City of Derry Women are set to face Cavan for the third time in as many months when they kick off the all Ulster Women's Junior Cup.
The new-look tournament will see the Judges Road Women take on Ballynahinch, Enniskillen and Cavan over the course of the next 6 weeks in hopes of picking up their second trophy of the season.
Derry won the Ulster Rugby Women’s Championship in January after winning 6 of their 7 fixtures.
However, a new tournament means a blank slate for all involved and the home side will have to work hard to maintain their reputation as one of the leading women’s rugby teams in Ulster.
Derry has emerged victorious in the pair’s previous two meetings, running out 19-5 and 26-8 winners in the back-to-back fixtures.
“We won’t be underestimating a very strong Cavan team heading in to the first round of this new tournament.
“They’re a team that play for the full 80 minutes and we’re well aware that they will arrive at Judges Road with a point to prove after missing out on our past two encounters.”
However, vengeful opponents might be the last thing on the coach’s mind as a selection headache looms.
“With the GAA season getting underway and training evening overlapping some ladies may have a difficult choice to make.
“This is always a challenging time of year when codes begin to cross over, putting pressure on individuals to choose who to play for.
“Cavan will be facing the exact same challenges with selection so the depth of squads will really be the difference come the final whistle.”