NEXT Saturday, Ireland will meet the Barbarians in what is termed the "Peace International." Then on Sunday, the finals of the Leinster and Munster Senior Cups will bring the season to an end. There is no doubt as we reflect on the rugby year, it will go into history as the most traumatic, difficult, contentious and disruptive in the history of the great game.

The volcano erupted in Paris last August, the lava continues to flow, firing out its heat in all directions, engulfing aspects of the game deemed sacred for well over 100 years. The greedy are led by the Fagins in Twickenham, who are trying to pick the pockets of their long standing colleagues the home unions, just as the top English clubs are trying to do to their parent union. That is rugby union 1996 vintage.

We knew there would be chaos and greed after what happened in Paris last August, when the International Board yielded to the southern hemisphere and that paragon of rectitude and preserver of the traditions of the game, Louis Luyt.

One thing is abundantly clear. Rugby Union was not and still is not ready for the revolution that started in Paris. One other thing Tony Hallett, the vociferous secretary of the English Rugby Union, tells us that England came to Ireland's rescue when they travelled here in 1973 after Wales and Scotland refused to come the year before. Hallett shows about as much awareness of historical accuracy as he does concern for the erosion of over 120 years of rugby tradition.

England came in 1973 and played the International Championship match which was on the calendar. The country who came here in 1972 after Wales and Scotland refused and played an extra match was France. Ireland had played France in Paris in the championship in January and won. The French immediately offered to come to Dublin in April 1972 and played Ireland a second time following Wales and Scotland's refusal, to help make up for the loss of Ireland's two home matches.

Nonetheless we were grateful when honoured their commitment in 1973. It was typical of men who ran affairs at Twickenham in those days. I wonder what those men would think of some of their successors in the corridors of power at Twickenham now. They would have about as much respect for them as they warrant none.

In the midst of all the turmoil, thankfully there was some rugby played. A Peace International may indeed be an appropriate way in every respect to end the season.

I reflected last week on Ireland's record during the season at the different levels. At domestic level there were some very notable achievements. Leinster ended their long period in the wilderness by winning the Interprovincial championship and doing the Grand Slam. Indeed it was a great year for Leinster, who also won the interprovincial titles at under 20, schools and junior levels. They also did very well to reach the semi-final of the European Cup.

Yet again it was Shannon supreme in the Insurance Corporation All Ireland League. The first club to win back to back titles and now further glory beckons for Shannon. Having won the league and the Munster Junior Cup, they go to Cork on Sunday with the treble the prize, if they defeat Cork Constitution in the Munster Cup final. Young Munster took the Munster Senior League and Limerick Charity Cup and of course proved to be the Shannon rescue service when they defeated Garryowen in the AIL.

Old Crescent join the elite next season as a result of their great achievement in winning the second division of the AlL. In doing so they went through the competition unbeaten, the only club to remain undefeated in all four divisions. They join their Limerick brethren Young Munster, Shannon and Garryowen in the first division. Four Limerick clubs in the top division is a tremendous tribute to the game in the city. It was good too, to see UCC promoted to the second division and Queen's University and Trinity promoted to the third.

It was a splendid year for Dungannon in Ulster. Their four in a row in the senior cup sets them apart from any other club in the province this century. They gained promotion to the first division of the league and won the Ulster Junior and Provincial Towns Cups. Portadown also had a fine season winning the Ulster League and the Fourth division AIL titles.

In Leinster, it has thus far been Terenure's season and there may be more to come. Terenure's six year tenure in the second division of the AIL is over as they gained promotion this season. They also won the Leinster League and on Sunday face Lansdowne, the club they beat in the league final, in the Leinster Senior Cup final. Monkstown also had a very good season. They won the third division of the AIL and that was a fine achievement bearing in mind that they had won the fourth division in 1993-94. They also reached the semifinal of the Leinster League. Carlow's win in the Provincial Towns Cup was notable for the fact that it was their fourth success in five years and they joined Skerries at the top of the roll of honour on 11 titles.

The All Ireland League was not productive for the Connacht clubs apart from Corinthians, who earned promotion to the third division. Corinthians also won the Connacht Senior League. Galwegians regained the senior cup after a 10 year lapse as they foiled junior club Connemara's ambitions in the final.

At schools level, Blackrock yet again asserted their superiority in Leinster by winning the senior cup. They gave a superb display in the final. It is a tremendous tribute to the school that they supply no fewer than nine players to the Ireland squad that will tour Australia later in the summer. In Munster, PBC Cork won the Munster Senior Cup for the 25th time, while Garbally did the senior and junior cup double in Connacht. The Ulster Schools Cup was divided when the final proved inconclusive.

For four clubs, it was a very special year, the four who won promotion from the provincial junior leagues to the fourth division of the AIL. Suttonians (Leinster), Ballynahinch (Ulster), Creggs (Connacht) and Richmond (Munster) now join the senior ranks.

And in conclusion, on the matter of the composition of the third and fourth divisions of the league, there is a belief that those leagues should be based on a home and away premise because of the numbers in each division. The case was argued very strenuously by Norman Kennedy (CIYMS) last Friday when the Union officials met the senior clubs. Those clubs have expenses to meet and feel that with the first and second divisions now expanded to 14 clubs, they have a strong case for a home and away series.

So, the end of a season like no other in the history of the game. It imposed tremendous demands on the legislators. It should be remembered there are very many people who make a tremendous contribution to keep the game going. Money is not their motivation. They do it because they love rugby football.