Champions still look the part

RUGBY: ALL IRELAND LEAGUE SEMI-FINAL PREVIEWS: Cork Constitution v Young Munster:CHAMPIONS IN two of the last three years, Cork Constitution have reached the penultimate stage of the tournament in impressive fashion, both in terms of results and the manner in which they play the game under coach, Brian Walsh.

The composition of their team will be predicated by events in Wales where Munster take on the Scarlets. Con will be definitely without wing Simon Zebo and tighthead prop Stephen Archer, who were named in the Munster team, but the club will have to wait to see what, if any game time, hooker Denis Fogarty, prop Darragh Hurley and outhalf Scott Deasy enjoy from the replacements bench at Parc y Scarlets.

That trio are all pencilled in to start against Young Munster.

Scrumhalf Duncan Williams is also on the Munster bench but he is not in Con’s startling line-up, that role going to Gerry Hurley, their leading points scorer.

It is a testament to the structures within the club that Con provide so many players for provincial and national teams, senior and underage, yet still manage to dispute silverware at club level. Tomorrow’s team contains 11 players who played mini-rugby for the club.

Visitors Young Munster were arguably the form team in the last two months of the season proper, producing a beautifully timed run that saw them touch off St Mary’s College for a place in the play-offs.

They too possess a good young coach in former Munster scrumhalf Mike Prendergast. Since taking over he has led the club to a Munster Senior Cup, promotion and two Limerick Charity Cup wins.

The regular season saw honours shared between today’s sides with each winning their home match; Con 32-19 at Temple Hill and Munsters exacting revenge at Clifford Park in a 6-3 success in February.

Prendergast had a number of minor injury concerns and won’t finalise the team until today.

“The win over Cork Con this season for us was a huge psychological boost for the team,” he said.

“We know we can mix it with anyone and we will be going down to Cork with that attitude. We have nothing to lose and everything to gain from the match. Cup rugby is all about the day.”

CORK CONSTITUTION:S Scanlon; R Lane, C Jouvet, I Dineen, R Clune; S Deasy, G Hurley; D Hurley, D Fogarty, M Gateley; I Nagle, B Hayes; B Holland, B Cutriss, F Cogan (capt).

YOUNG MUNSTER(probable): I Cross; C O'Hanlon, M Costelloe, R Maloney, A Carroll; W Staunton, A Kingsley; G Flaherty, G Slattery (capt), A Cotter, N Melbourne, S O'Neill; L Og Murphy, J O'Neill, S Harty.