's defence has been rightly lauded several times this season but on Saturday when their opponents played at pace, attacking the channel outside second centre, the visitors looked vulnerable. That they survived is a tribute to their character and self belief and also Shannon's failure to ruthlessly exploit a numerical advantage on a couple of occasions.
Shannon number eight David Quinlan did remarkably well to use possession from a scrum denied the presence of internationals John Hayes, Mick Galwey, Alan Quinlan and Anthony Foley. It crumbled concertina-like whenever the mood took Galwegians to exert pressure. But it was openside flanker Colm McMahon who permitted his side to play the expansive game, thus guaranteeing continuity. McMahon was also wonderfully tenacious and abrasive in the tackle.
The Shannon pack worked hard in the loose, while John Langford took time out from his lineout scrap with Mark McConnell, to contribute heavily in the loose. Behind the scrum, John Davis, continues to mature, Lacey was sharp but under used while Maurice Lawlor's considerable ability is wasted on the wing.
Galwegians were largely reliant on the boot of outhalf Eric Elwood. He dismissed last week's first defeat of the season and the kicking frailties he suffered on that occasion by landing six of eight attempts, contributing all of his side's points. Therein lies a problem for the league leaders, they need to discover a more rounded attacking game as the business end of the season approaches.
On Saturday it was once again the work ethic of the pack - the sum of the parts camouflaged individual contributions - that allowed them negotiate a foothold in the game. In mitigation, however limited their attacking gambits, they did make productive use of the high ball to the Shannon back three, mainly through scrumhalf Brian Shelbourne's punting.
Their set piece play is pretty good but one can't help feeling that when they face the better teams come playoff time and the latter can muster a full complement, Galwegians may struggle. Still they managed a win in Thomond Park and the important psychological fillip that provides will be important in the weeks ahead.
Elwood kicked two early penalties before McMahon grabbed Shannon's first try, improved upon by Thompson: it would be the team's only success from placed-ball opportunities. Elwood's third penalty, pre-empted a slick Shannon back-line move five minutes from the interval with Delaney and Lacey combining to send Lawlor over. It was to be Shannon's last score.
Elwood tagged on three second half penalties, Galwegians scraped and harried, chased and turned over possession, all the while chipping away at Shannon's confidence, until finally desperation pockmarked Shannon's final attacking gambits.
Scoring sequence: 1 min: Elwood penalty, 0-3; 5: Elwood penalty, 0-6; 10: McMahon try, Thompson conversion, 7-6; 31: Elwood penalty, 7-9; 35: Lawlor try, 12-9. Half-time: 12-9. 41: Elwood penalty, 12-12; 65: Elwood penalty, 12-15; 74: Elwood penalty, 12-18.
Shannon: J Lacey; Jason Hayes, A Thompson (capt), J Davis, M Lawlor; D Delaney, P Stringer; M Horan, F Roche, D Costello; B Buckley, J Langford; R Collins, D Quinlan, C McMahon. Replacements: N McNamara for Thompson 50 mins; T Hayes for Collins 63 mins; P O'Brien for McNamara 74 mins.
Galwegians: W Ruane; G Brady, G Duffy, T Allnutt, P Duignan; E Elwood, B Shelbourne; D McFarland, P Cleary, P Bracken; D Browne, M McConnell; B Gavin (capt), M Swift, J Charlie.
Referee: D Tyndall (IRFU).
