Of all the pilgrimages on St Patrick's Day few are cast in stone quite like the one to Lansdowne Road, where tradition decrees that come 3.30 the Leinster Branch will hit the jackpot once more with the Senior Schools' Cup final.
For the third time in four years, the final will be contested by Clongowes Wood College and Terenure College.
One can scarcely imagine the nervousness in all the affected households this past week or so, after all the almost daily hours of training, never mind the four knock-out matches, to get this far.
To lose at this juncture must be the cruellest cut of all and few schools have more ghosts from the past than these two. Clongowes have won only five of their 17 finals, whilst Terenure have won eight of 19. The Kildare school reached seven finals alone in the 90s, but took the Cup home only twice, while Terenure's return improved in the last decade, winning three of the four finals they contested.
Much of Clongowes sudden emergence in the last decade or so as a major force in the Leinster schools game can be attributed to the late Vinny Murray, sometimes in tandem with Father Michael Sheil. It adds a somewhat sad backdrop to today's occasion, but there's no escaping the man's spiritual presence.
They've a few match-winners in their ranks as well, none more so than their strong centre David Clavin, whose ability to quicken has seen him score in each of their four rounds to date, with five tries in total. Philip Treacy cuts a dash from full-back as does John Smyth, and their hand has probably been strengthened too by Smyth re-forming his midfield partnership with Clavin, with Paddy Berkery recalled to the left-wing, while Dennis Hickey starts in the second-row for the unlucky Mark Egan, an ever-present heretofore.
Indeed, the two sides are very similarly endowed. Terenure might have the marginally bigger pack, but their's is essentially a rucking game as well with a hard-running number eight, Anthony Kelly (whose duel with Aidan Proctor will be a big collision), and most of their potency in the backs.
With their club atop the AIL, the mood is upbeat in Terenure and the belief that this crop is above the norm is hard to dispute. They look to have a marginal edge up front and in their number of potential match-winners but Clongowes will be as durable as ever and so it wouldn't really be a surprise if there was a surprise.
Clongowes Wood College: P Treacy; S McGee, D Clavin, J Smyth (capt), P Berkery; M Britton, C Matthews; D McKeown, M Kelly, J Moran, D Hickey, D Lynch, R O'Toole, A Proctor, M Rooney.
Terenure College: M Duffy; S King, D Dunlop, B Flynn (capt), G Crawford; D McAllister, R Sparks; K Mahony, B Baleny, J Keogh, R Gernon, R McDonnell, J Barretto, A Kelly, R Hegarty.
Referee: David Tyndall (Leinster).
