Silver spur for new order

Time was when the Leinster Senior Cup was a highlight of the seasonal itinerary, but its former lustre will be reinvoked at Donnybrook today by an unlikely pairing.

Therein, of course, lies the appeal of the Clontarf-County Carlow finale to the Cup and the calendar year; two upwardly mobile, community-based clubs thriving in the game's new order, but neither having a trophy cabinet which is exactly bursting.

After 128 years' existence, victory today would provide Carlow with their first senior trophy - admittedly in only their fourth season of a remarkable ascent to senior status. Clontarf, despite being around for 125 years, have only twice featured among the 115 winners of this competition - in 1936 and 1999.

So while Clontarf's Kiwi coach Phil Werahiko and Carlow's Aussie coach Kim Thurbon would understandably target next week's All-Ireland League Division One games at home to Galwegians and DLSP as far more important, the glint of some rare silverware is liable to prove more alluring for their respective supporters.

Carlow are expected to bring upwards of a 1,000 people today while Clontarf, who maintain they are Dublin's best supported club, also expect to provide a strong following. Cabin fever induced by the festive period is also likely to contribute to the best Leinster Senior Cup final crowd in years.

Mindful of that Galwegians' game, Thurbon will take no chances with any of his walking wounded and so flanker David Hyland (hamstring) is unlikely to play and centre Russell Armstrong will face a fitness test this morning.

Even so, Carlow's starting line-up will be much the same as that which lost a 34-25 thriller last time out to Blackrock. Similarly Clontarf expect to start with the team which stole a last-gasp win over St Mary's in the AIL a fortnight ago.

The sides met in early November when late tries by Carlow's excellent Australian full-back Matt Spiller and the prolific Ian Dwyer sealed a deserved 16-9 win at Castle Avenue. However, Clontarf's graph has risen since then, especially their back play.

Indeed, they have since won seven consecutive games in all competitions, rising to third in the AIL Division One (overtaking Carlow who are also strongly in contention for a semi-final place in sixth) and reaching the final of both the Leinster Cup and championship. They've scored 21 tries in five matches, and under-20 winger Daire Higgins has been a revelation with six tries in four outings.

There are also an uncanny number of links between the two finalists. The in-form Clontarf number eight Ben Gissing was transferred from Carlow last season after the latter had problems with their overseas' allocation, and Spiller, Carlow's subsequent recruit, is a former team-mate of Gissing's from their Auckland days. Bobby Baggott, starring with Carlow this term, came from Clontarf while the latter's outhalf Mark Woods is a former underage Carlow player who lives within a stone's throw of Oak Park.

There's a similar type of pairing in Ulster's Senior Cup Final on Tuesday in Ravenhill (2.30) when Ballynahinch will be the underdogs as they seek their first senior trophy in just their sixth season as a senior club against Dungannon, a more established power.

However, Ulster's European warm-up game against Munster last night and Dungannon's rather more pressing matter of an AIL game at home to Division One leaders Shannon this afternoon is liable to weaken their hand as Willie Anderson's men seek to atone for defeats in the last two Ulster Cup finals to City of Derry and Belfast Harlequins.

That meeting of champions and leaders this afternoon in Stevenson Park is the sole Division One game over the holiday season, while there are a couple of Division Two games today featuring the runaway pacesetters Belfast Harlequins at home to mid-table Malone, and second-placed UL Bohemians at home to sixth-placed Portadown.

The Cork Charity Cup semi-finals and a Limerick Charity Cup semi-final are also being played today.

The mislaid Celtic League trophy, which was lost on the night Leinster celebrated their 24-20 victory over Munster in the final a fortnight ago, has been recovered intact. The pilfered trophy was returned anonymously last Sunday to a garda station and was then transferred to Donnybrook Garda station from where Det Mick Davern returned the trophy to Leinster PRO Tom McCormack.