Dublin awaits the clash of the Limerick Titans

Strictly speaking, this could be interpreted as the biggest club game in the history of Irish rugby. Perhaps the showdown between Young Munster and St Mary's in 1993 at Lansdowne Road rivalled it, but this is the first AIB League final per se and as the Garryowen coach Philip Danaher observed, "it's not every day you go to Lansdowne Road to decide which club are the champions of Ireland."

It's utterly fitting, too, that Shannon are there. They give the decider kudos. They particularly, and Limerick generally, have been the standard bearers for the club game over the last four years. So it's also appropriate that the runners-up in the 13-game league stage, Garryowen, provide the opposition in an all-Limerick affair.

Dublin, Belfast, Galway and the rest may be tiring of the Treaty city's hegemony, but this is Limerick's day to put on a show. When an IRFU representative asked for the trophy to be brought up a week ago, a Shannon official responded: "We'll bring it up next Saturday, and let you look at it."

When, or perhaps more pertinently, if they are ever knocked off their pedestal, then whoever lays their hands on the trophy will know they deserve it. For the moment, it's Shannon's to hold and Garryowen's to wrest from them - and that's probably how it should be.

Nor does it necessarily follow at all that Shannon will be fitting winners. If anything, the more remote the neutral venue, the better for Garryowen. Shannon are well nigh unbeatable, in Thomond Park at any rate. That the sides have met already and Shannon duly won at Dooradoyle last February, albeit by 17-14, actually further increases Garryowen's chances.

Some of those vanquished by Shannon come away grateful that it will be another year before they meet again. But many of the wanabees, the Garyowens, St Mary's, Young Munsters and the like, always venture that they'd love another crack at them.

That is why completing the AIL-Munster Cup double is notoriously difficult, and why an apprehensive Niall O'Donovan likens that to today's scenario.

"When Garryowen won the league one year and we had been fighting relegation, we beat them by 20 points in the Cup. But when we won the league last year, they beat us in the Cup. Beating them beforehand in the league makes it harder for us, because they'll be more motivated and there were only three points in it the last time."

The Shannon director of rugby has no doubt that his team will have to be at its very best. The Garryowen coach, Philip Danaher, reckons they'll have to produce their best performance of the season to win. Conceivably, and hopefully, both verdicts are true.

Shannon have won the last five AIL meetings, though that counts both ways, and in a curious way, the events of the week may galvanise Garryowen further. Garryowen certainly have the artillery to trouble Shannon. Two-thirds of their side are representatives of one sort or another. Arguably, they have more candidates for a summer air ticket to South Africa, even if that only motivates a brassed-off Shannon further.

They have possibly the stronger scrum, though Shannon's unreknowned scrum has somehow held up well enough against the likes of Ballymena and Munster. And they have a couple of pinpoint throwers in Pat Humphreys and Paul Cunningham, and a couple of potent line-out secondrowers in Shane Leahy and Van Humphreys.

If they gain control in a setpiece, Garryowen also have the most potent try-scoring number eight in the league in David Wallace, and a back-line who can use good ball.

They've a balanced threat from half-back in the aggressive sniping of Stephen McIvor or the classy and burgeoning Barry Everitt. Killian Keane is another hungry young Turk with confidence oozing from the Twickenham weekend and further adrift, the tryscoring instincts of Dominic Crotty and the pace of Kevin O'Riordan have compensated for the injury to Conor Kilroy.

Garryowen have improved markedly as the season has progressed, though sometimes you wonder if they believe in themselves as much as they should. There's no doubting Shannon on that score. They too have added a few strings to their bow. With the emergence of John Hayes and Marcus Horan in the front-row, and tearaway Colm McMahon regularly brought off the bench, the pack is younger and more mobile.

Similarly, Jason Hayes and John Lacey have added more mobility and pace to the outside three, while, most of all, Rhys Ellison has added big hits, yardage hauls up the middle and some additional savvy. So Shannon are probably better than they've ever been these last four years, but all the while the old strengths remain.

Primarily, these are the backrow and Mick Galwey. Last week it was an inspired Alan Quinlan who upped the tempo. This week it could be him again, Eddie Halvey, Anthony Foley or Galwey, or any combination therein, who crank up the volume.

It's going to require a mighty game from David Wallace particularly to counteract all of this, and if his ankle strain curtails him then it's hard to see how Garryowen can contain the Shannon big men, or break through around the fringes.

For at some point, and usually this season it's been in the secondhalf, one or all of them will start instigating those Shannon drives; the rest rowing in behind while everyone cuts down on the error count. They're cute, and they know they are.

The bookies have made Shannon strong, odds-on favourites, yet in the handicap betting makes it a five-point game. It's not such an apparent contradiction in terms. The likeliest scenario is that it will be another tight game, but that when push comes to shove, Shannon will somehow get there, yet again.

Lansdowne Road (3.30)

Shannon: Jason Hayes; J Lacey, P McMahon, R Ellison, A Thompson; J Galvin, F McNamara; M Horan, M McDermott, John Hayes, M Galwey, K Keane, A Quinlan, A Foley (capt), E Halvey.

Garryowen: D Crotty; J Clarke, K Keane (capt), J Brooks, K O'Riordan; B Everett, S McIvor; G Walsh, P Humphreys, P Spain, S Leahy, V Humphreys, P Hogan, D Wallace, A Bermingham.

Referee: Dave McHugh (Munster).

Formguide: Shannon - W W W W W. Garryowen - W W L W W.

Leading points scorers: Shannon - Andrew Thompson 163. Garryowen - Killian Keane 158.

Leading try scorers: Shannon - John Laacey 7, Mick Galwey 6. Anthony Foley 5. Garryowen - David Wallace 10, Dominic Crotty 6, Killian Keane, Conor Kilroy 5.

Odds (Paddy Powers): Outright - 2/5 Shannon, 13/8 Garryowen. Over 80 mins - 4/9 Shannon, 16/1 draw, 15/8 Garryowen. Handicap (Garryowen +5) 10/11 Shannon, 16/1 draw, 10/11 Garryowen.

Forecast: Shannon to win.