IN TIMES past, the prospect of the penultimate full round of matches in the All-Ireland League wouldn't have had rugby followers agog. Shannon might well have it won already, and there may have been a relegation or promotion issue at stake, but that would be about it. Not this year.
In what is undoubtedly the most open and competitive first division since the league's inception in the '89-90 season, the advent of the play-offs has merely added to the end-of-season conundrum.
Remarkably, eight - over half - of the First Division sides could mathematically still finish top, and so all eight still nurture hopes of a coveted and lucrative place in the top four play-offs. Indeed, at a push, Terenure can still dream on, too.
Mathematically, Terenure still aren't safe either, nor for that matter are Ballymena, though it looks like a straight fight between Blackrock and Clontarf to avoid the second relegation place.
In Division Two, at least five clubs - perhaps seven - are still viable promotion contenders, while there's a dogfight to avoid the relegation bottom three as well. With something bound to give between the top two, NIFC and Monkstown, in Division Three, UCD can move into the promotion places by beating Instonians at home.
It is quite possible that nobody will secure a top four place come 4.0 or thereabouts today, presuming that fifth placed St Mary's or seventh-placed Shannon win.
St Mary's undoubtedly have the harder task when entertaining local rivals Terenure. They could call it a friendly (no such thing between these two) and offer no more than an egg cup as reward and the Templeogue rivals would still fight over it as if it was the most important match of the season.
Form generally goes out the window, ask St Mary's. They have been consistently the better placed side in the 90s, yet haven't beaten Terenure in a competitive fixture for over nine years.
Aside from the crucial two points at stake, this fixture is given added piquancy by the presence of five current members of the Irish squad, and the many head-to-heads within the overall contest, most notably the backrow clash between Victor Costello and Eric Miller.
Several have provincial connotations, with Kevin Nowlan and Ciaran Clarke dicing again at fullback; Craig Fitzpatrick making his return to the club he left, and up against Fergal Campion, and Derek Hegarty making his first AIL start for Terenure against Conor McGuinness.
In Division Two, at least five clubs - perhaps seven - are still viable promotion contenders, while there's a dogfight to avoid the relegation bottom three as well. With something bound to give between the top two, NIFC and Monkstown, in Division Three, UCD can move into the promotion places by beating Instonians at home.
