Funnily enough, when the draw for the second round of the Sharwood's Irish Senior Cup was made last month there was an uncanny similarity in the reactions of the Hermes and Loreto camps when they heard they had been drawn against each other. "You're having me on," said one. "You are not serious," said the other. Then both looked in a heavenward direction and asked "why?".

It's a pairing that would have comfortably graced the final, although Pegasus and cup holders Harlequins might beg to differ. Loreto are the reigning Leinster champions, having won the title on `goals scored' over Hermes last April. This season their combined league record reads: played 16, won 14, drew two, scored 81, conceded three.

But therein lies the problem for both clubs - they have rarely been examined this season, with Loreto rampant since dropping points to Pembroke Wanderers and UCD early on. Hermes have won every game they've played in all competitions and have only conceded one goal (take a bow Railway Union's Karen Clarke). "Not only are both sets of forwards scoring freely each week, but the defences are not being tested and this lack of serious practice may be critical," said Loreto coach Fred McDarby. "Any mistakes will be punished."

Hermes' Peter Darley has much the same concerns: "League tables and scorelines against other teams mean nothing. We've something to prove and the only way to do that is head-to-head. We need to concentrate. We've started poorly in a number of games and Loreto don't give you that luxury."

The teams meet again on Saturday week in the league, making it a critical seven-day period for the ambitions of both clubs. But if they feel their luck was out when they were drawn against each other, they'll get no sympathy from Church of Ireland. They must make a 14-hour round trip from Cork to Belfast to play Pegasus.

Coleraine will feel similarly aggrieved having been drawn away to Cork Harlequins at Farmer's Cross while Lansdowne also pulled a short straw when they were given an away tie against Old Alexandra. Trinity and Pembroke Wanderers are the only Leinster teams travelling out of the province for the second round. The students face a young Randalstown team at the Antrim Forum while Pembroke go south to play the University of Limerick, a team making impressive progress this season under the guidance of Catherine Bird. The round is completed by two all-Ulster affairs - Ballymoney v Knock and Portadown v Belfast Harlequins. If recent league results are anything to go by, Ballymoney and Portadown should advance but with the prolific Julie Doak in their ranks, Knock are not without hope.