Both captains, Josh Atkinson (RBAI) and Ross Kane (Methody) are determined to finish off their school careers with a win today, and it would be even sweeter to defeat their closest adversary in the process.
RBAI enter the game as underdogs but skipper Atkinson believes that will suit his team. “It definitely takes the pressure off us. The pressure is a lot more on Methody. We were favourites going into the semi-final against Ballyclare; that put a lot of pressure on us and I don’t think we performed as well as we could have,” he said.
Commenting on RBAI’s campaign to date, Atkinson said: “We have been hindered by injuries a lot this season. We didn’t have the performance we wanted against Regent in round 4 but we stepped it up in the quarter-final against Limavady Grammar. The Ballyclare game, they came at us hard but we managed to come through. That winning mentality is what you need if you’re to win the cup. I’m surrounded by great players all over the pitch and that makes my job as captain very easy.”
Coincidently, Atkinson’s grandfather was a Schools’ Cup winner with Methody back in 1936. “There’s definitely a great rivalry between Methody and Inst over the years and it’s the last Schools’ Cup Final with the old stand so that will make it a bit more memorable for whoever wins.”
His counterpart, Methody captain Ross Kane, has no relatives as past winners; instead, his family come from a gaelic football background. “I started off playing gaelic when I was younger and I grew a bit too big. But rugby is massive in Methody. Every year in junior school we went to see the older pupils trying to win the cup. You aspire to do the same from a young age.”
Kane played Schools’ Cup rugby as a fifth former two years ago but missed all of last season because he required reconstructive surgery on his knee. “It was frustrating having to watch as they won it last year. About 8 or 9 players left last year so it’s half a new team. There’s quite a lot of depth and some boys have stepped in and performed well. It’s not fair to single out individuals because the team is made up of key players in every position and that’s why we’ve been so dominant this season.”
Tickets for the game are available to buy at the gate today. Kick off is 3.00pm.
Premium - £40
Block C - £20
A/B/D/E Stand - £18
Promenade - £12 & £8
Terrace - £12 & £8