Terenure have right credentials

The rivalry is neither artificial nor contrived. While the ritual official niceties of pre-match banter are liberally doused in mutual admiration, a truer indication can be gleaned from the attitude of pupils, past and present: this is a rivalry that supersedes all others. These are coveted bragging rights.

There are other long standing foes in the Leinster Schools' Senior Cup but nothing quite whets the appetite like a clash of the province's `big two' rugby schools, Blackrock College and Terenure College. In the last 25 years of the competition, one or other has contested the final on 22 occasions. During that period `Rock have won 10 Senior Cups, Terenure six.

It is therefore a little surprising to recount that one has to go back to 1987 for the last time that the two schools met in a Senior Cup final, a day when Blackrock prevailed. Tomorrow at Lansdowne Road (3.0, live on TG4) they oppose one another again. Prior to the start of the tournament Blackrock were installed as favourites by virtue of the number of representative players in the squad and a wonderful victory in the St Joseph's Ipswich School festival.

The latter is a competition for the elite rugby schools in England. Blackrock, not only became the first non British School to take part, but won the competition outright, beating Millfield College 1510 in the final. They contributed handsomely to the Leinster team including providing the provincial captain, centre John Ronan.

Terenure ensconced at the other end of the draw, were tipped to oppose Blackrock in the final. It was a brave supposition given that Wesley College, St Mary's College and defending champions Clongowes Wood College would bar the path of Des Thornton's charges to the semi-final. It was a measure of the team's character that they survived tough encounters with Wesley and Mary's before producing the performance of the competition, in routing Clongowes 36-7.

Blackrock, handed a bye in the first round, negotiated a less arduous route to the semi-final in accounting for St Michael's and King's Hospital. In the semi-final they scored three tries to nil against Castleknock, yet they were discernibly edgy towards the end of a 21-9 victory. They possess a big, strong, mobile pack - Garrett Noonan and James Mannion have stood out - a good scrumhalf in Daragh Geraghty and fine centres in John Ronan and John Quigley.

To date, one feels they have yet to fully tap the combined ability that this team harbours. They haven't really been stretched and their aptitude to go toe to toe will first be discovered in tomorrow's final.

Terenure will be a match physically up front and may even have an edge behind the scrum. In Jonathan Baretto, captain Donal Dunlop and openside Conor McGinn they possess an excellent backrow; Roy McDonell is a significant lineout process and John Anthony Lee a powerful and hard working ball carrier. `Rock have the superior scrum, Terenure the better lineout.

Terenure and Leinster outhalf David McAllister produced an excellent display in the semi-final, including a superb try before limping off injured. Fully fit he is a potential match winner. .

It should be close, as befits the two outstanding teams in the competition. `Rock, playing in their 75th final in the 115 year history of the competition are chasing a 64th success, Terenure their ninth. In discerning a winner, it is Terenure's route to the final - a journey that has seen them dig deep and produce a brilliant performance when required as opposed to Blackrock's more straightforward passage - that offers the more compelling credentials.