Leinster Cup draw throws up venue headache for Lansdowne

The draw for the Heineken Leinster Senior Cup was made in Lansdowne RFC yesterday and, after a slight hiccup in identifying the numbered balls, the hosts and the competition holders were paired with neighbours Wanderers in one of only two first round ties. All of which, naturally, begs the question as to whether the Union's co-tenants will be able to find a venue this Saturday.

The Lansdowne Road main pitch is currently off limits while the back pitch was deemed unplayable last weekend. Ditto, of course, Merrion Road. Presuming the tie goes ahead, the winners will progress to a second round tie at home to Monkstown.

The only other first round tie for this Saturday pairs Skerries at home to Greystones, in a re-enactment of the clubs' AIL Division Two league game last Saturday which the Co Wicklow club won, albeit at Dr Hickey Park, to preserve their Division Two status. The winners of this clash will progress to a home second round tie against St Mary's College, who were the only club of the 18 included in yesterday's draw to be assured of a bye into the second round.

Due to the All-Ireland League final on Saturday week, the second round is not scheduled to take place until Saturday, May 2nd.

However, the Leinster Branch are flexible about this, and given the three-week gap this would entail, some clubs will undoubtedly be keen to re-arrange their second round ties for this weekend.

Most obviously, last year's beaten finalists Bective Rangers fall into this hat, unsure as they are about whether they will yet be engaged in an AIL Division Two relegation/promotion play-off with Ballynahinch - pending the outcome of the vexed Wanderers-Buccaneers tie, whenever that is played. Bective have been drawn away to Blackrock.

Not one tie has paired two first division clubs - all six of whom (including relegated Old Belvedere) have been separated by the draw while the junior qualifiers, Garda, have been drawn away to Old Wesley. There will be no replays in the event of drawn games.

Instead, extra time will be used, and if that fails to provide an outcome, then the criteria of most tries, most converted tries and finally the away team will be applied in that order. There will be a revised draw for the quarter-finals which, like the semi-finals and final, have no fixed dates as yet.

Leinster Senior Cup (first named clubs at home), First round (April 18th): Skerries v Greystones; Lansdowne v Wanderers. Second Round (May 2nd, provisional): Skerries or Greystones v St Mary's College; Old Wesley v Garda; DLSP v Old Belvedere; Terenure College v UCD; Blackrock College v Bective Rangers; Suttonians v Dublin University; Clontarf v Co Carlow; Lansdowne or Wanderers v Monkstown.

Top Welsh clubs tonight scrapped threatened strike action that could have wiped out next Saturday's Premier Division programme.

Crisis talks between leading Welsh Rugby Union officials and clubs' representative Eddie Jones averted the threat, precipitated by the Premier Division teams' fury at being asked to sign 10-year WRU loyalty agreement, believing that their names would not be put forward for European competitions if they do not.