Big crowds ready to follow Nenagh CBS hurlers as they take on CBS Kilkenny in the Croke Cup

Nenagh CBS will look to emulate the team of 2012 as they navigate a route now to the Croke Cup schools All-Ireland final. First off for them in this national series it is the beaten Leinster finalists CBS Kilkenny. The Marble city school had beaten Good Council of Wexford in the provincial semi final but suffered a number of injuries in the narrow win, most notably losing full back Ruaidhri Galwey of O'Loughlin Gaels - a son of former rugby star Mick - in the closing stages of that game.

The injury hit side went down by a big margin to St. Kierans in the Leinster final and will hope to regroup when they take on Munster champions Nenagh CBS who scored a late, late winner to take the Harty cup at Ennis against a shellshocked Ardscoil Ris. The Donach O'Donnell coached Nenagh side will be hot favourites going into the tie however the Kilkenny side have a sprinking of county minor and Under 20 stars and are a formidable team when not ravaged by injuries. 

The game in the All-Ireland last eight has now been fixed for Rathdowney GAA Club, on Saturday 17th February at 2.00pm. The U19 hurling team and management of Nenagh CBS have had a wonderful couple of weeks as the cup has paraded in the school and in surrounding clubs. Training has been upbeat since winning the coveted Harty and the Nenagh side will look to continue in a rich vein of form. The winner of that tie will also avoid hot-favourites for the All-Ireland - St. Kierans College - in the All-Ireland semi final.

The other fixtures in the competition have been made too and, in the Quarter-Final of the All-Ireland Croke Cup following on from their last gasp defeat to Nenagh in the Harty Cup final, Ardscoil Ris have had time to take stock and they will now play Presentation College of Athenry on Sunday next. That Croke Cup quarter-final is fixed for 2pm in Gurteen, the venue where St Joseph's Doora-Barefield GAA club play their home games.

If they navigate past that hurdle, Limerick representatives Ardscoil are set to face off against Kilkenny kingpins St Kieran's College in a mouthwatering semi-final. Leinster winners Kieran's and Connacht champions St Raphael's College, Loughrea have already qualified for the Croke Cup semi-finals.