Banbridge hoping to preserve All-Ireland League Division 1B status in relegation play-off

They finished the season with two wins and a draw, but it wasn’t enough to lift themselves out of ninth place and welcome Barnhall to Rifle Park in the semi-final.

If Robert Logan’s side beat the team from Maynooth they will have home advantage against the winners of Blackrock against Nenagh in the decider.

“Unfortunately, we’ve been in this situation before, and it was a two-legged game against Navan so we have previous experience and I think that experience will stand to the boys,” said Logan.

“We’re familiar with the process and it’s another challenge but we’re certainly not looking beyond this weekend and taking on Barnhall.

“It’s cup final rugby now and hopefully we’re the ones coming out on the right side of the result on both occasions to stay where we are in Division 1B.

“Banbridge rugby club is at the heart of the community, and it’s been palpable that the community has got behind us over the last number of weeks.

“There have been a lot of positives in our performances and results though they were too little too late to avoid the play-offs.

“It was fine margins in the end, and we had many opportunities over the last two or three months to play ourselves out of this and though we put up a good fight the result is we face the play-offs.”

Malone have already been relegated from Division1B to be replaced by Division 2A Champions Queen’s and with Armagh’s promotion to the top tier, Logan feels it’s important that Banbridge stay put.

“It’s great that Armagh have got up to 1A but I think it’s important for us and for club rugby in Ulster to keep ourselves in 1B,” he added. “It’s a good standard and gives many players, especially the younger ones, to play a good standard of rugby which will help the pathway and that is what Ulster want.”

Logan is looking for a complete 80 minute performance against Barnhall.

“Momentum is the word we’ve been going after and using,” he said. “It’s been frustrating.

"Our performances have been good and our results on paper have been positive.

“Three games ago we beat Malone with a bonus point but let them back in and they took two points which was irrelevant in the end but in the situation we were in wasn’t ideal.

"We gave Old Belvedere a real scare and had them beaten but just couldn’t finish the job.

“It’s a sign of where we’ve been over the last two to three years.

"Ultimately we had to fight for survival last year and we’re doing it again now.

"We’re not a club that’s familiar with winning loads of games and we’ve had to learn how to get there and you can see in the last few games the confidence is coming.”

Under the competition rules Banbridge can’t play any fully contracted Ulster players so Greg Jones and Rob Lyttle miss out while centre Jude Postlewaite is injured.

Andy Morrison will partner Ben Carson at centre.