#EnergiaAIL Men’s Provincial League Championship Final Preview: Thomond v Bective Rangers

ENERGIA ALL-IRELAND PROVINCIAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL:

Saturday, April 12 –

THOMOND v BECTIVE RANGERS, Cill Dara RFC, 2.30pm

‘We Pushed Each Other To Raise Standards Across The Board’ – Thomond Captain McMahon

‘This Is About Us Finishing What We Started’ – Bective Captain McCloskey

Preview: No matter the outcome, this showdown at Cill Dara RFC will end with one club celebrating a long-awaited return to the Energia All-Ireland League. For either Bective Rangers or Thomond, the journey back to senior rugby will be complete, but only one can claim the prize outright.

Both sides are steeped in history, and have previous length spells in the All-Ireland League, with Bective relegated at the end of the 2017/18 campaign and Thomond following suit a season later. Now, after years of rebuilding, near misses, and relentless graft, they meet again for the first time in eight years, and the stakes couldn’t be higher.

It’s a fitting return to the rivalry, one that has spanned 16 previous meetings. Bective edged the historical head-to-head with ten wins to Thomond’s five, with one draw, a memorable 10-10 stalemate on Shannonside in November 2002. But those past battles will pale in comparison to what’s on the line this weekend.

It’s been a memorable season for Bective Rangers. The Donnybrook side added the Division 1A Leinster League title after claiming the Energia Junior Cup earlier this year, also in dramatic fashion. With two trophies already secured, head coach Ben Manion has crafted a side full of belief, steel, and momentum. Now they’re eyeing a treble, and a return to senior ranks.

They’ve been close before. In 2022, Bective lost out 25-21 to Instonians in the qualifying final, and a year later they fell at the semi-final stage 34-19 to Clogher Valley. But this season, there’s a sense that things are different. More complete. More composed. More clinical.

In their semi-final clash with Creggs, they showed all of those traits. Leading 21-13 at the break, thanks to tries from Oliver Foote, James Gallagher, and Luke Mion, plus three conversions from Mikey O’Hare.

The second half played out like the first, a real closely fought affair for large parts, but Bective found another gear, with Gavin Kelly and Gallagher crossing late on to seal a 40-20 win.

After years of ups and downs, something is stirring again in Donnybrook. There’s momentum, there’s confidence, and above all, there’s a hunger to finish what they’ve started.

That same hunger fuels Thomond. The Limerick men have been pushing for promotion ever since their 2019 relegation and left Ashbourne deflated last year, losing out 33-17 to Monkstown in the semi-finals. But rather than dwell, they regrouped and responded.

This season in Division 1 of the Munster Junior League, Thomond were untouchable. Thirteen games, thirteen bonus-point wins. Dominant. Relentless. Efficient. While an early exit in the Junior Cup stung, Kevin O’Mahony’s squad have kept their eyes firmly on the bigger prize, a return to the All-Ireland League.

Their semi-final against Dromore was a gritty affair, played on the same patch of turf they’ll return to this weekend. Eoghain Sherlock opened the scoring with a superb intercept try, with Jason Kiely adding the extras. Dromore hit back through Adam McDonald, but Kiely’s own finish restored the advantage.

A second Dromore try just before the break narrowed the gap to 12-10, but Thomond responded brilliantly in the second half. Jamie McGarry’s early score made it 17-10, and from there, they showed their composure and experience to shut the game down and see it through.

This is Thomond’s first qualifying final since their relegation, and they’ll be determined to make it count.

With 13 Dublin clubs currently in the All-Ireland League, Bective’s return would make it 14, and another feather in the cap for the capital. But Thomond, aiming to join the ranks of Young Munster, Garryowen, Shannon, Old Crescent, UL Bohemian and Bruff, would represent a seventh Limerick team at senior level. A proud record for the Treaty County, and one they’d love to add to.

The margins are razor-thin. Both sides arrive with silverware in their pockets and serious momentum behind them. For Bective, it’s the culmination of a season where they’ve learned to win under pressure and found new levels when it counted most. For Thomond, it’s about converting dominance in Munster into national success, and erasing the pain of last season.

There’s no shortage of narratives. Can Bective complete a fairytale treble under Manion and return to where they believe they belong? Or will Thomond’s ironclad form this year carry them over the final hurdle?. One thing’s for certain, it’s going to be a battle in Cill Dara RFC.

THOMOND: Jamie McGarry; Luke Costello, Josh Dillon, Jason Kiely, Cilian Moughty; Eoghain Sherlock, Evan Maher; Rian Burke, Colin Slater, Werner Kruger, Sean Malone, Sean Kelly, Riann O’Dwyer, Ryain O’Donovan Ahern, Kealan McMahon (capt).

Replacements: Kian McGrath, Sean Rice, Jordan O’Donnell, Seaghan Gleeson, Joe Costelloe, Morgan Bateman, Jake Connolly, Andrew Lyons.

BECTIVE RANGERS: Tim Carroll; Craig Cantwell, Bobby Holland, Matthew Gilsenan, Shane O’Meara; Oliver Foote, Connor Halpenny; Luke Mion, David Kealy, Conor Kelly, Jamie Lawless, Gavin Kelly, Tiarnan McCloskey (capt), Mattie Keane, James Gallagher.

Replacements: Colin Jackson, Billy O’Donohoe, Tom Dever, Tadhg O’Dwyer, Ronan Cregan, Donagh Lawler, Ben Garrett, Conor Murphy.

IrishRugby.ie Prediction: Bective Rangers to win