The 64^th Albert O’Connell Cup Final will feature the defending holders Old Wesley take on the challengers Lansdowne in Energia Park on Saturday 2^nd October with a 5pm kick off.

Old Wesley defeated pitch neighbours Bective Rangers by 25-22 prior to going on a scoring spree when they defeated Coolmine 77-0. Lansdowne enjoyed a more leisurely path to the final having received walkovers from Malahide and Monkstown prior to beating St Mary’s by 22-11.

The Lansdowne club has won the O’Connell Cup on 14 occasions and trail the table toppers

St Mary’s on 16 wins. Lansdowne’s most recent win was in 2016 when they retained the cup having beaten Old Wesley in the 2015 final. Their first win was in 1958 a year after the competition was introduced to celebrate the memory of Albert O’Connell who was President of the Leinster Branch in 1931/32 season and a prominent member and administrator of Railway Union Rugby Club. 

Old Wesley’s first win was in 1978 (beating St Mary’s),  with subsequent wins in 1989 (beating Terenure), 2002 (beating St Mary’s), 2011 (beating Clontarf) and in 2019 (bearing Terenure).

A 6^th win would see the Donnybrook club join UCD on the leader board and put them above Terenure who are on 5 wins. A total of 11 Leinster Clubs have won the Albert O’Connell Cup.

The final is perfectly timed so all those supporting the 1sts can hop on up to Donnybrook after that game and support the J2s! All support welcomed and appreciated.