The final match of the Energia All-Ireland League is set to pitch Terenure College against Cork Constitution at the Aviva Stadium, televised live on TG4, with kick-off at 4pm. The final, for three consecutive years, has rightly showcased the revitalised club game with the two top-ranked teams, just a point apart across eighteen games, displaying remarkable performances.
Building on their astounding 50-24 victory over Clontarf last season, Terenure College aims to become the first team to secure back-to-back titles since Shannon in 2006. Despite initial losses and multiple challenges including departures and injuries, the addition of Aran Egan and Conor Phillips proved crucial to their series of thirteen victories.
Cork Constitution, on the other hand, have reassembled their squad under Johnny Holland. Their resounding 20-0 triumph at Lakelands Park last October marked a significant turnaround. Despite having reached their 13th final, this journey to the final has seemingly come as a bit of a surprise even to them.
In their previous encounter, Terenure managed to recover from a 14-0 deficit to clinch a 26-23 victory at Temple Hill. James Taylor, a key player for Cork Constitution, who was absent in that match could potentially make a difference in the final with his distinctive style of play. Also of note could be the personal duel between wingers Matthew Bowen and Conor Phillips.
While Cork Constitution may have the superior set-piece, Terenure boasts the upper hand with big-match players such as Harrison Brewer and Jordan Coughlan. The weather forecast may not be as ideal as it was for the thrilling semi-finals, but it should still support their style of ambitious, running rugby. The teams remain unchanged except for Billy Crowley, who makes a comeback to the Cork Constitution bench.
Terenure has demonstrated the best defence in 1A whilst Cork Constitution’s ability to keep all their players alert throughout the game is quite remarkable, even though Clontarf managed to execute some smart strike plays against them in the last week’s game.
Roughly one year prior, the loyal fans of Terenure escalated the crowd’s count at an ‘official’ 8,642, a number that was quite possibly far underestimated due to the surging attendance requiring additional entry points. Cork Constitution, on the other hand, are transporting several packed buses for their debut in the final after half a decade, with ticket sales nearing the 8,000 mark just yesterday. Despite the uncertainties sparked by last year’s sudden crowd surge, smoke is anticipated this year. The game is expected to be a corker with the odds appearing highly balanced. Going into extra time isn’t something to rule out.
The Terenure College line-up includes Adam LaGrue, Conor Phillips, Sam Berman, Peter Sylvester, Craig Adams, Aran Egan, Alan Bennie, Campbell Classon, Levi Vaughan, Adam Tuite, Harrison Brewer, Matthew Caffrey, Adam Melia, Luke Clohessy, and Jordan Coghlan. The substitutes include Max Russell, Ben Howard, Conan O’Donnell, Michael O’Reilly, James White, Conor McKeon, Yago Fernandez Vilar, and Barry Galvin.
The Cork Constitution team features Rob Hedderman, Daniel Hurley, Harry O’Riordan, Niall Kenneally, Matthew Bowen, James Taylor, Adam Maher, Alessandro Heaney, Billy Scannell, Luke Masters, Sean Duffy, John Forde, Jack Kelleher, Ronan O’Sullivan and David Hyland. Reserve players are Danny Sheahan, Brendan Quinlan, Charlie Connolly, Eoin Quilter, Matisse Lamarque D’Arrouzat, Louis Kahn, Rob Jermyn, and Billy Crowley.
Fans are encouraged to purchase and download tickets in advance from ticketmaster.ie, however, a ticket desk will be available at Gate P on Lansdowne Road on the match day. Access to the stadium will be via gates C, O, and Q on Lansdowne Road.
The women’s All-Ireland League Final will witness Railway Union versus UL Bohemian at Aviva Stadium this coming Sunday at 1.45 pm. UL Bohemian, aiming for their first win since 2018 and 14th overall, will face stiff competition from Railway Union, who won in 2019 and 2022. Although Bohs had a 10-7 victory against Railway at a home league game and a 34-12 triumph in the January Cup final, their unbeaten run was halted by a 43-22 defeat at Park Avenue earlier this month.
In the final round of the Division 1A All-Ireland League, set to take place at 2.30pm, Garryowen will face off against Old Belvedere in Dooradoyle for a promotion. Having made it to the play-offs at the last minute, Belvo managed to defeat Shannon with a score of 46-8, while Garryowen has maintained a winning streak of four matches, including a victory over Ollie Campbell Park by a margin of 28-3 last month.
Meanwhile, the match to determine the final in the Division 1B will consist of a promotion/relegation face-off between Queen’s University and MU Barnhall at Dub Lane. After their impressive victory over Banbridge with a scoreline of 59-17, Queen’s shows no signs of slipping back into 2A. Barnhall managed a narrow win over Cashel with a scoreline of 25-23, but this match may prove more challenging.
In the Division 2A final, UL Bohemian will meet Galway Corinthians in Annacotty. Last week, Corinthians turned the game around from a 14-point deficit, with Sean Naughton, an Ireland under-20 outhalf, scoring two of their five tries. UL Bohemian narrowly won over Sligo 13-12 thanks to a retaken conversion, despite Sligo finishing the season 16 points behind the Corinthians.
In the Division 2B promotion/relegation final, Dolphin will clash with Galwegians at Virgin Media Park. The Dolphins managed to stave off consecutive demotions by securing a last-minute additional point at home against Dungannon, as well as a victory over Enniscorthy with a score of 42-20. Galwegians, seeking a quick re-entry to 2B, made a strong comeback over Bruff with a 40-17 win at home.