A look ahead to all the action today and tomorrow.
Saturday
All-Ireland League
Division One Final
Shannon v Clontarf,
Thomond Park, 4pm, Live RTÉ 2
IF IT'S Saturday it must be another Munster-Leinster clash, and no less than their province, if Clontarf are to fulfil their magnificent obsession they are going to have to do it the hard way. Having laid one bogey with their first win over Constitution in Temple Hill, in the semi-finals, Clontarf must beat eight-time champions Shannon in today's decider. This is Clontarf's third final, having lost in 2006 to Shannon, after reaching the play-offs for a fifth successive year. The Leinster standardbearers over the last decade are expected to have 5,000-6,000 travelling supporters, and victory would probably constitute the finest hour in Clontarf's 123-year history.
However, standing in their way are the club who have taken winning finals to an art form. Not surprisingly Shannon have held faith in the starting line-up that secured their place in a sixth final out of 12 since the play-offs were introduced in the 1997-98 season, courtesy of their 16-12 semi-final victory over Garryowen in Coonagh. The only change in the match day 22 sees club captain Fiach O'Loughlin take his place on the bench at the expense of rookie Luke O'Dea.
Clontarf also retain the starting XV from their semi-final, with the fit-again Adrian Clarke and Peter O'Brien returning to the bench. Their South African flanker Heinrich Stride was Clontarf's match-winner that day with a two-try, man-of-the- match performance, but as impressive was the performance of their hugely influential Leinster scrumhalf Paul O'Donohue, who marshalled things from the base and used his fitness and footballing ability to telling effect. Another striking feature of their three-try second-half salvo was the impact of their bench, with replacement Max Tantz-McDonald finishing off a wonderful flowing move involving Stride and O'Donohue.
Judging by their previous meeting, also here, back in early December when Clontarf edged through 8-6, there ought to be little between the sides. There was also only one point between them over the 15-match league campaign.
It is a measure of the turnover in personnel and their unrivalled conveyor belt that only seven of Shannon's 22, and three of the starting line-up (McNamara, Ryan and Padraic O'Brien) remain from the team which beat Clontarf in the 2006 decider. With home advantage, though their only other game at the redeveloped Thomond was a draw with Garryowen, and their pedigree in finals, Shannon probably start favourites and they come into this final on the back of nine wins in their last 10 league games.
Against that, Clontarf are on a run of five successive league wins, scoring 143 points in the last four and conceding only six points in their last three games. If they repeat their second-half performance against Con they have every chance.
SHANNON: D O'Donovan; R Mullane, F Mc Loughlin, J Clogan, S Kelly; T Bennett, F Mc Namara; K O'Neill, M Essex, K Griffin, P O'Brien, F Walsh, D Ryan, E Grace, D Quinlan (capt). Replacements: J Cronin, M O'Driscoll, P Loughnane, J O'Connor, L Hogan, E Mc Loughlin, F O'Loughlin.
CLONTARF: P Howard; M Keating, D O'Shea (capt), B O'Donnell, N O'Brien; M Dufficy, P O'Donohue; K Dorian, A Dundon, N Treston, S Crawford, B Reilly, H Stride, N Carson, M Garvey. Replacements: A Clarke, S Treacy, J Duffy, B Focus, M R McDonald, J Wickham, P O Brien.
Division Two Final
UCC v Ballynahinch,
Dooradoyle, 2pm,
FITTINGLY, the promoted top two are contesting today's Division Two play-off final. UCC finished top of the table, just two points ahead of Ballynahinch, after a dozen wins in succession before their 31-13 semi-final win over Old Crescent, and this included a 21-9 win over today's opponents at the Mardyke back in January.
However, Ballynahinch are today playing the 23rd match of a remarkable campaign which has seen them win promotion to next season's Division One B and win the AIB Cup after successive wins over four top-flight teams, Shannon, Galwegians, Garryowen and Con, when their scrum did a number on their vaunted opponents and their backrow made hay.
Since losing to the students, they have won 11 matches in a row in all competitions and were comfortably the top scorers (467 points) across all three divisions, totting up 116 points more than UCC, and earning seven bonus points in their dozen wins.
Division Three Final
Corinthians v Old Wesley,
Dooradoyle, 12.0
SIMILARLY, the Division Three final is between the two clubs who finished in the top two and won promotion from the regular season. Old Wesley won the side's previous meeting by 16-11 back in October in round four, but since suffering their only other defeat away to Midleton in January, the Galway side put together a seven-game winning streak to finish top of the table.
Having secured promotion with a 15-7 win over Queen's in the penultimate round of games, Corinthians also avenged that defeat to Midleton in the semi-finals, winning 29-14 in Corinthian Park.
After a tricky start, in which they lost three of their opening seven matches, Old Wesley gradually built up a head of steam to pip Queen's for the second promotion spot with a run of seven wins out of eight, before beating Queen's 38-25 in the semi-finals. That said, their form is notably better at home (winning eight out of eight) than on the road, where they have lost four of eight.
Sunday
Magners League
Cardiff Blues v Munster,
Arms Park, 4.35, Live Setanta Sports
JUST THINK. These two could be facing off in the Heineken Cup final in two weeks' time but instead they are playing out a largely irrelevant, yet necessary fixture tomorrow. Two teams coming off crushing, season-defining defeats but the six Lions taking the field should keep us all interested. It is the loss of one tourist apiece that casts a shadow over the fixture, Tom Shanklin joining Tomás O'Leary in that depressing position of sustaining injury after being selected by Ian McGeechan to tour South Africa.
Munster coach Tony McGahan has left out the other Lions (Paul O'Connell, David Wallace, Alan Quinlan, Jerry Flannery and Ronan O'Gara), while Keith Earls and Donncha O'Callaghan get a chance to regain ground in the race for a Test berth. Marcus Horan, Doug Howlett and Lifeimi Mafi have also been given the weekend off with Paul Warwick providing cover for Jeremy Manning.
Cardiff are yet to secure their place at Europe's top table for next season so coach Dai Young has gone for a full strength line-up with Shanklin (shoulder) and Xavier Rush (finger) victims of the fixture clogging that saw Cardiff defeat the Dragons 26-12 on Wednesday. Viewing the contest from a Lions perspective, Leigh Halfpenny gets to show his versatility at fullback where his range of kicking will get a work out. Besides that it's a tough match to get up for. Munster will collect the title at Thomond Park next week.
CARDIFF BLUES: L Halfpenny; R Mustoe, J Robinson, J Roberts, C Czekaj; N Robinson, D Allinson; J Yapp, G Williams, G Powell, B Davies, S Morgan, S Warburton, M Williams, A Powell. Replacements: S Hobbs, T Rhys Thomas, D Jones, B White, R Rees, C Sweeney, T James.
MUNSTER: D Hurley; B Carney, B Murphy, K Earls, I Dowling; J Manning, P Stringer; F Pucciariello, D Fogarty, J Hayes; D O'Callaghan, M O'Driscoll (capt); N Williams, N Ronan, D Leamy. Replacements: M Essex, T Buckley, J Coughlan, D Foley, C Murray, P Warwick, K Lewis.
Referee: Peter Allan(SRU).
Verdict: Home win.
