IF possession and field position counted for everything, St Mary’s College would today be still celebrating their second AIB All-Ireland League title.

LANSDOWNE set the pace in the AIB Division Two campaign way back in October when they hammered Bruff, on their own patch.

CRONAN HEALY’S match winning try in Saturday’s AIB All-Ireland League final may have been the final act of a glorious career at Cork Con.

HE’S not quite the old dog for the hard road just yet, but Anthony Horgan’s experience was certainly of use to Cork Constitution as they qualified for the AIB All-Ireland League decider with a second win over Dolphin in eight days on Saturday.

BRUFF’S fairytale season continued apace as they earned a crack at the AIB All-Ireland League Division Two crown next month with a convincing semi-final win over Terenure College.

YOUNG MUNSTER turned the clock back two decades with a stirring ODM Munster Senior Cup triumph over gallant University College Cork at sunny Musgrave Park on Saturday.

WHILE Cork Constitution may not get the chance to defend their ODM Munster Senior Cup crown, the club will be satisfied they have received some vindication in their recent row with the Munster Branch.

BACKS to the wall, UL Bohemian produced a sensational AIB League victory over Garryowen at Dooradoyle on Saturday to keep the dream of Division 1A survival alive.

THE two remaining semi-final spots in this season’s Munster Junior Cup will be up for grabs this weekend with a pair of very interesting quarter-final ties.

ALL-IRELAND league champions Shannon will be sweating over the next few weeks awaiting a possible reaction from the IRFU to this week’s ban imposed on an under-age coach from the club.

CORK CONSTITUTION are on a collision course with the provincial branch of the IRFU after a ruling yesterday saw them dumped out of the Munster Senior Cup.

THE scene is set for a grandstand climax to the AIB League as high rollers Cork Constitution, St. Mary’s, Shannon, Dolphin as well as Garryowen and Blackrock continue to slug it out over three more weekends.

CORK CONSTITUTION had to peak twice before shaking off the determined challenge from old rivals Shannon at Temple Hill on Saturday to enhance their position at the head of the AIB League table.

THE club match of the day will be at Temple Hill this afternoon (2.30) when Shannon take on arch rivals Constitution in a top-of-the-table AIB League clash.

CORK CONSTITUTION coach Brian Walsh insists his side have plenty to work on, despite regaining their top dog status in the AIB League with a 20-18 Division 1A win over Clontarf.

DOLPHIN returned to Cork last night convinced they had been the victims of sharp practice after losing 13-12 to Garryowen in a bruising AIB League encounter at Dooradoyle.

ONE of the longest-running sports sponsorships in Ireland is to end this year with AIB to sever its association with the IRFU.

IT’S a pity those who bemoan the demise of the club game weren’t in Dubarry Park on Saturday afternoon.

NATIONAL and Munster rugby chiefs are adopting a wait-and-see stance after a controversial incident during a provincial underage game in Limerick on Sunday.

GREIG OLIVER, the former Scotland scrum-half and now director of rugby at Garryowen, and his Cork Constitution counterpart Brian Walsh believe Munster have two more outstanding number nines ready to follow in the illustrious footsteps of Peter Stringer and Tomás O’Leary.

SHANNON have lost their appeal against the €25,000 fine imposed on them by the IRFU disciplinary committee arising out of incidents involving senior members of the club and referee George Clancy at the conclusion of last month’s AIB League game against Cork Constitution at Coonagh.

AIB League champions Shannon will have their appeal against a €25,000 fine heard by the Irish Rugby Football Union in Dublin on Wednesday.

DOLPHIN’S dream of All-Ireland Cup glory was shattered at Musgrave Park on Saturday when Garryowen produced their best form of the season to secure a final berth against old rivals Cork Constitution.

DOLPHIN’S hopes of an AIB Cup semi final victory over Garryowen at Musgrave Park today (2pm) have been boosted with the news that the three Munster contracted players have been released back to the club.

MUNSTER prop, Stephen Archer, notched the all-important try for Cork Constitution as they overcame Division 1A pacesetters, St Mary’s College, 16-9 in a closely-fought AIB League tie at Temple Hill.

THE gap at the bottom of AIB Division 1A widened and Garryowen took another step closer to hitting the panic button when they slumped to their fourth defeat of the campaign at Dooradoyle on Saturday.

SHANNON don’t take defeat easily. So, following a bad AIB Cup defeat to old rivals Cork Constitution a month ago, they have more reason than ever to set the record straight.

HAVING secured revenge over Ballynahinch for defeat in last season’s AIB Cup final, Cork Constitution will have to rise to another huge challenge at Temple Hill this afternoon (2.30).

SCOTT DEASY’S scintillating solo effort lit up Temple Hill and helped Cork Constitution get back to winning ways with a 17-13 defeat of Garryowen in Division 1A of the AIB League on Saturday.

A FEW moments of inspiration paved the way for St Mary’s College to stretch an unbeaten division 1 A run and bring Dolphin’s hopes of AIB League leadership to an end.

AFTER a very productive first-half, Dolphin did their best to blow an 18 points lead as reigning AIB League champions Shannon piled on the pressure at Musgrave Park on Saturday.

BOTH Blackrock College and St. Mary’s maintained their strong challenge for AIB League honours when accounting for Munster opposition at the weekend.

MOST of the drama was crammed into the final few minutes of this AIB League 1A derby at Musgrave Park on Saturday.

TOP Irish club rugby coach Steve Ford believes Friday or Saturday night fixtures could boost flagging crowd numbers in the AIB All-Ireland League (AIL).

Garryowen 12 Shannon 10

Dolphin 22 UCC 16

AIB League and other rugby fixtures have been postponed following the sudden death of young Cork player Conrad O’Sullivan on Wednesday.

Belfast Harlequins 22 Cork Constitution 53

Belfast Harlequins 22 Cork Constitution 53

Dolphin 35 Old Crescent 5

THE AIB All-Ireland League may have lost its appeal for all but the most dedicated club followers.

YOU’D never think so today but there was a time when Shannon and Garryowen were close allies! Legend has it that towards the end of the 19th century and for much of the 20th, Shannon were the junior partners and annually passed on the cream of their crop so that Garryowen could dominate the coveted Munster Senior Cup for years.

Garryowen 14 St Mary’s College 23

UL-Bohemian 29 Dublin University 17