Last-chance saloon for northern lights

TWO big dates coming up in Lansdowne Road in the next few weeks, with the European Cup final getting most of the headlines. Rightly so, but what of the AIL finals?

As the European Cup continues its exponential growth in terms of hype, publicity, column-inches and air-time, the domestic rugby scene has suffered a dramatic fall-off. Where once the AIL reigned supreme, the huge crowds which followed the clubs have now deserted almost completely to follow the provinces instead.

A pity, because quite apart from the fact it’s the life-blood of those same provinces, honing and preparing players for the bigger stage, the AIL is still a fantastic competition.

Derek Topping won a European Cup medal with Ulster in 1998/99, that glorious year in which they shocked everyone in the rugby world, themselves probably most of all with a succession of increasingly unlikely wins over French opposition, culminating in the Lansdowne Road final.

A veteran now, aged 32, club captain of Ballymena and togging off

only as a back-up, he knows the true value of things. As his club faces up to Clontarf in the AIL division one final today, a win, for him, would represent a result at least as sweet as that achieved on the same sod four years previously.

“For myself, Gary Longwell and Mark Blair, we were all involved with the European Cup win in 99, and that was a momentous occasion. But it was one that came along quite

unexpectedly. We didn’t set out at the start of that season to win the European Cup, we just got on a roll and won it. But it just sort of came and went so suddenly, it was over almost before you realised it.

“The difference with Ballymena, for guys like myself, Noel McCarron, Andy Graham, Gary, Jimmy (his brother), we’ve been there for the last 10 years and this is something that has always eluded us so it’s become sort of a holy grail for us.

“ It’s a very hard competition to win, and over time, though this might sound like a contradiction, you come to realise how easy it is not to win it. One slip-up during the year can cost you qualification.

“To actually get there now, to the final, for me anyway, it’s right up there with the European Cup. You’ve tried for so long, you now have a chance to win it, finally, and at Lansdowne Road. I’ve been associated with Ballymena for so long, but the European Cup final was my first year with Ulster. I was very lucky to be in that position, to win it when the team got on such a roll, but this is huge for me.”

In battling for a first-team place, early season injury didn’t help Topping’s cause, hamstring problems forcing him to miss the first three games. But with an all-Ulster back row of Mark McCullough, Neil McMillan and Russell Nelson, it was always

going to be a struggle anyway. Ballymena have almost a dozen of those Ulster-contracted players, but slotting them back into the club scene has been no problem.

“We thought it might be a bit of an issue, because it has been in previous years. but they’ve actually slotted back in very well. Most of them were originally Ballymena anyway, the likes of Gary Longwell, Mark McCullough, Brian Young, James Topping, they’re all from Ballymena, born and bred.

“There’s a good loyalty from these players, as there is from those not originally from the club. We all got together, one focus, everyone working to the one goal.”

All those contracted players are available for Saturday’s encounter, but with talk of provincial players being pulled from the clubs from now on, for the likes of Topping and the other long-serving members of Ballymena, this game represents the last-chance saloon.

“We know we’re under pressure to do it this year, a lot of guys probably won’t be available to us next year. We’re under no illusion, this is probably going to be our last chance of winning the title for a few years to come because we have a bit of rebuilding to do.

“It would be great to sign off with a title. Eight or nine years some of us have been trying and the closest we’ve come was a semi-final.

“This is our first time in the final, so it’s the biggest game the club has ever had. I think it will be great game, great support for both clubs. We have seven or eight coaches already filled from the club, with others travelling by train, cars, people who are already in Dublin, those coming from England. Clontarf, like ourselves, are a good community-based rugby side.

“They have no flash players but are well-balanced with huge support. It’s going to be a massive day, and I hope the game lives up to expectations.”