Categories: All Ireland League Club and Community

Division Two Semi-Final Preview: Old Belvedere v Young Munster

Two of the form teams in the AIB League clash at Anglesea Road on Saturday in what looks a mouth-watering Division Two semi-final. Old Belvedere and Young Munster, who are both unbeaten in their last five league matches, meet in the capital and IrishRugby.ie previews the game below.

AIB LEAGUE DIVISION TWO SEMI-FINAL: Saturday, April 21

OLD BELVEDERE v YOUNG MUNSTER, Anglesea Road, 2.30pm
Referee: Mark Hermin (Ulster)

Previous AIB League Meetings: Played 8, Old Belvedere Won 2, Young Munster Won 6; At Anglesea Road: Played 4, Old Belvedere Won 1, Young Munster Won 3

Last Match: AIB League Division One – October 21, 2006 – Young Munster 13 Old Belvedere 20, Tom Clifford Park

2006/07 AIB League Form (most recent match on the left): Old Belvedere: WWWWW; Young Munster: WWWWD

Old Belvedere – Notes: * They finished first in the Division Two table after this season’s regulation phase. This is their third home match against a Munster club this season
* ‘Belvo’s record at home so far this season reads: played seven, won six and lost one
* This weekend will mark their 80th AIB League fixture against a Munster club and they are seeking their 38th victory
* They lost their first four league games against Young Munster and have won two and lost two since then
* Over the 15 rounds of Division Two this season, they conceded the least amount of penalty goals (17)
* They previously made the Division Two play-offs at the end of the 2003/04 season – they lost 19-16 to Dublin University at College Park
* They won 14 games on the trot in Division Two this season – their only defeat was a 20-10 loss at home to Dublin University on the opening day of the league campaign in October

Top Points Scorer in the AIB League: Andy Dunne 88
Top Try Scorers in the AIB League: Kevin Barden 13, Andy Dunne 5

Young Munster – Notes: * They finished fourth in the Division Two table after this season’s regulation phase. This is the Limerick club’s sixth game on the road in Leinster this season
* The Cookies have won five and lost two of their seven matches on the road in Division Two this season
* They have previously played 92 AIB League fixtures against Leinster opposition and won 50 of those games
* They played eight Leinster clubs in Division Two this season and won three of their five matches away from home – at Bective (23-15), at Suttonians (31-16) and at De La Salle Palmerston (21-14)
* Over the 15 rounds in Division Two this term, they have kicked the most penalty goals (34)
* They won 15-12 on their most recent league visit to Anglesea Road in April 2006, but worryingly, there has been no away win in the Division Two play-offs over the past six seasons
* They previously qualified for the championship play-offs in both 2001 and 2006. They lost 18-10 away to Cork Constitution in the Division One play-offs in 2001, and last year they never got to play Dolphin as the season ended in controversial circumstances