AIB Cup: Semi-Final Previews

2006/07 AIB CUP SEMI-FINALS: Saturday, March 31

BELFAST HARLEQUINS v SHANNON, Deramore Park, 2.30pm
Referee: David Keane (Leinster)

Previous League/Cup Meetings: Played 8, Belfast Harlequins Won 2, Shannon Won 6; At Deramore Park: Played 4, Belfast Harlequins Won 2, Shannon Won 2

Last Match: AIB League Division One – January 20, 2007 – Belfast Harlequins 19 Shannon 17, Deramore Park

2006/07 League/Cup Form (most recent match on the left): Belfast Harlequins: WLWWW; Shannon: WLWWW

Belfast Harlequins – Notes: * This is Harlequins’ eighth season in the AIB League
* They beat Nenagh Ormond 21-0 in the first round of this season’s AIB Cup at Deramore Park, following that win up with a 22-19 victory over Galwegians in the quarter-finals
* Their meeting with Shannon is their third home game in the AIB Cup this season – ‘Quins are the only one of four Ulster clubs to have made it to the last-four of the cup
* They qualified for this season’s AIB Cup by finishing third in the 2005/06 Ulster Senior League
* They appointed former Ulster coach Alan Solomons as consultant coach after Christmas. They have won all ten games they have played in the Ulster Senior League so far this season and have still to play Dungannon on Saturday, April 28
* As title holders, they recently beat Malone 26-10 in the Ulster Senior Cup semi-finals and will meet Dungannon in the final which is due to be played in the first week of May
* They have won four of their last five AIB League games at home to clubs from Limerick
* They lost the 2004/05 AIB League Division One final 25-20 to Shannon at Lansdowne Road. They were Division Two champions in 2001/02 and reached the Division One semi-finals in 2003/04
* They reached the AIB Cup quarter-final stage last seaosn before losing 41-13 away to Cork Constitution
* This weekend they are on a hat-trick of home wins over Shannon. They are currently in 14th place in Division One and still in relegation difficulties

Most Points In 2006/07 AIB League To Date: Niall O’Connor 90
Most Tries In 2006/07 AIB League To Date: Chris McCarey 3

Shannon – Notes: * They have won three of their last five Division One fixtures away in Ulster
* In the AIB Cup first round this season, they beat Clontarf 22-13 at Thomond Park and won 34-24 away to UCD in the quarter-finals
* They have won the AIB League on eight of the 16 occasions that it has been contested
* They may have some contracted players available to them this weekend as Munster play their Heineken Cup quarter-final at Stradey Park on Friday
* In last season’s AIB Cup first round, Shannon lost 20-17 at home to the eventual winners Cork Constitution. They are one of three Munster clubs remaining in the AIB Cup at the semi-final stage this season
* They have produced four AIB Club international players over the past two seasons. Like Garryowen, they are still in the hunt for an AIB League Division One and AIB Cup double this season
* They are currently in fourth place in the Division One table and on course to make the league play-offs

Most Points In 2006/07 AIB League To Date: Andrew Thompson 77
Most Tries In 2006/07 AIB League To Date: Sean Cronin 7

GARRYOWEN v CLONAKILTY, Dooradoyle, 2.30pm
Referee: Eanna O’Dowd (Leinster)

Previous League/Cup Meetings: Played 0

Last Match: N/A

2006/07 League/Cup Form (most recent match on the left): Garryowen: WWWWL; Clonakilty: WWLDW

Garryowen – Notes: * They have also played at home in the first round (16-13 v Buccaneers) and the quarter-finals (16-13 v St. Mary’s College) of this season’s AIB Cup
* They qualified for this competition by being one of five clubs to progress past the season round of this season’s Munster Senior Cup. En route, they received a walkover from Youghal, won 16-6 away to Thomond, beat Nenagh Ormond 44-12 in the semi-finals and in the final, played at Thomond Park on December 30, they beat Cork Constitution 13-8 to win their record 36th Munster Senior Cup
* Garryowen have won three and lost one of their four matches against Munster clubs in AIB League Division one this season. They have twice won the league title – in 1992 and 1994 – and last year, they won Division One’s league series for which they received a Union plaque
* They have been runners-up in the AIB League on two occasions and also beaten finalists in the championship on another two occasions. They are one of three Munster clubs remaining at the semi-final stage of the AIB Cup this season
* They have produced four AIB Club international players over the past two seasons
* They have just one set of brothers – the O’Boyle twins, Ciaran and Cillian – in their current senior squad
* They are currently in fifth place in Division One of the AIB League and still have a chance of making the play-offs

Most Points In 2006/07 AIB League To Date: Conor Kilroy 65
Most Tries In 2006/07 AIB League To Date: Ciaran O’Boyle 6

Clonakilty – Notes: * They approached Garryowen to play this weekend’s game in West Cork – ‘in the spirit of rugby’ – but their request was politely declined
* They are the only AIB League Division Two club remaining at the semi-final stage of this season’s AIB Cup
* They gained their first ever AIB League win in Limerick city last month when they beat Thomond 21-3
* They played at senior level once before at Dooradoyle, losing 30-8 in the Munster club’s Development League back in September 2004. They have won three, drawn one and lost one of their five matches against Munster clubs in Division Two this season
* The club, highlighted two seasons back for having seven sets of brothers involved in their squad, has seen this number reduced to three this season
* They qualified for this competition by being one of five clubs to progress past the second round of this season’s Munster Senior Cup. En route, they won 18-13 away to Midleton and beat Old Crescent 26-3 at Shannonvale Cross. They lost 31-14 to Cork Constitution in the semi-finals
* They beat Greystones 8-0 in the AIB Cup’s first round at the Vale in January and then won 31-22 away to top flight side Terenure College in the quarters
* This is the club’s sixth season in the AIB League – they reached the 2004/05 Division Three play-offs but lost 25-15 away to Barnhall and then lost 16-14 at home to Instonians in the Division Three championship semis
* They were last season’s Division Three champions and were promoted. They have five former Irish Youths players in their current senior squad
* Former Irish Youths second row Mike O’Hea returned to ‘Clon’ this season after a spell in the Garryowen Academy while studying at Limerick Institute of Technology
* They are currently in third place in Division Two and should get an ‘away’ semi-final

Most Points In 2006/07 AIB League To Date: Gary Cribb 69
Most Tries In 2006/07 AIB League To Date: John O’Donnell 6

– AIB League and Cup statistics by Des Daly –