LEINSTER SCHOOLS SENIOR CUP:THERE ARE special moments in schools rugby every year but few will ever compare to a three-in-a-row. Clongowes Wood can see the summit now.
Twin brothers Edward and Bryan Byrne will join Don Roe Kissane and Jackie Ferris in the pantheon of schoolboy legends should they triumph in tomorrow's final.
The Blackrock pair, Kissane (1955-57) and Ferris (1934-36), have three senior cup medals while the last time a team did it was also Blackrock in 1964.
But this is the Age of Clongowes.
Edward was starting loosehead, with Bryan the replacement hooker, for the 2010 final shellacking of St Michael's. We could have been serenading Edward's opposing captain, Dan Leavy, in a similar manner as the athletic flanker was superb in that 38-20 defeat two years ago, as a 15-year-old, and again lost to Clongowes in last year's semi-final. Leavy's ferocity will be visible in a schools game one last time. The Byrnes will seek him out in the collisions.
This is where Clongowes are expected to prevail - they have an awesomely powerful pack. Along with tighthead Daniel O'Byrne, the brothers have turned the scrum into a weapon, which is unusual at schools level.
There is also number eight Peadar Timmons' general work, but specifically the lineout, where Edward rarely contributes as he carries hard through midfield off clean ball.
It's one thing knowing about this ploy.
Structurally, Clongowes are a finely-tuned machine. The think-tank of Noel McNamara, Brett Igoe and Pat Kenny deserves huge credit.
As does the excellent work being done in St Michael's where former international Kelvin Leahy, Bernard Jackman, Shane Hunt and Junior Charlie run the senior group.
This rivalry has dominated the schools rugby landscape since St Michael's captured their first senior title in 2007, when Conor Cleary's team beat Clongowes 6-3.
Only problem is the very bad habit they have developed ever since. An amazing record of contesting eight junior or senior deciders since 2006 has yielded just one trophy. They are back in both finals again so one from 10 would be hugely deflating considering all the progress beneath the surface.
"It's our fourth senior final in seven years," said Leahy. "For a school like St Michael's, who only really emerged in the 2000s, that is fantastic. Now we want to start tipping the balance to the win side. We have the fire-power to do so. If we bring a consistency to our game we know we have the players to win."
Both schools have injury concerns. When Terenure matched Clongowes up front in the semi-final, Max McFarland's electric running from fullback and Sebastien Fromm's power at inside centre were badly missed But they eventually, after 68 minutes, figured it out with Cian O'Donoghue's try securing a 13-10 victory.
Concerns about McFarland (teeth), Fromm (concussion) and Timmons appear to have been allayed.
The main worry for St Michael's is centre Rory O'Loughlin (shoulder) and number eight Donogh Lawlor (knee). O'Loughlin, their most dangerous strike runner, suffered a dislocation in the drawn first-round match with Roscrea and failed to finish the semi-final defeat of Kilkenny. He has been passed fit but the team will not be picked until today.
That opening draw with Roscrea looked like the end of St Michael's but Ross Byrne's penalty in the 17th minute of injury-time somehow saved them. Byrne's place-kicking has been excellent throughout the campaign and could prove crucial again.
How do you stop a juggernaut? Terenure provided a blueprint for St Michael's: plant the seed of doubt by scoring early and halt the Byrne brothers on the gainline. Also, target the impressive halfback combination of Conor McQuaid and Mark Nicholson.
Clongowes have looked a superior team before and ever since they surprisingly lost the junior cup semi-final to this St Michael's group in 2009.
If we adhere to form, Byrne, not Leavy, will lift the chalice.
Either way, I suspect we'll see both men again.
CLONGOWES WOOD COLLEGE: M McFarland; C Mahony, G McVerry, S Fromm, N Rhatigan; M Nicholson, C McQuaid; E Byrne (capt), B Byrne, D O'Byrne; J Paul, R Daly; J Wallace, S Kealan, P Timmons.
ST MICHAEL'S COLLEGE (possible): C Diamond; C Fagan, R O'Loughlin, R Kavanagh, A Leavy; R Byrne, B Holland; A Barr, G Kelly, J Lawless; R Molony, A Coleman; J Murphy, D Leavy (capt), D Lawlor.
Referee: P Haycock (ARLB).
Paths to the final
CLONGOWES
Rd1: bt Belvedere 43-10
Q-F: bt Castleknock 34-8
S-F: bt Terenure 13-10
ST MICHAEL'S
Rd1: drew Cistercian, Roscrea 16-16
RdI replay: bt Roscrea 7-3
Q-F: bt Pres, Bray 42-7
S-F: bt Kilkenny College 17-3
