It’s all over bar the crowning as Lansdowne look to wrap up All Ireland League title early

The sponsors, the league itself and television have been denied a grand finale, or final, per se, as Lansdowne go about sealing their first Ulster Bank League trophy due to the absence of play-offs, but the prospective champions would probably rather it that way.

In any event, the cameras will be in place when they host second-placed Clontarf today for what, almost certainly, will be Lansdowne’s coronation with a couple of games to spare.

With a 19-point lead and ’Tarf requiring four bonus point wins and Lansdowne suddenly drawing zero points from their final three games, the title is, in truth, already theirs.

In other words, a losing point would suffice. Besides which, attacking bonus points are very much Lansdowne’s terrain, having accumulated nine of them in their 13 wins in 15 Division 1A games to date.

Since losing narrowly away to Young Munster in early December, Lansdowne have won eight games in succession.

In what is not only the match of the weekend, but arguably the season, Clontarf have climbed to second on the back of four wins in a row themselves, scoring 155 points, even if it looks like being their lot to finish runners-up yet again.

Final weekend
In the corresponding match on final weekend last season, Clontarf beat Lansdowne 28-27 in a thriller on the Aviva Stadium main pitch, only to be denied the title by St Mary's later on.

Significantly, although a quartet of Irish Under-20 backs, wingers Foster Horan and Matt Healy, centre Tome Daly and scrumhalf John Cooney are either injured or on provincial duty, fullback and captain Ross McCarron (son of this year's club president Andy) and prolific outhalf Craig Ronaldson should be fit.

The tall, strong, left-footed Ronaldson has been the league’s outstanding talent this season with his array of running, passing and offloading skills.

He is interesting both Connacht and Munster and is liable to take up a professional contract with the former next season, only fitting as although he’s only in his third season at Lansdowne, the outhalf has overtaken Eric Elwood as the club’s all-time leading League points scorer on 388 – of which 196 (including five tries) have been plundered this season.

Cian Aherne, nephew of the club’s former scrumhalf, Ireland international Fergus, has scored a dozen tries and with Ronaldson pulling the strings, most of their tries have been scored by a pacey backline, although number eight Ron Boucher has also been a regular source of go-forward ball behind a young pack featuring an all Irish Under-20 frontrow of Jack O’Connell, Tom Sexton and Martin Moore.

As this reservoir of Irish under-20 talent highlights, Lansdowne are reaping the rewards for investment and recruitment at under-age level over the last half dozen years or so.

The recruitment of Ireland Under-20 coach Mike Ruddock as coach in tandem with Emmet Farrell, has been a significant factor as well.

Best club side
Philip Danaher, a former Lansdowne and Garryowen player, recently attended a meeting between the two at Dooradoyle. "After Lansdowne have gone 18-0 up in the first 20 minutes all you could do was applaud. They're the best club side I've seen in 10 years," he said.

Alas, due to extensive refurbishing of the main pitch, rumoured to be costing in the region of €600,000, nor will the Union, club game or sponsors be able to showcase today’s match on the main pitch, although regardless of the weather, at least Lansdowne’s all-weather back pitch ensures the game will go ahead.

Bective Rangers, Old Wesley and Monkstown have had exploratory talks between trustees of all three clubs with a view to merging into one club. The talks are at an advanced stage.