The final of the Ulster Rugby Club Academy Cup will take place at Kingspan Stadium on Saturday 30 March.
This competition features teams from across the province competing in the Club Academy structure, designed to provide a ‘peer experience’ for young players. The squads are largely made up of players aged 21 and under, and have been competing within a programme of League and Cup fixtures throughout the 23/24 season.
This year, Ballynahinch and Portadown will battle it out in the final, each vying to get their name on the trophy for the first time.
Route to the final
Semi-Finals
Dungannon RFC vs. Ballynahinch RFC
In the first of the semi-finals, Ballynahinch travelled to Stevenson Park to face a strong Dungannon side who are perennial contenders in the Club Academy ranks. Despite a brave showing from the opposition, Ballynahinch were able to assert their dominance and win, with a convincing final score of 45-5, scoring 7 tries in the process. Winning a semi-final, away from home, against a strong opposition is no mean feat and marks Ballynahinch as a real threat in the final.
Portadown RFC vs Ards RFC
As reigning winners of the Club Academy Merit League from the previous season, Portadown welcomed Ards RFC for the second semi-final. Ards had enjoyed recent success, buoyed by Club Academy wins against local rivals Donaghadee, and an outstanding victory against Instonians at Shaw’s Bridge in their Quarter-final. Pushed all the way, in a game that was much tighter and more competitive than the final score might suggest, Portadown would emerge victorious by a score of 29-0, to book their place alongside Ballynahinch.
With such strong showings from both sides, all signs point towards a tightly contested game on Saturday.
Teams
Barry Willis, Rugby Operations Manager, Ulster Rugby
‘The Club Academy Cup final represents the culmination of another season of hard work from our participating clubs, who go above and beyond in providing games and opportunities for young players to play alongside their friends and peer group. We at Ulster Rugby would like to thank all our participating clubs for their efforts.
It is also pleasing to note this is both teams’ first time in the Club Academy Cup final. Over the three years running of the competition, we’ve had 5 different teams now represented, highlighting the breadth of the competition. Furthermore, with Banbridge having won both previous finals, this year we are guaranteed to see a new name on the trophy.’
Greg Irwin, Chair of Rugby Committee
‘This season we have seen notable increases in participation levels at boys’ and girls’ youth age groups in the province. Pleasingly, we have also seen a significant upturn in registrations in the 18-21 age groups over the last season, which was one of the aims falling out of the 2021 Adult participation review.
It is vitally important for us to continue to provide opportunities for these young players to continue their participation in the game into the adult ranks. The Club Academy structure has a vital role to play in providing a gateway for young players to continue or return to the game.’