PREVIEW: Cashel rugby look to playoff route to follow Tipp rivals out of Division 2A

All-Ireland League - Division 1B/2A Promotion Playoff Semi-Final

Cashel RFC vs Barnhall, Saturday, April 20th in Spafield @ 2.30 pm

Cashel Rugby will be hoping they can continue the feel good factor in Tipperary rugby at the moment, by moving one step away from following Nenagh Ormond up to Division 1B next season.

This Saturday, they will host Barnhall of Kildare in the AIL Division 1B/2A Promotion playoff semi-final where they will be looking to avail of home advantage.

After what was largely a very good regular season, there is plenty of momentum going into this game as Cashel finished in second place at the end of play in Division 2A this season, and only for the form of the runaway train that was Nenagh Ormond, they will have looked back on a good season all told.

However, they must now face into the bear pit of the promotion playoffs and they need only look to their regular season meetings against Barnhall to see how hard this one will be to call before kick-off in Spafield.

Even further to the point, these sides were separated by just two points by the end of the regular season with Cashel pipping the Kildare club into second place and what will worry Cashel the most is that Barnhall have already travelled to the Tipp side's venue this season and come away with a victory, besting the men in red by nine points in a 12-21 triumph.

There’s been a lor of water passing under the bridge since then though, and Cashel finished the season very strongly, winning their final three games of the regular season and that will mean a big degree of confidence within the squad facing into this game, and should they reach their potential and get a vocal home crowd behind them, they will feel the final place is there for the taking.

In the other semi-final, it is an all-north affair with Queens University facing Banbridge for a place in the decider.