As the Ireland women's side continue their jaunt through another epic Six Nations Championship, the depth across the island will be on display on club rugby’s biggest day out when UL Bohemians and Blackrock College meet at the Aviva Stadium on Sunday in this year’s Energia Women’s All Ireland League final.
When it comes to consistent dominance, UL Bohs are the aristocrats of women’s rugby in Ireland. The defending AIL champions will be seeking to make it a record 16th title in their history, all of which this century, but standing in their way is a fearsome Blackrock College squad.
Recent form would have you believe that this final - which will kick off at 1.30pm on Sunday afternoon - should follow last year in going down to the wire. These sides met in the first and final rounds of the regular season, each claiming one win on the road.
That said, pedigree will be sure to count for something for UL Bohs, who have won the last two titles and are looking to become the first team since Old Belvedere in 2016 to complete the three-in-a-row.
Former Ireland and UL Bohemians star Fiona Reidy has watched this group along every step of the journey and is conscious of the challenge ahead as they look to make history.
With over 50 players used this season and five in Ireland camp, the Munster standard bearers are fully focused on the task at hand.
"We're under no illusion as to what Blackrock will bring and what Blackrock intends to do, which is to beat us on the day, and it is in our hands really to do this", Reidy said.
"There's no real sense of pressure around the three in a row. We want to retain our cup, is basically our mindset, and hopefully the girls can do that at the weekend.
"The team knows what they have in them, and they will certainly have a level of self-belief, but you can't underestimate Blackrock for a second because they're a quality team. So it's going to be a really cracking game."
Blackrock College come into this final off the back of an impressive run-in where they defeated Old Belvedere and UL Bohemians in the final two rounds of the season to claim a home semi-final, before downing last year’s finalists Railway Union in Stradbrook a fortnight ago.
On paper, they have a squad inundated with provincial quality. The south Dublin club are sweating on the fitness of influential captain Hannah O’Connor, but will have Munster captain Maeve Óg O’Leary to call upon to lead the squad if O’Connor misses out.
The Ballina/Killaloe woman is one of several squad survivors from when they last tasted glory in 2022, albeit in Donnybrook that time, but first year head coach Niall Neville insists that the squad are well up for the challenge.
"It's just a fantastic thing to be in the final," he said.
"It's the top tier for the women's club game in the country and it's just a really great achievement to be there.
"The difference between this time getting to a final and the last time is that it's in the Aviva (Stadium) which obviously brings a different element to it as well in terms of getting the opportunity to play there which is a huge thing."
Now four years removed from their last title, there’s a tantalising sense of what could be in Blackrock currently.
"This is the pinnacle of club sport for women's rugby," Neville added.
"It's a huge deal for Blackrock to be back in a final again.
"It would be beyond words what it would mean to the club to win it.
"It would mean everything, but there's a huge job to do between now and then."
Although there will be plenty of top level provincial quality on display, one can only wonder what a fully stacked final would look like with both sides without their Ireland contingent.
Rugby fans across the country will be hoping that the Ireland women can claim a first win in France the night before, and for Reidy, both the domestic and international fixtures show the strength of the women’s game currently.
"I think now we have a situation where there's more parity. The women's game is respected and people can see that it is a quality game and it's different," she added.
"It has its nuances versus the men's game, but it's a really enjoyable game to watch and there's unbelievable athletes playing it across the country week in, week out and all over the league."
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