Ballymena, Shannon strike a blow for clubs

ON the week that the IRFU announced their intention to disembowel the AIB League, tournament specialists Shannon and holders Ballymena combined to show them the error of their ways with a cracking game at Thomond Park.

If this is what the Union wants to get rid of, then they'd have a lot of explaining to do to the fans who saw Ballymena romp into a 23-0 lead in as many minutes but were only 26-24 ahead within two minutes of the restart as understrength Shannon battled their way back in typical fashion.

Ballymena pulled away again, but in the end were flattered by their 10-point (37-27) winning margin.

Shannon, so short of players because of representative callings that they had to pull the great Mick Galwey out of retirement for the final 20 minutes, deserved something from this game. But their second defeat of the season means they are no longer assured of a home semi-final given that their remaining games are against Buccaneers, who are immediately behind them in the table, and Cork Constitution, who are a point in front.

Ballymena left for home with the full five points but remain a point behind Ulster rivals Belfast Harlequins. The clash of this pair on the final day may well decide which claims the fourth qualifying spot. The current champions certainly looked the part when running in three tries in the opening stages, but Shannon pride meant they would never give up without a fight and that's exactly what happened. It was exhilarating stuff that the players and spectators alike thoroughly enjoyed, yet there was a sense of frustration and anti-climax afterwards as people reflected sadly on what the future holds.

"We're very unhappy about it and I think there was a great argument for watching the AIL out there today," said Shannon coach Geoff Moylan. "We brought a lot of young fellas into the team because of injuries and so on and they gave it all their all and that's what it's about. It means a lot to the players, our supporters and the club and I only hope the thing can be resolved. The clubs must come up with a proper format. If they go in with seven or eight different voices, they're in trouble. My idea is for a ten-team division one (certainly a maximum of 12) and after that north and south conferences with promotion and relegation. Hopefully, it will be ten in the first division. The provincial coaches are saying the gulf in class is too wide and it will be wider still if this thing comes in."

Moylan referred to the danger of injuries in the proposed new provincial leagues with professionals or semi-professionals up against amateurs.

"Dolphin went up to play a full-strength Buccaneers pack before Christmas and one of their players got seriously injured," he warned. "That's what we're afraid of when we go down to play Clonakilty or similar opposition. It's before Christmas that you have most of your provincial players available. They're looking for rugby and the clubs are there for them and under the Union proposal, you'll be up against third division teams. It's going to result in guys getting serious injury."

Moylan and Ballymena counterpart Tony Darcy, the former Australian prop, discussed the controversy after the game and were very much of the same voice. Darcy readily accepted that Shannon are a very special club.

"We hadn't won here since 1992 and we put an enormous amount of preparation and effort into that game. We got off to a very good start and then sat back and watched Shannon play some rugby and they got two or three fantastic tries. It was the hell of a game."

He thought long and hard before answering the question about where the league was going, eventually conceding: "We are definitely disappointed at the direction the AIL is going to take. All it's going to do is inflate the prices of players and inflate the whole system. Clubs won't have any kind of long term future. I've been at Ballymena for three seasons. In the first season in our provincial games, we beat the teams outside of the first division by about twenty points; last season we were beating them by thirty and forty points and this year we're beating them by 60 points and these are Division Two and Three teams. The gap is enormous.

"We're beating them by that much with teams not containing any contracted players. Our best and most exciting games are when we play Cork Con and Shannon, they're the games our boys look for. The local derbies, apart from Harlequins and Dungannon, don't rate."