Young guns of Munster to put on a treat

The Munster monopoly of the AIB All-Ireland League may have few enthusiasts outside the province, but not only is today's finale a fitting climax to the season, it also has the makings of a very good encounter.

Cork Constitution and Garryowen have been the most successful clubs in the country, and their current crops of talent are liable to continue the next millennium much as they've finished this one. Here are young, in-form sides who like to move the ball around.

On May Day, these self-declared top-of-the-ground teams may find just that at Lansdowne Road today: top-of-the-ground conditions. Between them they have accumulated 61 tries in 24 outings.

Granted, the holiday weekend and another all-Munster finale may not fill Lansdowne Road to capacity, and there's an argument for having played this in Musgrave Park or Thomond Park. But there's a stronger argument for making the AIL final a Lansdowne Road showpiece.

Aside from bringing the mountain to Mohammed in the shape of another all-Munster decider, heck, Munster even provide the referee, Dave McHugh, who remains widely recognised as the leading whistler in the country. So no excuses then.

"It's a very even match," maintains the Constitution co-coach Packie Derham, in an attempt to play down their favourites' tag. "These are two good back lines and, after the first 30 minutes, when there might be a little stage fright, knock-ons and the like, it should settle down into an open game."

Similarly, Garryowen coach John Hall reckons: "It should be a cracker. They are two very good, young sides, who play open, running rugby and aren't afraid to give it a lash."

Indeed, looking at the make-up of the teams, they don't seem inclined to an outbreak of stage fright. There's an irreverent swagger to these sides which probably has something to do with their relative youth. Constitution, with seven players under 23, average out at just over 24, while Garryowen, though still to name a final selection, could have an average age of just under 24.

The most striking example of the new breed of professional player coming through the Munster ranks can be found at halfback. The oldest of the quartet is Brian O'Meara, who turned 23 last month. With Peter Stringer and Barry Everitt also in the equation, Munster have an enviable conveyor belt of young half-backs.

Aside from the battle for provincial contracts and places next season (the 22-year-old hookers, Frankie Sheehan and Pat Humphreys, go head-to-head, as do four 22-year-old wingers, while Conor Mahony will be out to prove a point against Killian Keane), the O'Meara-Tom Tierney set-to is given added intrigue by the pursuit of a scrum-half place in the Irish squad to tour Australia.

That 28-man panel is expected to be announced on Wednesday, and perhaps also hoping to nail down a trip to Oz are a flanker from each side, Constitution's David Corkery and Garryowen's David Wallace, whose late call-up and performance in the A game against Italy has revived memories of other end-of-season pushes for tour places by the youngest of the Wallace trio.

But the many head-to-heads of potentially short and long-term significance are but sub-plots to the bigger picture. Although form doesn't count for as much in a one-off final, the bookies have nonetheless installed Constitution as favourites, and understandably so.

With each passing win in their sequence of eight successive victories, the Cork club's confidence has grown accordingly. True, they didn't quite scale the heights of their win over Shannon a fortnight ago in last week's predictably more nervy semi-final win over Buccaneers.

Even so, there was a palpable composure about the way they withstood Buccaneers' first-half storm and then stealthily put the game beyond reach in the third quarter.

They have an innate belief in their ability to score tries wide out, while Ronan O'Gara is in a rich vein of form with 76 points in his last five games. And, while the loss through injury of Ultan O'Callaghan is a blow, the promotion of the 21-year-old ex-Irish Schools' open side John Fogarty may well suit the needs of the day.

Garryowen had to sacrifice style and dig deeper for their win over St Mary's, but therein lies the rub, for Constitution's last defeat was the product of a late steal by Garryowen. They are a resilient, spirited side.

Forewarned is fore-armed, and Constitution still have a score to settle over that day. If they keep their heads, they seem to have a few more arrows in their quiver.

Either way, you just hope that two talented, expansive, young sides bring the curtain down on the 1990s in a manner that will leave us wanting an encore.