Having seen their promotion hopes dashed following Sunday's
heart-breaking Greene King IPA Championship play-off defeat to
London Welsh, Leeds Carnegie have one more opportunity to take some
silverware from the 2013/14 season with an appearance in the final
of the British & Irish Cup at Donnybrook on Friday night. The
game will be streamed live on rfu.com.
James Lowes' side travel to Dublin to take on reigning champions
Leinster A, (kick-off 7pm), as they bid to emulate former winners
Cornish Pirates and Bristol Rugby and become the third English side
to lift the trophy in the five years of competition.
Both sides are familiar to Jersey, having been in the same pool
as the Islanders for the 2012/13 B&I Cup. And it's possible
that a member of Jersey's 2014/15 squad could be involved, with
prop Sam Lockwood having been recalled to the club where he is
under contract until the end of the season before making a
permanent move to the Island, where he was on loan for three months
from February to the start of May. Former Jersey players Nathan
Hannay and David Doherty could also be in the Leeds' line-up.
Free-scoring Leeds averaged 45 points per game in qualifying for
the knockout stages with home and away victories against outclassed
Aberavon and Gala and a final day home win over Bristol confirming
their place at the top of Pool 5. After a five-try rout of Plymouth
Albion in the quarter-final, a young Leeds side produced an
outstanding display to beat Bristol 30-25 and book their place in
Friday's showpiece.
Holders Leinster breezed through Pool 1 with six straight
victories - against Ealing Trailfinders, Moseley and Cross Keys,
home and away - to top the table by 13 points. For the third year
in a row Leinster were paired with inter-provincial rivals Munster
A in the knockout stages. In each of the previous two meetings in
the competition, the winner has gone on to win the British &
Irish Cup and Leinster will hope history repeats itself this year
after a comprehensive 47-15 quarter-final victory. The semi-final
away to Pontypridd could not have been closer, a dramatic tie
finishing all-square at 22-22 after a tense period of extra-time
but with Leinster ultimately going through on try count.
Leinster A played Leeds on their way to B&I Cup glory in
2013, winning their home tie 47-18 before the sides fought out a
30-30 in the return leg on the artificial surface at West Park RUFC
in Leeds (pictured above, with Sam Lockwood attacking for
Leeds) after snow had threatened to see the game called
off.
For UK viewers, watch the stream live on rfu.com (KO 7pm). Next
week, it's the Championship Play-Off Final 1st Leg, with London
Welsh hosting Bristol on Wednesday 28th May (KO 7.45pm). The second
leg is the following Wednesday, 4th June, at the Memorial
Stadium.
