#EnergiaAIL Men’s Divisions 2A, 2B & 2C: Round 8 Previews

ENERGIA ALL-IRELAND LEAGUE MEN’S DIVISION 2A – ROUND 8:

As the recent break ends, we are gearing up for an exciting two weeks in the lead up to the festive period. Division 2A boasts some exciting fixtures on Saturday afternoon, the headline act being Cashel hosting Instonians.

A first meeting between Cashel and Instonians in the Energia All-Ireland League is sure to make for a thrilling clash to kick off the round at 2pm. Just a single point separates the two in the table, with Inst occupying second place currently.

Fresh off their excellent Energia Bateman Cup semi-final win at Garryowen, Instonians will aim to keep this momentum going into the early stages of next year, but defeating Cashel on their home patch is a very tough assignment.

Cashel did, however, lose their last home game to Navan in early November, but it is difficult to call a winner as these two high flyers lock horns at Spafield. After their bruising battle with Galway Corinthians last time out, the Tipperary side are ready for whatever Instonians throw at them.

Leaders Corinthians did suffer a 41-39 defeat last time out to Cashel, and away to Banbridge with a 2pm kick-off at Rifle Park, they will hope to return to winning ways and hold onto top spot by Saturday evening.

Missing many of their regulars in round 7, Corinthians still put in an impressive performance and fell just short in the end. Banbridge looked impressive in their recent 31-14 win away to Navan. Scrum half Jack Hart is an accurate kicker from tee and with his try scoring, he could be a handful for Corinthians.

Fourth-placed MU Barnhall have lost considerable ground to those pacesetting teams in recent weeks, off the back of consecutive defeats. They are aiming for this weekend to be a more positive experience when they travel south to meet Old Crescent (kick-off 3.15pm).

Takumi Park, however, has not been a happy hunting ground for the Blue Bulls, losing on each on their last three visits. Their most recent win in Rosbrien was in 2019. With just four points separating the two sides in the table, Barnhall certainly need a result here.

Crescent, who are seventh overall, have been able to grind out results so far this season and showed that again with a 29-24 victory over Ballymena last time out. Out-half Ronan McKenna was impressive as ever from the tee, and could have a crucial say when Barnhall come to town.

Greystones are Barnhall’s closest rivals for fourth place at present, trailing them by just two points. Danny Kenny’s charges have had a better start to this season than what transpired when they came up as Division 2B champions last term.

With one more win on the board going into this December block of games than 12 months ago, ‘Stones were unable to register a fourth victory until February. Winning at Ballymena’s Eaton Park is a tough task, and this fixture brings back bad memories of their one-point defeat there last March.

‘Stones should take the verdict on current form, although Ballymena have been ultra competitive despite not yet picking up a win on home soil this season. They have bagged six bonus points – four of them in losing performances – and look capable of getting a run of results.

After opening their win account against Buccaneers, the Braidmen then lost by just five points to Crescent. Hopes will be high of bouncing back, and with Navan paying a visit to Buccs this weekend, they cannot afford to drop points with the Meath men eager to get out of the bottom two.

With just three points separating ninth-placed Navan from Ballymena, a win in the midlands is of high importance to keep them not only breathing down the necks of the Ulster side, but to possibly take eighth place should the result at Eaton Park also prove favourable.

Buccs are bottom of the table with their only point so far coming from a try-scoring bonus earned away to Banbridge. With just two rounds to go until we reach the midpoint of the season, Paul Byrne’s Pirates are in desperate need of a win and more positive news on the injury front.

ENERGIA ALL-IRELAND LEAGUE MEN’S DIVISION 2B – ROUND 8:

* Wanderers v Sligo, will now be played on Aviva back pitch, kicking off at 2.30pm

With seven games of the season done and dusted, Wanderers have been the pace setters in Division 2B so far. They are five points clear of Dungannon at the summit, so will they be able to extend their advantage by the end of the calendar year?

Eoin Sheriff’s well-drilled Wanderers side have rarely put a foot wrong up to this point, and have a home encounter with Sligo on Saturday to get their teeth into. Aiming for a third straight win and to maintain their unbeaten home record for this season, the Chaps are playing with plenty of confidence.

Nonetheless, Sligo are tricky opponents despite their form this season being mixed. They have lost their last three games – including an Energia Bateman Cup semi-final away to Lansdowne – but cannot be underestimated, and notable their last two trips to Merrion Road ended in wins.

Second-placed Dungannon travel to face UL Bohemian for the first time since their Division 2A promotion/relegation play-off in 2023. Bohs won that tie by four points and this meeting for the two is all about getting back up to the league’s third tier.

With a 30-21 defeat away to Malone last time out, two points currently separate UL Bohs from Clogher Valley in fourth place. The Red Robins’ five personnel changes are Kian Regan, Jack Foley, Padraic Galvin, Luca Cleary, and Darragh O’Gorman, who captains the team from the left wing.

Dungannon snatched a dramatic comeback win from the jaws of defeat against Galwegians, getting over the line thanks to centre Kyle Gormley’s second try during the closing stages. An much more complete performance will be required in Limerick, ahead of next week’s Ulster derby against Malone.

A match of the round contender is the novel pairing of Clogher Valley and Skerries, who cross paths for the first time in the Energia All-Ireland League. This looks to be a mouth-watering match-up, and Stephen Bothwell’s men will fancy their chances of delivering the points.

With an attack that has already passed the 200-point mark, Clogher Valley are making a sizable impression during their debut Division 2B campaign. Michael Bothwell continues in the centre, alongside captain Paul Armstrong, following his player-of-the-match display against Sligo.

Skerries are having a much better season compared to last year, but reversals in rounds 5 and 6 took away some of their momentum. This should be an intriguing contest between the fourth and third-placed sides, with the Goats having a potential match winner in the division’s top scorer Ronan Mulcahy (79 points).

A big provincial derby at Gibson Park will see Malone and Rainey fighting it out for important points which could push either team closer to the top four. Scoring difference is all that splits them in the table, and five points is the gap currently to fourth-placed Clogher.

Malone had a rocky start when it came to home games but have won their last two. Since dropping down a division, they look to be getting stronger with each passing round. They are on a three-match winning run, and Matty Smyth (35 points) and Dan Kerr (5 tries) have had key scoring contributions.

Rainey managed to win at Malahide and also went very close away to Bohs and Skerries. With big top four aspirations, a result here would give a timely boost. Diarmuid Devlin starts in the second row, with Adam Montgomery shifting to number 8. Jim McCartney replaces Andrew Donaghy on the right wing.

The division’s bottom two meet at Crowley Park on Saturday. Can a luckless Galwegians end their losing run on home soil, or will Malahide jump off the bottom rung with a much-needed result out west?

Four times this season ‘Wegians have lost games by a single point, conceding a decisive score late on. Connacht Academy backs Finn Treacy and Shane Mallon are set to return, and it would be a real monkey off their backs for Brendan Guilfoyle’s charges to taste that winning feeling again.

Without a victory in the last four rounds, Malahide won on both of their last visits to Glenina and will fancy their chances of doing so again. With a starting back row of Marc Kelly, James Doyle, and John Shine, the Dubliners are primed for what is a veritable ‘eight-pointer’ for both teams.

ENERGIA ALL-IRELAND LEAGUE MEN’S DIVISION 2C – ROUND 8:

* Tullamore v Belfast Harliquins, has been cancelled and is remixed for Saturday 4th January.

Division 2C of the Energia All-Ireland League has been incredibly competitive this season and any dropped points for those challenging at the top of the table could lead to some lost ground over the Christmas break.

For Midleton they go into this weekend as the only team currently beaten after the opening seven games, and on home soil welcome Clonmel for a Munster Derby.

The Towns Park faithful have enjoyed a great season of performances so far, and are looking to increase their lead at the summit from the chasing pack. With the best defensive record in the Division, they have been a tough nut to crack.

Clonmel are staring down the barrel of a third straight defeat this weekend, unless they can turn the tide and pick up their first win in six years at Town’s Park.

Second placed Belfast Harlequins make the trip to bottom placed Tullamore this weekend, hoping to keep the pressure firmly applied to Midleton at the summit.

Quins had a dramatic win away to Monkstown last time out, to stretch their recent winning streak to two games and will be looking for another win on the road this weekend. Certainly the Ulster side have looked impressive with Ben Power’s recent form off the tee another tool in their arsenal.

Tullamore have yet to pick up a win so far this season, their dramatic 25-25 draw with Enniscorthy the only time they have avoided defeat this season, a win here for them would be vital for confidence and to not leave them in a scrap to stay up approaching seasons end.

Sitting four points off the lead and one point behind Harlequins in third, Dolphin are very much still in the fight and have to get a result against Enniscorthy on the road to keep them in the hunt.

The pair met just a few short months ago back in April, contrasting seasons saw Scorthy looking to go up to 2B, while Dolphin were hoping to hang onto their place. Now the focus for both is to head straight to 2B.

Tested throughout their tie with Ballyclare at home last time out, Dolphin had to dig deep to secure a narrow one point win. Karl Waterman and Darragh Buckley brought threat on the wing to score tries that day, while Jordan Soli’s boot has been impressive this term.

Scorthy have the home advantage and will be looking to use that to their full advantage. Having lost their opening four games, the Wexford men have turned their season around of late, with three impressive bonus point wins putting just five points between them and the top four. A win here would be another big statement of intent.

Earlier on this year Ballyclare and Monkstown delivered a barn stormer of a final to secure promotion to the All Ireland League. Joel McBride’s last gap try sealed the win for the Ulster side and now a few short months later, they meet Monkstown again for what promises to be another exciting tie between these two.

The new boys against the old guard who ensured a long wait to play in the league, judging on their history and recent games, this can go right to the wire. The pair are both hoping to return to winning ways after defeats last time out, the aforementioned McBride has been in great form this season and could again prove the difference here.

Having picked up their first win of the season last time out away to Tullamore, Bruff are back on home soil looking for their first home win against Omagh Academicals.

Sitting just outside the drop zone, the Limerick men are hopeful of pushing on now and putting a gap in place between themselves and the two teams beneath them in the table. Winning their last three ties on home soil against Accies, they will fancy their chances this weekend.

Accies have lost their last two games coming into this one, but have picked up just one win all season. That came in the first round narrowly against Clonmel, and should they drop points to another side fighting at the foot of the table it would prove a tough task to claw back the deficit.

Keep up to date with all the latest news in our dedicated website hub at www.irishrugby.ie/energiaail, and follow #EnergiaAIL on social media channels.