There is a new number one in the land, as Instonians, the reigning NCU league champions, took advantage of an indifferent start to the season by YMCA, to move up in the rankings to the top spot.
Clontarf also moved ahead of YMCA, as they stayed unbeaten for the season, beating Cork County in their Leinster Division 1 clash. It was a week of "upsets" in Leinster, as Pembroke's win over YMCA saw them move up three places to 8th; North County beating Merrion (although neither changed position), Terenure beat Phoenix (the former going up one to 33rd), and Balbriggan beating Rush, which saw Balbriggan move up two to 34th, leapfrogging Rush who moved down one to 36th. All other Leinster matches went very much to plan.
Instonians elevation to number one spot is the first time they have been ranked so high since August 24th 2013. Since then their record has been excellent, winning the NCU Premier League, and being runners up in the Challenge Cup. Their only black mark on their record has been their consistent failure in the Irish Senior Cup. Last year they had the misfortune to lose a bowl out to Railway Union, but in previous years they have lost to The Hills (2013) and YMCA (2012) in early rounds. They have another chance to right that record tomorrow, when they play Malahide (ranked 16th) in their delayed first round match.
In both the northern provinces, it was the Senior Cup first round, which pits many top division clubs against lower division counterparts. With points allocated in our rankings depending on the quality of the opposition, it means many NCU and NW sides get very little credit for beating Championbship/Section 1 opponents.
This weekends matches include that Instonians Malahide encounter, Strabane (14) taking on Railway Union (19) and Merrion (5) taking on CIYMS (15). There's more interprovincial action on Saturday, with the first round of the Ulster Cup (although several matches have been cancelled due to the Irish Senior Cup refixes). The two standout ties see CSNI (7) host Ardmore (25) and North Down (9) entertain Bready (17). Most Leinster players have the weekend off!