This weekend being a veritable feast, the gluttonous among us can head back for a second helping of a Lansdowne Road occasion in the form of the Leinster Schools' Cup final. Meanwhile, in Musgrave Park, local rivals CBC and PBC contest the Munster Schools' final for the first time since 1981.
The Leinster pairing, a repeat of last year when Terenure won 22-15, is a dream final. It's an intriguing match-up, as form would favour Clongowes, yet tradition strongly points to the holders.
Given that Terenure retain eight of last year's successful outfit, they would normally be entitled to start favourites. However, they have adopted something of a minimalist approach and hardly set Donnybrook ablaze by beating St Andrew's (24-6), King's Hospital (18-3) and Roscrea (21-14).
By contrast, Clongowes have put together far more compelling 70minute efforts in beating Pres Bray (41-3), Blackrock (24-6) and, most notably, St Mary's (41-17). That latter performance was the high point of the schools campaign, Clongowes's ball retention, support play and continuity laying the platform for brilliant full back Gordon D'Arcy to treat a large crowd to his superb angles of running, strength and elusiveness. He really does look exceptional.
One could not recall the Clongowes ball carrier ever becoming isolated and in number eight and captain Des Dillon, they also have a player apart. They tackle well around the fringes and swarm across the pitch in a defensive purple haze. It will clearly take a big performance from Terenure to stop them.
Yet the nagging suspicion remains that Clongowes have so often failed at the final hurdle. This will be their seventh final this decade, yet they've lost all but one (beating St Michael's in 1991) of the previous six, to Blackrock (1990), Terenure (1993), St Mary's (1994), Blackrock (1995) and Terenure (1997).
Terenure, for their part, seem to have this uncanny habit of overcoming supposedly superior sides in the final, as they've done three times in the 1990s. This current crop look a typically-cool lot, and remained impressively unfazed when Roscrea threw all but the kitchen sink at them in the second half of the semi-final.
Jamie Jenkinson's battle with Dillon could be worth the admission money alone and in addition to tough-tackling flankers John Wills and John Bagnall, the 10-12-13 midfield axis of Garreth English, Mark O'Kelly and captain Colin Moynagh has been almost impenetrable.
Terenure will make the big hits alright, and therefore will probably ask more questions of Clongowes than anyone else thus far. Yet so convincing was that semi-final win that this time one senses Clongowes can make the formbook apply.
Given Christians and `Pres' have won 48 of the previous 88 Munster Schools' Senior Cup finals, it's remarkable to think that this will be their first meeting in the final for 17 years. It required an injury-time try for Pres to edge past St Munchin's by 23-18 in the semi-final after an 18-11 quarter-final win over Crescent.
Christians, too, had to work harder than expected when overcoming Rockwell by 17-7 and Ard Scoil Ris by 11-3, when their outstanding number eight Alan Hickey varnished the scoreboard with an injury-time try as well.
Nonetheless, although Hickey is one of only four survivors from last year, the Cork cognoscenti make Christians favourites to win their 24th Cup and so move to within one of their great rivals' tally.
