British & Irish Cup Draw Sets Up All-Irish Semi-Final

The 2011/12 British & Irish Cup semi-final draw has been made. It has paired Leinster ‘A’ and Munster ‘A’ together in a mouth-watering all-Irish tie.

Munster ‘A’ will be hoping to push through to their second British & Irish Cup final, having lost to inaugural winners Cornish Pirates in May 2010.

Standing in their way are arch rivals Leinster ‘A’, who topped Pool 3 with three wins and a draw. A comprehensive 32-0 home win over Pontypridd confirmed the province’s entry to the semi-finals.

In the second semi-final, newcomers Cross Keys have made their first year in the competition known, finishing top of Pool 2 just one point ahead of Munster ‘A’.

The Principality Premiership side will welcome Cornish Pirates to Pandy Park, following an impressive victory over Llanelli in the quarter-finals.

The Pirates are the only team in the line-up to have won all four of their pool matches, securing their path to the semi-finals with a win over fellow RFU Championship contenders Nottingham.

2011/12 BRITISH & IRISH CUP SEMI-FINALS:

Matches to be played April 6-8 –

Semi-final 1: LEINSTER ‘A’ v MUNSTER ‘A’
Semi-final 2: Cross Keys v Cornish Pirates

The winner of semi-final 1 will host the winner of semi-final 2, meaning that for the first time in the competition’s history, an Irish team will stage the British & Irish Cup final.

The final is due to take place on Saturday, April 28.