Heading into the second half of the Energia All-Ireland League season, Terenure’s prospects of reaching a fourth successive final and regaining the title they won for the first time two seasons ago, have been severely hindered by the loss of the talismanic Harison Brewer.
In addition to captaining Terenure to three successive finals and that historic triumph in 2023, pound for pound Brewer has arguably been the best and most influential player in the AIL since the pandemic hiatus. But the one-time Leinster academy and Ireland Under-20 centre/backrower has taken up an offer to return to Japan by joining third division team Kurita Water Gush Akishima as a medical joker.
As well as a spell in New Zealand, the 29-year-old had previously played with NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes in Osaka and the Panasonic Wild Knights outside Tokyo, before the pandemic struck and he returned to Dublin and this season he’d successfully moved into the secondrow while relinquishing the captaincy at Terenure.
Brewer will be gone until May, thus ruling him out of the rest of the AIL campaign. No one in Terenure will begrudge him this opportunity but having lost so many others to travelling abroad, including pivotal centre Peter Sylvestre, their team sheet sure looks increasingly different.
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Mikey O’Reilly returns in Brewer’s place at lock for their return trip to Ballynahinch following their 24-3 win at home four weeks ago, with Mark Nicholson at hooker in an otherwise unchanged pack. Ex-Munster and Irish Sevenss winger Conor Phillips as does Aran Egan at fullback.
Ballynahinch have been boosted by the availability of Ulster outhalf Jake Flannery, with academy outhalf James Humphreys starting at full-back, while also retaining former Irish Under-20 captain Reuben Crothers and Bryn Ward, son of Andy and brother of Zac.
A month on from their thrilling 32-26 win over Lansdowne under lights, the leaders St Mary’s will be unchanged for the return clash at Templeville Road. In the interim Lansdowne won the Bateman Cup for a sixth time outright, as well as one shared, by beating Instonians in the final last week. Leinster halfback duo Cormac Foley and Charlie Tector are reunited.
Second-placed Clontarf will be seeking a third successive win and a double over Armagh while Garryowen and Young Munster will renew their Limerick rivalry at Dooradoyle after the latter’s 25-24 win at home four weeks ago.
UCD and Cork Con will be doing well to repeat the high jinks of their 11-try feast in the champions’ 38-33 win in Temple Hill when they meet again in Belfield.
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