Planet Rugby: For those people who have been lucky enough to spend some time in Trinity College in the past, their visit, be it long or short, would surely have been enhanced had they come across a students' rugby match in College Park.
Not alone is the venue one of the most pleasant spots in the inner city but if the visitor was lucky the match upon which he or she happened, involving the oldest rugby club in the world, would have been enhanced by the presence of a certain Peter Ash.
One of Trinity's greatest supporters, "Ashy" would have been certainly been heard if not seen among the crowd.
A personal favourite was when an opposing team won a scrum inside the Trinity 22 and the students appeared to be in some trouble. It was then the roar, heard as far away as the tennis courts in Botany Bay and Front Gate, reverberated around the grounds.
"TRINITY, let's have a BIGGY!"
He was, well, mildly eccentric and always raised a few eyebrows. But there was a fondness for the regular supporter among the students and the games were the more colourful for his presence.
Peter Ash died recently, at home, aged (he thought) "something like 83". He styled himself "the aged bellower", although increasing frailty had prevented him from roaring sides over the try line in recent years.
For that he has been and will continue to be missed.
McAleese talks sense
The Under-19 World Cup in Belfast told us something we already knew: that the schools cup formats are not conducive to building a strong national panel of young players.
While many of the coaches inside and outside the IRFU are careful where they tread with regard to schools competition (and so they should), the coach of the Ireland Under-19s, Charlie McAleese, went as far as any when he was interviewed by Irish Rugby Review.
"Eddie O'Sullivan has put together a great management team with a lot of specialisms (sic) and no longer in the collision area at senior level do we really lose out," said the article.
"But at underage levels, while the specialists don't have access to the players from 15 (years of age) onwards, these players will not physically develop to the standard of the opposition we saw here this evening (South Africa) . . . There is an issue that we need more access to the players by specialists . . . As long as schools cup rugby maintains its importance, then player access will be diminished. What we have to be careful of is that the danger element does not creep in."
Strong, sensible words.
Maybe the powers that be will explain why we throw physically underdeveloped teenagers into international matches against physically superior opposition like the Springboks and New Zealand. Surely not to come ninth from 12 Division A teams.
Bordering on ridiculous
"The Borders are a good side and we will treat them with the respect that they deserve," said Michael Cheika before Leinster faced the Scottish side on Friday night.
Frankly, Cheika is a media babe and we can see him do little wrong. He's always open to talk to and generally makes a lot of sense when he opens his mouth. And so it was as his side were preparing for the match he uttered the above and we didn't bat a collective eyelid.
But on further consideration of the Magners Celtic League table, the Borders appear to be anything but a good side and while they do deserve respect for many things it is not for their mark on this season's competition. As of now they have played 19 matches and lost 17.
The "good side" have conceded 490 points and have just 12 points to show.
Seapoint make waves
Seapoint Rugby club may well be one of the forgotten clubs when it comes to the top end of the AIL leagues.
But the members, who ply their trade in Ballybrack, south Dublin (miles from Seapoint, as it happens, and about a mile from the sea) have reason to be proud of their humble offerings to this year's collective table of silverware.
The giant banner that adorns the entrance to their playing fields in Kilbogget Park indicates that while the club may well be down the divisions in Irish rugby they are far from out.
As AIL Junior Cup winners after beating Coleraine 47-15, Seapoint are enjoying their victory. The banner, seen by the thousands who shop in Tesco across the road every day, should rightly stay there all summer long.
Lansdowne double up
Down Lansdowne way, they're calling it "Super Sunday", after the season's double-header success in the Metropolitan and Moran Cup finals last week.
The J3s were first up in Anglesea Road and, having already clinched the league title, defeated a gutsy Stillorgan side 25-3 in the Moran Cup decider.
The Lansdowne Second XV took on the league winners, Clontarf, in the second final. The match proved to be one of the most entertaining spectacles of the junior season as Lansdowne ran out winners by 33-32 after a nail-biting finish.
