Buccaneers have been drawn away to Shannon in the AIB Cup. The game takes place in St Munchin's College grounds, Limerick on Saturday October 17 with a 2.30pm kick off.
Shannon’s home pitch at Coonagh is not yet ready to stage matches following remedial work that was delayed by the dismal summer. Munster are playing Benetton Treviso in the Heineken Cup at their other nominated ground Thomond Park on Saturday while Shannon’s alternative pitch at Limerick Institute of Technology is not available due to Munster’s game when it will be used as a car park! A Sunday fixture is not suitable to Buccs while Shannon feel a late kickoff on Saturday would be unlikely to attract punters, so the clubs have not yet arrived at an agreeable compromise although Buccs did offer Dubarry Park as a venue on Saturday.
This will be another acid test for Buccs, especially as Shannon have (unusually for them ) suffered back-to-back defeats in their opening two AIB League ties and a backlash can be anticipated. However, the Cup will take some pressure off the players and it may give the Midlanders’ mentors some licence to experiment. John O’Brien and Paul Harte must surely start at fullback and wing respectively where their greater strength, pace, and know-how would be decided assets. The Cup tie would also enable teenage halfbacks Adam Kennedy and JH Potgeiter become more familiar with each others nuances.The pack is likely to be along familiar lines, although there could be a rejigging in the backrow. Here the guile and experience of Colin Watters could mean his inclusion, perhaps at blindside flanker with Stephen Burke moving to numer eight and Colm Rigney being utilised at openside.
