Instonians will host Ballymena this weekend in their first home game of the All Ireland League Division 2A campaign - a fixture evoking memories of when the two clubs met back in 1990.

The Ulster derby on October 6 marked a first-ever game in the newly-formed All Ireland League for each club and was in the top division, with the clash being staged at Instonians’ old Shane Park venue, the spoils shared in a 12-12 draw.

Ireland out half Derek McAleese kicked four penalties for Ballymena while another Ireland international, winger Keith Crossan, got the game’s only try for Inst (worth four points).

This year’s Instonians club president, Peter Russell, the former Ireland scrum half, kicked a conversion and two penalties with the Belfast side being captained by British Lions’ David Irwin.

placeholder image — Keith Crossan on international duty with Ireland in 1987. (Photo by Pacemaker)

Inst, after three consecutive promotions, started life in 2A by racking up over a half-century in points last week against Buccaneers in Athlone.

“I was really happy last week,” said coach Paul Pritchard. “I think everything from the Tuesday the boys were really switched on.

“I think the first 10 minutes there was a little bit of nerves and rustiness there but you expect that in the first AIL game and it is a new division.

“Buccs are very well-respected in the league, once we got into things we played some good rugby, our set piece was dominant and it is difficult for a team if you aren’t getting any set piece.

“Really happy but it is just on to the next one now and I expect they will be a different team at the end of the season, but we don’t have to worry about that now...just focus on Ballymena.

“There is plenty to work on...even though our set piece was dominant, Jamie (Kirk) has been doing a lot of work there this week, the first 10 minutes were were a bit rusty so it’s making sure we don’t carry that into this week.

“The way we look at it was it was a momentum-builder and it is up to us to get another five-to-10 per cent on our performance and use that as a starting point

“It means a lot to me this week, I’m from Ballymena and that is where I started out, it is a club I have a lot of respect for and a club I had a very successful time at...but it is not about me.”

He added: “At the end of the day, it is about the guys, it’s about making sure we get the process and the guys are ready to do their jobs right and not thinking about anything else.

“Ian Whitten and Ali Burke played at Ballymena as well, so there is a bit of history between us in terms of players playing but it is just about getting the guys switched on to go out and perform better than they did last week.

“We want to play well and for us playing well is to play an exciting brand of rugby and that is how we like to play.

"We want to make sure we get our jobs nailed and, if we do, that it will be a good day at the club.

"And it is nice to be playing another Ulster team as well.

“It is a derby and they are going to be up for it...we are expecting a good physical challenge, their packs haven’t changed too much over the years, they are coming to come and try and bully us and be very physical.”