The semi-final play-offs have their critics but they ensure a fitting finale. Having set the pace all along, there is a certain degree of justice in Cork Constitution and Galwegians enjoying home advantage today. They deserve that much, now they have the chance to make it work.

It's a nicely balanced line-up as well, allowing for the absence of a club from Leinster. While Cork Constitution and Young Munster have been here before, are former winners and will ensure Munster representation in the final, Galwegians and Dungannon, who meet at Crowley Park, are each dipping their toes at this advanced stage.

Thus describing it as the biggest game in their respective histories mightn't be stretching things. For Galwegians, as coach John Kingston notes, there's nothing new here as each of their last few games has in turn been billed as the biggest in the club's history. For that reason, says Kingston, they can enjoy this one.

"With the pressure off we're really looking forward to the occasion," says Kingston. "It's been very tough for the last two or three months. After we won the first seven games in a row then came the enforced disruptions, since when there's been a sense of expectation rather than anticipation and that's been a huge weight on the shoulders. If we hadn't made the semi-finals it would have been a huge letdown. Now, at last, we can take a deep breath and we're determined to enjoy the occasion."

Though he denies trying to take some of the pressure off his team, Kingston maintains Galwegians are "total underdogs. We know that Dungannon have hit form like no one else these past couple of months, that they're the leading try scorers and the leading points scorers.

"They have several players in the Irish squad for Romania and we have none. Either Gatty (Warren Gatland) has got it wrong or they have some very good players, which I believe they do. Rest assured Galwegians will be well prepared and well up for this game. But we accept where we're at and it's a huge, huge challenge."

Kingston admits he took as big a breath as anyone when Galwegians finally secured a home semi-final with a nervy 18-17 win over Buccaneers last weekend, because if they hadn't made it he would have felt some responsibility. "Having made my decision to leave I would have had huge regrets if we hadn't made the top four. It might have been used as an excuse, although perhaps not to my face."

Given he took over a side which had been relegated from the top flight this time two years ago, it's been quite a story. "It's been a gargantuan effort to do what we've achieved and we're very proud of it."

Kingston admits he and his wife Sarah are quite emotional about leaving Galway and Ireland, and had they remained another year they would probably have stayed in Ireland for good. Very few clubs could have lured him away from Galwegians (in fact none in Ireland), it just so happens that Harlequins are one of the very few.

Though a north-eastern boy who was first and foremost a Newcastle player, after a stint at Roslyn Park he spent two enjoyable years at Harlequins and has a house within walking distance of The Stoop. Injury forced him to retire at 28 having climbed as far as England B. He describes his career as "average", and himself as "a thinking man's prop", in a self-deprecating manner.

He took three years out of the game before coming to the conclusion he missed it. Dick Best at Harlequins gave him his first break in coaching and it helps now that Harlequins were not one of the clubs hell bent on "gobbling up" Richmond when his six-year tenure there came to an end a couple of seasons ago. As a result of that shameful episode in English club rugby's recent history, there were many clubs he wouldn't have gone to. "I have principles, I have morals."

The Galwegians players jokingly imply he's a bit of a grumpy sod, but clearly respect him hugely as a coach. They are a thoroughly well-organised and well-prepared side.

Kingston acknowledges he's been lucky with injuries - only 19 players used in their 15 starting line-ups last season, and only 20 this season - but while the first team's success is testimony to his coaching so too are the drastic changes underneath. A year ago he went into a meeting with club officials and told them the creation of an under20 team was non-negotiable.

"We now have 35 kids running around at under-20 level. We reached the final of the provincial under-20 cup and lost narrowly to Buccs, who have an excellent underage set-up. We used as many as eight of that squad in our Junior Cup semi-final against Connemara last Wednesday. We lost, but two years ago we wouldn't have been able to fulfil that fixture three days before an AIL match.

"These things are cyclical and they're going to see the fruits of this work in three or four years' time. The foundations are made of brick now rather than straw and that's down to the hard work of a lot of people."

With a slightly heavy heart, you know that part of him would like to see the fruits of this labour as well.