THE re-arranged Leinster championship final between Lansdowne and Terenure holds centre stage in an otherwise muted weekend the Irish squad session again keeping the club game in abeyance throughout their never-ending, mid-winter hiatus.
Unbeknown to the participating clubs when they picked their teams, Irish manager Pat Whelan had ordained that neither Terenure's Niall Hogan nor Lansdowne's Eric Elwood would be freed from the international session for Saturday's Kitty O'Shea-sponsored final. Thus, although both were included in the respective line-ups released yesterday, both clubs are now resigned to being without them.
A Terenure club spokesperson said: "Certainly when we picked the side we hoped that Niall, and indeed Eric Elwood for them, would have been allowed to play. Given three players are being allowed to play in Pilkington Cup ties it's hard to grasp." Equally annoying was the Leinster Branch's decision to play the Bective-Old Wesley friendly beforehand at 1.0 on an over-used Donnybrook pitch that is, typically for this time of year, churning up badly. "It hardly seems the best way to promote the competition."
The reaction from Joe Leddin the Lansdowne prop, was: "While were are obviously disappointed that Eric cannot play for us we fully appreciate the importance of the preparations for the French game and understand the pressure on the fixture list die to adverse weather conditions. It obviously shows the necessity of getting a proper structure in to the various fixture lists for next season.
Below the fringes of the All-Ireland League however things are simmering along nicely, and set to come to the boil this Sunday with potentially decisive qualifying matches for next season's AIL in both the Connacht and Munster junior leagues. Indeed, the Connemara All Blacks are particularly incensed that the Connacht Branch have shifted the goalposts prior to their Junior League denouement against Creggs this Sunday.
The All Blacks, it will be recalled, haven't been beaten in eight years of Connacht Junior League combat during the regular season - a sequence that now extends to an estimated 92 matches. Their one blemish was a 6-3 defeat in a play-off to decide the 1991-92 Junior League division one title.
No doubt mindful of that, the All Blacks were recently dismayed to learn that the Connacht Branch have decreed that should Creggs win in Roscommon on Sunday. thereby drawing level with them on 22 points from 12 games, then the two clubs will again undergo a play-off. As things stand, the All Blacks are two points clear of Creggs but, much to their annoyance, Connemara's vastly superior points difference will not be taken into account.
Qualification for the All-Ireland League, division four, would hinge upon the outcome of the play-off, the Connacht Branch refuting Connemara's appeal that the play-off could merely decide the destiny of the Connacht Junior League title with the All Blacks being assured of their AIL status next season.
The rules regarding the All-Ireland League itself decree that all sides finishing level will be separated by points difference. However, Eoin Hosty, a member of the IRFU All-Ireland Sub-Committee, confirmed yesterday that the Branch's are entirely autonomous and thus entitled to demand a play-off if necessary. Hence, everything will be there to play for on Sunday. As Connacht Branch secretary Bobby McGann put it yesterday: "It will be the biggest match in Connacht for years.
A similarly crunch affair will take place in Clanwilliam Park in Tipperary on Sunday when Richmond seek to complete their Munster Junior League programme with a 100 per cent record at the expense of nearest challengers Clanwilliam. With 10 wins under their belt, Richmond are virtually in an impregnable position.
Clanwilliam, with 12 points from seven games, are the only team that can catch Richmond. But they would not only need to win on Sunday but also their three back matches - and by sizeable margins to boot because, in Munster, points difference would be the deciding criteria were the top two to finish level. But before the Connemara All Blacks start citing them as an example, in Ulster their branch have signalled their intention to have the qualification league decided by a play-off should two or more teams finish level. As things stand, Ballinahinch are best placed, with Dromore and Omagh their nearest challengers, but there are still five rounds of matches remaining.
Interestingly, none of the three aforementioned Ulster clubs have signalled their intentions should they win the league and then be "invited" into the AIL. In Leinster, Suttonians have already secured their place in next season's AIL.
