Merrion to run and run

Well, there's another fine mess partly of the IRFU's own making. If the events of the weekend and the fall-out arising from the postponement of the Wanderers-Buccaneers second division game proved anything, it was that the consultative process and the procedures for cancellation of matches are inadequate; and that the Union had insufficient contingency plans in operation.

Indeed, inquiries from this newspaper last Thursday highlighted as much. Though conscious of the possibility that one or more clubs might be placed at a distinct advantage should there be any postponements, the Union don't appear to have had too many ideas about counter-acting this eventuality.

Now, if Wanderers become the only second division two side to take points off either Galwegians or Buccaneers in their re-arranged game with the latter, Malone will be relegated and Bective consigned to a relegation play-off against Ballynahinch.

Ironically, Malone were the victims of a similar scenario six years ago, when they completed their league programme on the final Saturday, thereby leaving them sitting ducks when a Wanderers side with nothing to play for travelled down to Dolphin the next day. Dolphin, needing a win to survive, duly did so and Malone were relegated.

The Union vowed then that such a scenario would never arise again. In mitigation, they arranged the final series of matches to kick-off simultaneously on Saturday, even affording Blackrock, Garryowen and Dolphin the chance to kick-off at 2.45 in line with the televised game between Young Munster and Old Crescent. However, with regard to the second division, the Union clearly weren't as alert as they should have been.

For starters, the various members of the grounds committee should have been put on red alert with the warning that, unless a pitch was decidedly dangerous, every effort ought to have been made to play all the games.

Here though, the onus rested heavily (perhaps too heavily) on Wanderers. Regulation 6 (ii) in the official AIB League handbook states that "determination of the fitness of the ground shall be the responsibility of the home club in consultation with a nominee of the working party."

Wanderers had duly contacted Ned Cummins of the League's ground fitness panel last Friday. (This should have allowed ample time to make contingency plans.) They then consulted, through PRO Ian Burns and secretary Joe McDermott, with Cummins at the pitch inspection on Saturday morning (10 a.m.).

This process is designed "to ensure that there is no element of `sharp practice' ". Cummins himself is saying nought. "I have made my report to the Union and I'm making no further comment. That's my position."

The regulations also state "if a pitch is unplayable, the home club should endeavour to find a suitable alternative venue." Here, Wanderers have more possibilities than most, with access to the back pitch at Lansdowne Road.

Another potential contingency plan was to offer Malone the opportunity of re-arranging their game with Galwegians to kick-off simultaneously with the Wanderers-Buccaneers game, say, yesterday - Easter Monday. That, perhaps, would have been the fairest solution although the Union would then argue that the entire Division Two programme ought to have been postponed. But no such contingency plan was put in place, even though the bank holiday weekend gave the Union scope to do so.

An independent union official also walked the pitch at 1.30, and reckons it was perfectly playable. But neither the groundsman nor match referee were present at the Merrion Road pitch inspection on Saturday morning and it seems extraordinary that the decision to cancel a game is not the responsibility of the match referee or an independent pitch inspector.

Last Thursday, a Union spokesperson had made it clear to this newspaper that any postponed games should be refixed as soon as possible, preferably the next day. The Union did not want any disruptions to the planned promotion-relegation play-off first legs scheduled for this Saturday.

Yet that is exactly what has happened, with the inevitable ripple effect. Hence, the play-off for a place in Division Two has also been deferred by at least a fortnight. Ballynahinch don't know who they will be playing. Malone and Bective don't know whether their league campaign is over or not. This affects the Ulster and Leinster Senior Cups as well.

What of Bective's involvement in Leinster? Have St Mary's been given a bye into the second round, and if so, why? Why were Galwegians and Buccaneers afforded byes into the Connacht semi-finals, while last year's finalists Ballina and others have been obliged to play three games if they're to reach the final?

But back to Merrion Road. Throughout the weekend, the information lines appear to have been decidedly crackly. Apparently a rearranged game on Sunday didn't suit Buccaneers, whose second XV were playing in the Connacht Junior Cup final that day.

Wanderers were led to believe that the game had been re-scheduled for yesterday at 2.30. This was news to Buccaneers when contacted by this journalist on Sunday afternoon. Apparently, Buccaneers weren't too keen to play yesterday either and were then notified after 10p.m. on Sunday evening that the game had been deferred, possibly to Saturday week.

This would mean that their first leg play-off at home to Dungannon would go ahead as planned on Saturday, but that the second leg would be deferred to the following Saturday week to accommodate the re-arranged game with Wanderers in between.

As Irish solutions to Irish problems go, this is right up there. If anything, Buccaneers would be even more likely to field a weakened side for a "nothing" match on Saturday week in between the two-legs of their play-off with Dungannon.

Perhaps all will become clear when the League Working Party, wheeling swiftly into action, meet tonight; three-and-a-half days after the game was called off. Malone and Bective have lodged written complaints. So, too, have Buccaneers, whose view is that they don't want to play the game. The Working Party, too, smell a rat.

They are concerned about why the Merrion Road game was cancelled, when every other match that day was played, including league games at nearby Anglesea Road and Donnybrook, not to mention Lakelands Park, Stradbrook and Kilternan.

The likeliest scenario is that the League's Working Party will refer the matter to the more powerful IRFU Committee, who have a planned meeting on Friday. This one could run and run. Another fine mess.