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There are more opportunities to go to Uni in the UK - in NI there is Queens and Uni Ulster. There is a well trodden path of NI students going to Scotland & England. If they don't get into Ulster Academy there is nothing to keep them in Ulster, so they go to Uni across the water and many don't return.

Ok let's say in Ulster there are 50 players leaving the schools who are senior rugby 1st XV standard.

Maybe 6 of the very best will get Academy, another 6 may hang around and hope they get picked up, another 6 might decide to stay local.

That's at least 60% of high quality rugby playing school leavers leaving NI & Ulster Rugby clubs each year - now compare that to how many players from the Leinster Schools system flown into the AIL each year compared to how many leave, and then compound that by the fact that the general quality of Leinster schoolboys is higher, it's no wonder the AIL is dominated by Dublin based clubs.

Templeville Rd full to capacity (4,000+) for the AIL semi between St Mary’s and Terenure.

This game is being streamed live on Irish Rugby +, with Bernard Jackman (honestly does he ever take a day off?) on Co-comms.

Clontarf - Lansdowne being live steamed afterwards.

10-5 now to Terenure - Adam La Grue with the try after getting the lucky bounce on a long kick through. Chris Cosgrave got the conversion.

Worth noting Caspar Gabriel is playing at 15 today despite being named at 10 earlier in the week.

Templeville was a monstrous atmosphere yesterday. Always good to beat Terenure.
We play Clontarf who we have beaten 3 of the last 4 times we’ve played - already beat them twice this season. You’d have to say Mary’s are favourites going into this game.

UCD beat Garryowen and will face Trinity in a 1A play off. UCD strong favourites going into that, especially how dominant they were over trinity in their colours game. You’d also think that Leinster would offload any available players to UCD to make sure they don’t go down. It would be a disaster for Leinster to have UCD in 1B.

UCC run riot vs Corinthians, Ger Burke is in overseeing the team for the playoffs. Shannon in good form heading into the game with UCC. They beat Barnhall & Dungannon in recent weeks. I still think UCC will have too much for them.

Colours game to decide promotion/ relegation to 1A must be the best AIL match up in years.

UCD likely to be with a bit too much firepower for Trinity with their Ireland U20s front 5 back. As well as Osborne and the Molon(e)ys.

Anything can happen on the day though.

You’d imagine Instonians will be up there before long.

4 promotions in a row stopped by a Trinity team very much coming towards the peak of their cycle.

I really don’t know where the third Munster club is going to come from. Rugby in Limerick in particular looks to be in dire straits.

Only 4 years ago both clubs were in 1A along with Cookies. Since then Shannon have dropped two divisions in a row and Garryowen have yo-yo'ed. Cookies are now essentially mid-table when they would have been challenging for top 4.

Limerick rugby is going in one direction, and it's not up. Even people involved in rugby in Limerick will tell you the same.

i dont think personally limerick rugby per say is in dire state or atleast heading that way, that said it wouldn't have the player depth as dublin or leinster clubs simply for a number of reasons like job opportunities universities study opportunities etc etc. But i do think it has enough to survive. i could be way off on this one but i do remember not long ago either last summer or summer before someone else posting about shannon that camp in there wasnt happy hence going down and people not happy with the internal running of the club and how things are handled but on the verge of getting promo this year tides seem to have turned for now. The munster pro game however in i think is a worry if u see recent news but i'll keep that short because that deserves its whole new thread away from ail but your points you make about the clubs in dublin schools system etc etc was in the making for years i think probably only in the making and was a work in progress starting in your munster era that was winning heinken cups under axel howlett etc etc. leinster were probably implimenting a youth program/pathway model in the province as you say amongst the private schools and big clubs in and around then maybe before it but only starting to cherish post recession era and rose since then hence the dominance in the last few years mainly among your tarfs, lansdowne, nures of the top flight ail and the players that dont go on to make pro post sct school cup rugby or leinster youths or underage interpro levels go on to join these clubs when they start college. Leinster just knew it was a numbers game knowing the work done at underage amongst your big clubs and schools will churn out x number of players therefore they have more to pick from but the capital being dublin largest population etc etc does help this model.

Personally think munster can do this just at a smaller ish scale focusing on rockwells ard scoil munchins castletroy pres cbc etc etc and then focus on clubs also they may not churn out as much players to pick from as leinster but they wouldnt do too bad a job as like i said assuming a few would stay local for work or not apply a UL UCC or other uni's in the province (which isnt always easy of course) a few could also line out for the clubs when there after their leaving.

Hopefully Limerick clubs have stabilised. Maybe a normal is 1 1A, 1 1 1B and maybe 1 yo yoing.

A long way from the glory days. I am far from an expert but would a lot of players on the team sheets not be from Limerick? Are there a good few lads drafted in from neighbouring counties and lads who have moved to Limerick for university, work, rugby related?

I think one of Limericks problems is there is so much competition, hurling, GAA, soccer and then rugby itself, so many clubs an schools in Limerick all competing for player talent, coaches, funding etc etc. Depth just simply is not there to sustain so many clubs and schools and sports!

Congrats to Clontarf & St Marys on their semi-final wins and best of luck to each team for the final. Should be a great game.

Predictions for AIL Finals at the weekend?

1A Final - St. Marys v Clontarf (St Marys)

1A/1B Promotion Playoff - UCD v Trinity (UCD)

1B/2A Promotion Playoff - UCC v Shannon (UCC)

2A/2B Promotion Playoff - UL Bohs v Sligo (UL Bohs)

2C Final - Clonmel v Bective (Clonmel)

WAIL Final - UL Bohs v Blackrock (UL Bohs)