Munster Schools Cup:A record number of teams started out in the preliminary rounds in late October, where the B schools battled for a place among the "Super 8" in the Avonmore Munster Schools Senior Cup proper.

Glenstal Abbey emerged on Wednesday as credible quarter-final opposition to Crescent College Comprehensive, albeit after a hard-fought 6-5 victory over Midleton College.

Still, the structure of the 99-year-old competition is in drastic need of a shake-up. As in Leinster, there is a mood for change, the current winner-takes-all format deemed to be giving players insufficient cup game-time.

Having championed a successful back-door format for the Junior Cup in 2006, a Munster Branch working party met in October and November to look at the idea of moving away from a straight knockout format. Nothing has been passed yet, but the working party's aspiration to end the current system will be addressed at the Schools AGM in May.

To this year's campaign, and Presentation Brothers College Cork are firm favourites to retain their title. Backboned by 11 members of their 2007 cup-winning squad, Pres are in a very strong position.

They can draw on five Ireland Schools players - Brian O'Hara, Bryan Cagney, Dave O'Driscoll, Gavin Nugent and Simon Zebo - and their quality is further enhanced by the presence of Ireland under-19s in Peter O'Mahony and Peter Kelleher, who comes under the "one to watch" heading.

A grand-nephew of the Ireland and Lions great Tom Kiernan, Kelleher is comfortable across all three front-row positions and is set to take up a place in the Munster Academy next season.

Also watch out for Declan Kidney's son Kevin, who played a major role in their Barry Cup win this week.

Pres will enjoy home advantage, but have found St Munchin's something of a bogey in cup clashes since the turn of the Millennium.

The Limerick nursery have beaten Pres in the sides' last three meetings, including the 2002 and 2006 finals, and will relish going into this tie as underdogs.

The Corbally outfit have installed a new coaching team, headed by Shannon's David Quinlan and the Limerick senior football star Jason O'Brien, and the pair have put in place a young squad, drawing on many of last season's Bowen Shield-winning team. But they will look to two experienced cup campaigners, Ger Burke and Michael Kelleher, for leadership.

The winners face either Rockwell or Castletroy in the semi-final.

Rockwell got their season off to flyer by winning a prestigious schools tournament in Pau in September and are in a strong position to overcome Castletroy.

Patrick Butler is a promising Ireland Schools secondrow; other big performers this season include Brian Smith, Brendan Cullinane, Shane Luby and Alex O'Mahony.

The Limerick college have Padraic Hogan, USA secondrow Darragh Frawley and Diarmuid McCarthy in their ranks.

The relative new boys to the cup will be hoping for a breakthrough win this season, but they will need to be at their best to overcome a strong Rockwell side.

The top billing in the bottom half is the CBC clash with Ardscoil Rís.

Three seasons ago when they met in the Junior Cup final, Ardscoil emerged winners, but Paul O'Connell's alma mater have struggled to translate promising underage form into senior success as they go in search again of an elusive title.

According to the team coach, Peter Melia, Christians' campaign has stuttered because of injuries, particularly to front-row players.

But CBC are wily cup performers and include nine members of last year's squad, which got to the final, including captain Brian O'Callaghan, Jack Bransfield, Pat Parfrey, Brian Hayes and Kyle O'Dwyer.

Crescent, seeking a first cup success since 1994, are well equipped to overcome Glenstal. CCC have the Munster prop Federico Pucciariello in situ to assist the forwards, but much of their best play revolves around the performances of their talented outhalf Andrew Burke.

Glenstal have punched above their weight in recent seasons and are likely to give Crescent a searching examination. But for the second year running, it looks set to be an old-firm final involving Pres and Christians, with the former poised to retain the trophy.

Verdict? PBC to win.

Ardscoil Rís

Coaches: Mick Fitzgibbon, Chris

De Looze, John Deegan. Captain:

Barry Sheehan. Representative players: Barry Sheehan, John Deegan, Colm

Moore, Darragh Cantillon (Munster

Schools U19). Last season: Lost to

Crescent Comprehensive 9-7 in quarter-final.

Castletroy College

Coaches: Martin Burke, John Keehan, Mike Storey, John Staunton, David Loughrey. Captain: Peter Murray.Representative players: Padraic Hogan (Munster Schools U19); Darragh Frawley (Munster Schools U19, U20); Diarmuid McCarthy (Munster Schools U18, Ireland Schools); Darragh Frawley (USA U19). Last season: Lost to St Munchin's 11-13 in quarter-final.

Christian Brothers College

Coaches: Pat Langtry, Terry Kingston, Peter Melia. Captain: Brian O'Callaghan.Representative players: Brian

O'Callaghan, Odhran Mulrooney, Billy O'Regan, James Mulcahy, Kyle O'Dwyer (Munster Schools U19); Brian Hayes, Darren Loftus (Munster Schools U18); Kyle

O'Dwyer (Ireland Schools U19); Brian Hayes (Ireland Schools). Last season: Lost final to PBC 3-13.

Crescent College Comprehensive

Coaches: Chris Cullinan, Jim Bradshaw, Mark Ring, Federico Pucciariello. Captain: Shane O'Carroll.Representative players: Ian Cross, Finbar Ahern, Mark Doyle, Luke Russell, Andrew Burke (Munster U19); Ger Horan, Eoin O'Toole, Brian Downey (Munster U18). Last season:Lost semi-final to PBC 11-13.

Glenstal Abbey

Coaches: Paul McMahon, Patrick Collins, Ger Slattery, Greg Ashe, Denis Hooper. Captain: Cathal Hughes.Representative players: Duncan Casey and Finbarr

Kearney (Munster U18); Ben Bradley, Cathal Hughes and Mike O'Flynn (Munster A Schools). Last season: Lost quarter-final to CBC 6-13

St Munchin's

Coaches: David Quinlan, Jason O'Brien, Donal Madden, Brian O'Donoghue. Captain: Ger Burke. Representative players: Ger Burke, Robert Guerin, Craig O'Hanlon, Pat Tobin (Munster Schools U18); Danny Barnes, Darren Kavanagh, Gareth O Hanlon, Michael Kelleher, Graham Bolger (Munster Schools U19); Ger Burke, Michael Kelleher (Ireland Schools). Last season: Lostsemi-final to CBC 8-13.

Presentation Brothers College

Coaches: Don Buckley, Paul Barr, Steve Ford, Darren Sexton, Marion Carey. Captain: Peter O'Mahony. Representative players: Brian O'Hara, Dave O'Driscoll, Gavin Nugent, Dan Lucey, Simon Zebo, Bryan Cagney, Johnny McCarthy (Munster U18 Schools); Peter O'Mahony), Peter Kelleher, Conor Desmond, Pat O'Donovan (Munster U19 Schools); Brian O'Hara, Dave O'Driscoll, Gavin Nugent, Simon Zebo, Bryan Cagney (Ireland Schools); Peter O'Mahony, Peter Kelleher (Ireland U19 squad).

Last season: Beat CBC 13-3 in final.

Rockwell College

Coaches: Martin Daly, Dermot Brislane, Tom Mulcahy. Captain: Conor Sweeney. Representative players: Patrick Butler, Brian Smith, Brendan Cullinane (Munster Schools U18); Shane Luby, Alex O'Mahony (Munster Schools under-19); Patrick Butler (Ireland Schools). Last season: Lost quarter-final to PBC 13-0.