Emerging talent the mainstay of league

Rugby: Club loyalties will be tested this season with the start of the AIB Leagues, nowhere more so than in Division One. In the food chain of Irish rugby, club fare represents morsels at a table that includes the national team, the Heineken European Cup and the Celtic League and Cup.

For those who want to watch province and club it means a double hit at the weekend, financially and in terms of time. It places a huge emphasis on the entertainment quotient that club rugby can offer.

Denied the provincially contracted players, the tournament will now become a focus for some burgeoning talent and the manner in which clubs adapt. A large percentage of the Celtic League rugby has been of poor quality and so the divide to the club game is not quite a chasm.

Who will succeed Ballymena as champions? Clontarf have recruited wisely, Lansdowne have bolstered their backline, Shannon, Garryowen and Cork Constitution have demonstrated their forward planning in developing young players while Carlow could surprise many.

In essence this is a season in which clubs have to be innovative in getting supporters through the turnstiles. It represents a huge challenge and tomorrow will offer an inkling on how well they have addressed that task.

New faces are not limited to the players with Steve McIvor (Blackrock), Jeremy Davidson (Dungannon) and Bernie Kelly (Galwegians) taking a bow in terms of coaching in the top division. There seems little point in bemoaning the halcyon days of the competition. It's simply a case of focusing on what it can be rather that what it used to be.