After the thrills and spills of the opening weekend of the New Year, Division 1B of the Energia All Ireland League continues to have plenty of competition for top four, while the relegation battle continues to rumble on. UCC and Blackrock will square off in a big clash in The Mardyke.
Dublin University v Old Wesley, Saturday January 18th, College Park, 2:30pm
A fourth Dublin derby in a row now for Trinity, with one win from three in those previous games they will be out to pick up points here for their promotion fight.
Last weekend they got so close but only managed a late penalty try to reduce their deficit against Blackrock. Trin have seen the gap increase to those top four places, with Wesely who sit third 12 points clear, a win here can help claw their way up the standings. Matthew Lynch was a man inform last weekend and has been this term.
Wesley took five points when the pair met in Energia Park in early December, but have a win and a loss on the board since. Dropped points have seen the teams above pull away and while they have seven points between them and UCC in fifth, they will be aiming for consistency in this important block of games.
Naas v Nenagh Ormond, Saturday January 18th, Forenaughts, 2:30pm
Still breathing down the necks of leaders Old Belvedere, Nenagh Ormond are away in Naas this weekend, aiming to keep this stellar title run on course.
The hosts currently sit two points outside of the relegation zone, having lost their last five games. Having narrowly lost to Nenagh in the reverse tie 19-18, they had two tough defeats against Old Belvedere. A tough team on their day, Naas will need an improved performance to distance themselves from the foot of the table.
Ormond have had a debut season to remember and they show no signs of slowing down. Six wins in succession have increased their hopes not only of a title by the end of the season, but also promotion to 1A. The Tipp men had to weather a late storm in reverse tie and are one of the teams to beat now across the All Ireland League.
Queen’s University v Highfield, Saturday January 18th, Dub Lane, 2:30pm
A big eight pointer at The Dub, Queen’s are just five points clear of the drop zone, while a win here for Highfield could well put them outside of the relegation zone, for the first time since the early days of the season.
The students had got some good form under their belt to end the first half of the season, but fell to a 51-38 defeat last weekend away to Wesley. When they made a long journey down to Woodleigh Park in early December, it brought a much needed win to help them avert the threat of relegation. Now just over a month later, they need to do the same in their home patch.
Highfield made it back to back wins for the first time this season last time out. The Cork outfit delivered an impressive clinical display to get past Shannon and looked to have turned a corner from their turbulent start to the campaign. Shane O’Riordan was deadly with the boot last weekend, while Travis Coomey dotted down three tries.
Shannon v Old Belvedere, Saturday January 18th, Thomond Park Back Pitch, 2:30pm
Top play bottom on Shannonside this weekend, as Old Belvedere make the trip down to face Shannon.
Shannon dropped to the basement of the standings last weekend after consecutive defeats at the hands of Highfield. Winless since Round 5, they cannot afford to drop more points and allow those above to pull away. Belvo won by 15 points when the pair last men and the hosts will no doubt aim for a tighter performance.
The only way is up for Belvo of late. While they cannot climb any further up the 1B table, they are doing their business well to mount a charge for 1A. Seven wins now in a row for the Ollie Campbell faithful have them a real force to be reckoned with, Shannon can be a tough place to go and with Ormond three points behind, they can’t afford to slip up.
UCC v Blackrock College, Saturday January 18th, The Mardyke, 2:30pm
Another big eight pointer this weekend will be down at The Mardyke, UCC have been out to reclaim their spot in the top four and a win over fourth placed Blackrock can further their hopes.
The Leesiders are six adrift of Rock in the standings having suffered three defeats in as many games. It had looked like they would get a result over Nenagh last weekend, but fell painfully short. Tomas O’Leary’s young guns aim for an improved performance, but have just one win in their last three meetings with Rock, suffering defeat in this home game last season.
Blackrock had to dig deep to get the better of Trinity last Saturday, another tie in which Conor O’Shaughnessy shined, tallying 17 points of his team’s 27 point haul. Had we not seen a second half comeback by Trinity in their tie from Round 9, we could be talking about a five game winning run for Rock. Points here can further their hopes at a top four finish.