Preview of this weekend's club rugby action...
Ulster Bank All Ireland League Rugby took priority last weekend with the 12 Ulster UBL teams competing in Round 5 of the UBL, while in the All Ireland Junior Cup 1st Rd Ballyclare, Instonians, Portadown and Enniskillen represented Ulster.
Round 5 of the UBL was disappointing for Ulster teams. We only had five winners in Banbridge, Ballymena, Malone, Queens Uni and Rainey OB with Belfast Harlequins coming back from a 22 – 7 deficit to secure a 22 – 22 draw with visitors MU Barnhall at Deramore Park. Four of the wins were away from home with four teams losing at home. There were defeats for Ballynahinch, City of Armagh, City of Derry, Dungannon, Bangor and Omagh. Both Banbridge and Malone remain the only undefeated Ulster teams in the UBL after five rounds. Banbridge have moved into 2nd place in Div 1B after their 20 – 10 win over neighbours Ballynahinch at Rifle Park. They make the long journey to Limerick to play league leaders Shannon on the back pitch at Thomond Park. Div 2A leaders Malone are involved in an Ulster derby with 4th place City of Armagh at Gibson Park. Malone winning 27 – 10 after turning around a 10 – 3 halftime deficit at Blackrock College. City of Armagh let slip a 29 – 3 first half lead against Nenagh Ormond to lose a pulsating game at the Palace Grounds 38 -32.
Ballymena had to put in a massive second half defensive effort to win 19 – 13 at Naas with Queens University staging a dramatic fight back to overturn a 11 – 7 halftime deficit at Galwegians to win 42 – 18. Rainey put in a powerful second half performance to defeat Dungannon 27 – 10 at Stevenson Park.
Belfast Harlequins have no match this weekend. Their game at Sunday Wells was moved forward to the 21st October with the Cork side winning 17 – 12.
In the All Ireland Junior Cup there were several surprise results. Ulster Rugby Championship Div 1 leaders Ballyclare lost a tight game at holders Ashbourne 24 – 13. A Roger Wilson inspired Instonians won a tight contest at Shaws bridge against Leinster opponents Gorey to win 22 – 16. Portadown were surprisingly beaten 35 – 12 by Connacht league champions Ballina. Enniskillen received a bye after Bandon conceded their match. Other surprise results in the 1st Rd saw previous winners Enniscorthy beaten at Newcastle West 30 – 25 and DLSP defeated 21 – 12 by Connacht side Connemara. After the eight matches on Saturday we ended up with 3 x Munster sides, 2 x Ulster teams, 2 x Connacht teams and 1 x Leinster side going into the quarter final draw. Details as follows:
Ballina (Connacht) v Instonians (Ulster)
Ashbourne (Leinster) v Clonmel (Munster)
Connemara (Connacht) v Kilfeacle & District (Munster)
Enniskillen (Ulster) v Newcastle West (Munster)
Ties to be played on 11th November.
In the Kukri Ulster Rugby Championship we had a number of games in Div 2 and 3.
In Div 2 we have the league split in two with the top five Grosvenor, Randalstown, Ballymoney, Academy and Larne all playing teams from the bottom five that include Lisburn, Limavady, Ards, PSNI and UUC this weekend. Randalstown moved into 2ndplace with a convincing 31 – 11 win over Ards. Academy maintained their recent good form making it four league wins after defeating the students 40 – 10 at Roughfort. Larne winning 33 – 0 at PSNI. Limavady recorded their first league win defeating Lisburn 36 – 24. Three points separate the bottom five with all points vital to avoid finishing in the bottom two places.
In Div 3 Lurgan and Donaghadee occupy the top two places. Both remain undefeated with Lurgan travelling to 5th place Virginia whilst Donaghadee travel to 3rd place Monaghan this weekend.
ULSTER BANK ALL IRELAND LEAGUE ROUND 6
DIV 1A
Dublin Uni (9) v Cork Constitution (6)
Lansdowne (1) v Garryowen (3)
Terenure College ( 2) v Buccaneers (10)
UCD (5) v Clontarf (4)
Young Munster (7) v St Mary’s College 98)
DIV 1B
Ballymena (7) v UCC ( 5)
Ballynahinch (3) v Naas (6)
Old Belvedere ( 4) v UL Bohemians (8)
Old Wesley (9) v Dolphin (10)
Shannon (1) v Banbridge (2)
Ballymena v UCC
Head coach Andy Graham was delighted with his team’s hard fought win at Naas on Saturday. In the second half the team had to defend for large periods of the match. It was an important win with the coach looking to his players to back it up with a win against UCC at Eaton Park this weekend. Ulster players Clive Ross, Marcus and Matthew Rea put in huge performances. These players raised the level of the performance of the players around them. Being able to call on a strong bench that included Connor Smyth and Matty Agnew in the forwards was crucial to grinding out the win.
Ulster commitments in South Africa this week rule out the release of Adam McBurney, John Andrews, Ross Kane, Andrew Warwick, Ross Kane, Clive Ross and Matthew Rea. Both Callum Patterson and David Shanahan are unavailable due to injury. Ulster Players to be released include Marcus Rea and Brett Herron. Michael Stronge returns from Sevens duty at the weekend. Bryan Young is unavailable. Willie McKay has work commitments with Alan Smyth still an injury concern with number 8 Adrian Hamilton continuing his rehabilitation.
Ballymena team: 1. Nacho Clandero Crespo, 2. James Taggart, 3. Chris Cundell, 4. David Whann, 5. Connor Smyth, 6. Marcus Rea, 7. Matty Agnew, 8. Stephen Mulholland, 9. Michael Stronge, 10. Brett Herron, 11. Jonny Rossborough, 12. Glenn Baillie, 13. Angus Kernohan, 14. Dean Reynolds, 15. Rodger McBurney, 16. Andrew Ferguson, 17 Scott Agnew/Josh Bill, 18. Mark Foster, 19. Joe Thompson, 20. Matthew Norris.
Andy Graham and his players are expecting to face a student side who don’t give up for the 80 mins. They hung in to win both matches with Ballymena last season.
Ballynahinch v Naas
Director of Rugby Ronnie Duncan was disappointed with the performance of the Ballynahinch team at Banbridge on Saturday with the home side deserving the win. Squad selection will not be finalised until later in the week.
Banbridge v Shannon
Head coach Daniel Soper is delighted with the progress of his team this season. Rather than measuring by league position the team have set themselves targets for blocks of games. It is a case of measuring each performance based on what happens on the pitch rather than the league table. If the team keep improving then hopefully they will find themselves in a good position at the end of the season.
A lot of the club players have stepped up and proven their quality at this level with the players coming from Ulster continuing to make a great impact but no more so than the local players. Josh Cromie played his first game at out half in the UBL last Saturday and was rightly rewarded with the man of the match award. Hooker Peter Cromie who played for Ulster club select against the Ulster Academy in August has been outstanding in every game for the 1st xv over the last two seasons. He has enjoyed the opportunity of pitting himself against Adam McBurney and Zack McCall.
Shannon provides a great opportunity this weekend for the squad. They are one of the most successful clubs in Ireland with them having aspirations to play in Div 1A. His players are looking forward to testing themselves against them.
Unfortunately Ryan Hughes fractured his collarbone on Saturday against Ballynahinch so he joins the list of second row and back row injured in the club. Former club captain Johnny Graham has agreed to join Banbridge as a dual status player from Newry to cover for the injured Ryan Hughes on the bench. With Captain Ian Porter unavailable due to family commitments Josh Cromie moves into scrum half with Adam Doherty coming into 10 from 15. Rob Lyttle who missed the game against Ballynahinch due to illness will start at 15. Andrew Kirkwoood returns from injury to replace Ross Cartmill on the bench
Banbridge team that played Ballynahinch: 1. Eric O’Sullivan, 2. Peter Cromie, 3. Michael Cromie, 4. Chris Allen, 5. Robin Sinton, 6. Greg Jones, 7. Nick Hayes, 8. Stephen Irvine, 9. Ian Porter (Captain), 10. Josh Cromie, 11. Ben Carson, 12. Johnny Little, 13. Andrew Morrison, 14. Conor Field, 15. Adam Doherty, 16. Jonny Weir, Stuart Cromie, 18. Tom O’Toole, 19. Ryan Hughes, 20. Ross Cartmill. Points scorers Andrew Morrison and Conor Field 1 x try each. Ian Porter 2 x cons, 2 x pens.
The Banbridge injury list includes Caleb Montgomery, Nick Timoney, Michael Lowry, James Hume, Kallan Martin, Adam Ervine (Captain) and Ryan Hughes. Dale Carson who injured his collarbone last season remains out injured. Caleb Montgomery has a rib injury, Nick Timoney is still 4/5 weeks away from playing with an ankle injury. Michael Lowry has a groin injury with Ulster Rugby agreeing to rest this long term injury for 10/12 weeks. James Hume is close to running again with Dec/Jan a target date. Second row Kallan Martin picked up a knee injury early season against Ballynahinch that is worse than originally diagnosed. Captain Adam Ervine has started running again as he recovers from a thumb injury. Another injured player from last season winger John Porter is expected to return to playing next week.
DIV 2A
Galway Corinthians (8) v Cashel RFC (5)
Greystones (10) v Galwegians (7)
Malone (1) v City of Derry (4)
Nenagh Ormond (2) v Highfield (3)
Queens Uni (6) v Blackrock College (9)
Malone v City of Armagh
Head coach Paddy Armstrong has a couple of fitness tests on Thursday night along with availability to be clarified with a couple of players with selection not being finalised until then.
Blackrock was a tough fixture as the team had prepared for and again showed how tough this league is. The players stuck well to the task with it pleasing to get the result.
Malone showed a lot of character to come back from a 10 – 3 halftime deficit to score 24 unanswered points in the second half to win 27 – 10. The team picked up four injuries to Peter Cooper, David Irvine, David McMaster and Josh Davidson during the match. Along with the unavailable Nathan Brown, Joe Dunleavy, Jack Owens, and Callum Smith Head coach Paddy Armstrong will be hoping these players come through training and late fitness tests to play this week with the second xv travelling to Portadown to play a rearranged Junior Cup quarter final tie at Chambers Park.
Armagh have had a very good start to the league and were unlucky last week against Nenagh not to get a win. Head coach Willie Faloon has done a very good job taking over from and building on the work done by Armagh over the last number of seasons. They have a number of talented players throughout the team with his players expecting a big challenge.
City of Armagh assistant coach Chris Parker was ultimately disappointed with the result against Nenagh Ormond. It really was a game of two halves with regards to the team’s performance. The first half saw Armagh play some of the best rugby the team has played all year with a bounce of the ball before half time letting Nenagh back into the game. Despite a poor second half performance there was still opportunities to win the match. But credit to Nenagh for taking their chances. Lots of learning has been done since then but there was a lot of positives from that first half display which the team hope to build on going into this weekend at Malone.
The coaches are not expecting to make any changes with the team to be confirmed on Thursday night for what will be another very difficult task against a Malone side that have built momentum and are playing well.
When these two teams last met at Gibson Park on the 29th August 2015 in the SONI Ulster Premiership league Armagh won 39 – 27. Armagh remain unbeaten against Ulster teams for the last two seasons having defeated Ballynahinch, Ballymena and Banbridge in the Ulster Premiership league and First Trust Senior Cup so far this season.
Queens Uni v Blackrock College
The students put in a magnificent performance in Galway to come back from a halftime 11 - 7 deficit against Galwegians to win 42 – 18.
Queens team: 1. Anton Lupari, 2. Alexander Clarke, 3. Andrew Clinghan, 4.Dave Whitten, 5. Ali Burke, 6. Nigel Simpson (Captain), 7. Jonny Lees, 8. Daniel Dass, 9. John Creighton, 10. Richie McMaster, 11. Jonny Milliken, 12. Rory Bell, 13. Conor Shiels, 14. Gerarad Treanor, 15. Jack Milligan, 16. Kris Brennan, 17. David Swann, 18. Marc Campbell, 19. Mark Keane, 20. Angus Curtis. Points scorers Conor Shiels, Nigel Simpson, Jack Milligan, Angus Curtis, Johnny Milliken and Mark Keane 1 x try each. Richie McMaster 6 x cons.
After two home defeats against Cashel and Nenagh Ormond the students are hoping to secure their first home win in the UBL against Blackrock College at the Dub. Hooker Alexander Clarke picked up an early injury in Galway and was replaced by David Swann. Injuries rule out Alexander Clarke, Connor McKee, Gary Dillon, Jordan Southway and Nicky Woods this week. Scrum half Johnny Stewart is away with Ulster in South Africa.
Jonny Black is expected to replace Kris Brennan on the bench.
Key player for Queens in Galway was out half Richie McMaster who pinned Galwegians into the corners with his kicking in the second half as well as converting the six tries.
DIV 2B
MU Barnhall (7) v Dungannon (8)
Navan RFC (5) v City of Derry (9)
Old Crescent (1) v Skerries (2)
Rainey OB (3) v Wanderers (4)
Dungannon v MU Barnhall
Head coach Andy Hughes could see the parallels in his teams 27 – 10 home defeat to Rainey and the loss they experienced away to Malone in the First Trust Senior Cup. The first half of the match against Rainey was scrappy from both teams. The problem was when the Dungannon pack started to tire the Rainey pack really got into their stride with home side unable to compete. Another area of concern was the team conceding too many penalties at the set piece that resulted in the team putting themselves under pressure and not allowing the Dungannon team to establish any rhythm.
This week is another big challenge for the Dungannon forwards. The players know what they need to do to turn things around with their effort and response in training this week very positive.
The coach welcomes back Mark Riddell, Seamus Mallon, David Leyburn and Ben Matchett into contention for selection. Injuries rule out John Russell, Daniel Maxwell and Andrew McPhillips.
City of Derry v Navan RFC
Richard McCarter is expecting City of Derry to select the same playing squad for the trip to play Navan. League leaders Old Crescent showed their class in outscoring Derry 8 tries to 3 in their heavy 54 – 21 defeat at home. Their opponents this weekend Navan surprised Wanderers at the Aviva stadium winning 17 – 13 last Saturday.
City of Derry team that played Old Crescent: 1. Ross Harkin, 2. Cathal lafferty, 3. Barry Lafferty, 4. Rodney Hill, 5. Gerard Doherty, 6. David Ferguson (Captain), 7. Aaron Derry, 8. Craig Huey, 9. Tyler Rogers – Holden, 10. Neil Burns, 11. Simon Logue, 12. Paddy Blennerhassett, 13. David Graham, 14. Jack Beattie, 15. Thomas Cole, 16. Ryan King – Magee, 17. Danny Burns, 18. Jake McDevitt, Gary Boyle, 20. Tiernan Thorton. Points scorers: Simon Logue 2 x tries, Tyler Rogers – Holden 1 x try, Neil Burns 3 x cons.
Rainey OB v Wanderers
Head coach John Andrews was disappointed with the attacking performance of his team in the first half at Dungannon. Accuracy and discipline were issues. The team gave away 10 penalties in this half that could have proved costly on another day. In saying that the second half was much better with the set piece able to dominate and provide a platform to go on and secure the win.
Josh McIIroy and Robert Lamberton return to the squad this week with Ronan McCusker ruled out with concussion to follow the return to play protocols.
His team are looking forward to the visit of Wanderers to Rainey on Saturday in a game that can really establish the teams top four position.
Rainey team that defeated Dungannon. 1. Tommy O’Hagan, 2. Brad Roberts, 3. Kieran Donaghy, 4. Ronan McCusker. 5. Timothy Barker, 6. Michael McCusker, 7. Paul Pritchard, 8. Jodie McMurray, 9. Jason Bloomfield, 10. Andrew McGrath, 11. Philip McCusker, 13. Damien McMurray (captain), 14. Nicholas Stirling, 15. Michael O’Neill, 16. Stephen Rutledge, 17. Finton Quinn, 18. John McCusker, 19 Andrew Harbinson, 20. Michael Wilson. Points scorers Andrew Harbinson 2 x tries, Michael O’Neill and Timothy Barker 1 x try each. Andrew Magrath 2 x cons and 1 x penalty.
DIV 2C
Bangor (5) v Bruff (2)
Seapoint (7) v Omagh (6)
Sligo (1) v Midleton (8)
Thomond (3) v Malahide RFC (4)
Tullamore (9) v Bective Rangers (10)
Bangor v Bruff
Bangor 1st xv Manager Ricky Armstrong was blunt in his assessment of the teams defeat at Malahide. It was not a great day at the office. Slackness in defence allowed their scrum half to take two quick tap penalties along with a chip and chase to provide the openings for the home side to win 29 – 7. These lapses in concentration cost his side the game.
Big home game this weekend against a much improved Bruff side who have moved up to 2nd in the Division. Again a big effort will be needed to beat one of the best teams in the league. Not many changes are expected to the team with selection being finalised on Thursday night.
James Henley returns to the squad this week with Ryan Latimer putting his hand up after playing well on the second xv.
Injury rules out Dave Caughey this week. Jamie Clegg, Adam McCusker, Ali Lockhart and Chris Jordan remain on the injury list.
Bangor team that played against Malahide: 1. Philip Whyte (Captain), 2. Andrew Shaw, 3. James leary, 4. Martin Withers, 5. Lewis Stevenson, 6. David Bradford, 7. James Stewart, 8. Jack Cooke, 9. Lewis Bret, 10. Ross McCloskey, 11. Dave Charles, 12. Desi Fusco, 13. Phil Broderick, 14. Rob Gamble, 15. Nathan Graham, 16. Charlie Clegg, 17. Andrew Jackson, 18. Dave Caughey, 19. Mark Widdowson, 20. Jules Storey.
Omagh v Seapoint
Head coach Philip Marshall was very disappointed with the performance of his team in the opening 20 /25 minutes of their match with Tullamore last Saturday. Despite several changes to the team selection that will take time for the players to build their match sharpness the coach still felt his team should have won. It was another one of those days where two try scoring efforts were spilled on the try line. It is these silly errors that continue to cost the team dearly.
The Omagh players have two tough games coming up away to Seapoint and home to Bangor to put things right. Former Captain and prop Kyle Alexander who only recently returned has picked up a further shoulder injury that will rule him out for several weeks. Further injury doubts remain over Hooker Adam Pollock and young prop Matthew Sproule for this week along with out half Lee Murphy being unavailable until the new year.
The coach is hoping to bring in Eoin Murnaghan at out half with both Davy Thompson and Adam Beatty taking their place on the bench.
For the Omagh players they will be aware that Bangor lost at Seapoint. The coach is looking a reaction from his players at a very difficult venue.
MILLAR McCALL WYLIE JUNIOR CUP QUARTER FINAL
Portadown v Malone seconds
Yes there was surprise in Ulster that Portadown conceded six tries in their 35 – 12 defeat away to Connacht league champions Ballina in the 1st Rd of the All Ireland Junior Cup. Head coach Richard Hedley said his players thought Ballina were the strongest team they had played this season. It was a case of the team finding it hard to get going as well as looking after the ball.
Ryan Muldrew, Matthew Wilson, Gary Hall, Niall Davison and Josh Matchett all return to the squad this week with Jonny Holden unavailable.
The coach is hoping his team can defend better than they did in the abandoned game two weeks ago at Chambers Park with Malone seconds leading 22 – 3.
The winners of this match will travel to Ballymacarn Park to play holders Ballynahinch seconds in the semi final on Saturday 25th November. In the other semi final Ballymoney will host City of Armagh seconds.
KUKRI ULSTER RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP DIV 1
Carrickfergus (4) v Coleraine (8)
Dromore (3) v CIYMS (6)
Enniskillen (9) v Cooke (5)
Instonians (2) v Ballyclare (1)
Carrickfergus v Coleraine
It has been a difficult start to the season for newly promoted Coleraine winning two from eight games played. Both those wins came against Clogher Valley in the league and Junior Cup. Head coach Richard Boyd knew when he looked at the opening fixtures for Coleraine how difficult an opening two months it would be for his team. They had to play three of the top four teams in the league from last season, two of which were away from home. They also had to contend with playing the top two second xv teams in Ballynahinch seconds and City of Armagh seconds twice, again with two of those fixtures away from home. He has been pleased with some of the excellent rugby his team have played this year, but they have failed to convert opportunities into points especially of the kicking tee which has been costly.
The team have picked up points from every league game so far this season and will be looking to pick up some momentum between now and Xmas. Carrick is always a tough place to travel, but the coach is confident that the players know they are not far away from clicking. Div 1 is a tough league and a big step up from last season with the players having to adapt and be patient especially looking at the teams fixture list. People outside the group may have had elevated expectations, but the squad have their feet firmly on the ground and will be working hard to improve things.
For this week the experienced pair of Chris Nash and Michael Ferguson return to the starting line up with top try scorer Mark Woods returning after injury to bolster the squad.
Dromore v CIYMS
Director of Rugby Jeremy Ogle looks on this week as big for both the Dromore 1st and 2nd xv teams with selection to be finalised on Thursday night. They welcome back Andrew Black, Frazer Mulholland and Adam McDonald who will come into contention for selection. The Dromore players are looking forward to the CIYMS match and the challenge it will bring.
Dromore seconds captained by Geoff Moore have had a late start to their league campaign winning their opening two games. They are hoping to continue this good form when they play Instonians seconds.
CIYMS Head coach Gareth Fry is looking forward to returning to league action this week. The three weeks without a game is too long and with the team having no game every other week between now and Xmas helps no one win or lose. The 1st xv had a training game with Ards which gave his players a much needed hit out.
Team wise CIYMS have been disrupted this week due to players away on half term break with the team selection not being confirmed until Thursday night. The players are expecting a hard physical battle at Dromore. It is a difficult place to play and they are in good form at the moment.
Enniskillen v Cooke
Head coach Willy Gibson was delighted with the performance of his team in their defeat at Ballynahinch seconds in the Junior Cup. Both he and the players were really disappointed that the Bandon game had to be called off in the All Ireland Junior Cup last weekend. Enniskillen are missing a few players from the Ballynahinch game but for the most part it is the same team that will play against Cooke. The coach is pleased to see all the hard work in training is starting to pay off with progress being made by the team. He is hoping this will continue against Cooke this week.
Cooke Head coach Colin Atkinson welcomed the three week break for his players to get a rest and clear up niggles with a few players still on the long term injury list. At the same time it is difficult to keep momentum going during this part of the season with a week on week off scenario. Cooke seconds also face the same problem with having a very fragmented fixture schedule between now and Xmas. The goal for the coaches Colin Atkinson and Philip Cartmill has been to keep training fresh and enjoyable to keep the players focused.
Selection for this Saturday will be finalised on Thursday night. Andrew Pollock and Liam Bennett are expected to return after injuries with Ryan Flavelle available after missing the Carrick game. Jonny McClure, Russell Hunter and Alex Gourley are all unavailable due to work and exam commitments this week.
Instonians v Ballyclare
Director of Rugby William Leacock was pleased with the performance put in by his team in their 22 – 16 win over Gorey at Shaws bridge on Sat. It was full of heart and commitment against a big physical Gorey team. He was delighted to see the team getting back to winning ways after defeats against Ballynahinch seconds and Dromore.
Ballyclare will be a big test on Sat for the team. They are the league leaders and unbeaten, so will go into the game as favourites. Ben Scott fractured his hand so will be out for a couple of months with both Roger Wilson and Conor Gallagher unavailable this week. Team selection will be finalised on Thursday night.
Ashbourne was a great occasion for Ballyclare rugby club and the players to experience this season. The players gave a superb account of themselves in defence in the first half playing into the hard conditions against a very physical side. Head coach Mike McKeever felt his attack let them down in the second half which is really unlike Ballyclare.
The match on Sat was perfect in preparation for returning to a competitive league game on Saturday. He and the players are really looking forward to playing at Shaws bridge. It is always a great pitch to play on with his team always having competitive matches with Instonians.
Selection will be close to full strength and there will be players disappointed not to be included. The challenge is for the players selected to perform or else they run the risk of being replaced for the next game. Which is what you want from a squad at each match.
With having had such a strong start to the league it has allowed Ballyclare to gain a five point advantage which takes the pressure off it being a must win game for the team which is what Instonians may feel it is.
KUKRI ULSTER RUGBY CONF/LEAGUE DIV 1
City of Armagh seconds (2) v Clogher Valley (12)
Ballynahinch seconds v Portadown (Postponed)
KUKRI ULSTER RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP DIV 2
Ards (8) v Academy (4)
Limavady (7) v Grosvenor (1)
Lisburn (6) v Larne (5)
Randalstown ( 2) v PSNI (9)
UUC (10) v Ballymoney (3)
Ards v Academy
After defeating Lisburn in their opening league game Ards have lost their last three league games away to Randalstown, Ballymoney and Larne. Three of the current top five teams. This Saturday they play 4th place Academy at Hamilton Park who have won their last four league games after losing their opening two league games against Ballymoney and Grosvenor. Ards Head coach John West is concerned that the team are trying to force things in the latter stages of matches. That is when the team become unstuck and loose their shape and become vulnerable to conceding scores.
Ards team that played at Randalstown: 1. Andrew Foster (Captain), 2. Tom Arthur Donnan, 3. Paddy Bond, 4. Ross Torney, 5. Gareth McBurney, 6. Ryan Thompson, 7. Onisi Burekama, 8. Danny Patton, 9. Alex Hendricks, 10. Mark Banford, 11. David Armstrong, 12. Stuart paul, 13. Graeme Taylor, 14. Scott Young, 15. Paul Cox, 16. Matty Kane, 17. Adam Coulter. Points scorers David Armstrong 1 x try, Paul Cox 2 x penalties.
Academy Head coach Gareth Lynn was delighted with his teams 40 – 10 win over UUC. They scored four tries through Stewart Martin x2, Simon Beattie and Mark Wylie 1 x each. Out half Chris Cooper kicked 20 points from 4 x cons and 4 x penalties.
Academy team: 1. Peter Jackson, 2. Lee Moody, 3. Adam Martin, 4. Keith Dobbin, 5. Kyle Gregg, 6. Richard Henderson, 7. Lewis Donaldson, 8. Stewart Martin, 9. David Kenny, 10. Chris Cooper, 11. Ben Cave, 12. Mark Wylie, 13. Andy Eggleton, 14. David McCullough, 15. Simon Beattie, 16. Max oates, 17. Troy Wilson.
The coach is hoping to keep the same team for the trip to Ards with possibly 1/2 late changes. Lewis Donaldson made his debut for the 1st xv on Saturday after performing well for the seconds in place of the injured Brian Cahill. He is a former pupil of BRA who hadn’t played rugby for a while. Came back this season and has been excellent for the seconds. Got his chance on Saturday and took it.
Limavady v Grosvenor
The coaching staff were satisfied with the Limavady win over Lisburn last Sat. There are areas that need improvement in terms of fitness and being clinical in attack and defence. Saturday was a small step in the right direction with the team having to improve greatly this week against a formidable Grosvenor side who have kicked on from last season. The coach Mark Nicholl is expecting Grosvenor to go through the season undefeated such is the quality and strength in depth they have in their squad.
For this week the coach is looking an improved performance from the squad defensively and if we can get this right we will give Grosvenor a tough battle. The squad this week will add Stewart Roddy and Luke Montgomery who were both unavailable.
Grosvenor Head coach Robert Ford has virtually a full strength squad to select from with only absentees being David Egner and Matt Johnston with Stuart McIIwaine and Paddy Hamill returning. Training has been good this week with good numbers in attendance and all three club sides winning last Saturday. The 1st xv played well to defeat a strong Omagh seconds side 50 – 14 scoring eight tries.
The 2nd xv got their season up and running after defeating previously undefeated Instonians 2nds 33 -22 at Shaws bridge. This is a reward for the effort put in by coaches James Bowman, Marty McCullough and John Lutton.
Lisburn v Larne
Director of Rugby Michael Knowles was disappointed with his teams 36 - 24 defeat at Limavady. Several players were missing from the team that defeated the PSNI including Adam Heaps, Epi Ratu, Chris Cummings, Chris Nimmons and Yabia Lemeki. This Saturday at home to Larne is the last Div 2 game for almost a month, with a number of free Saturdays and Conference league games in November.
A big effort will be required to pick up points on Saturday against a Larne team going well under Graham Cloke. The Lisburn team finished strongly against Limavady but will need an 80 min performance this weekend.
Larne Head coach Graham Cloke described the 33 - 0 win against the PSNI as reasonable. With the team having a week off it did not help with the conditions on the day that were breezy. He felt his team made a lot of errors in an error ridden match. His side got the bonus point but will need to be better this week at Lisburn. Ryan Garrett was excellent scoring three tries with Colin McKinty who played centre after Jordan Burns suffered a bad ankle injury scoring one. Matthew Agnew scored as well with Phil Andrews converting 4/5. With Phil Andrews and Aaron McBride swapping positions at 10 and 15 it was Phil Andrews who played well at full back. Aaron McBride picked up a hamstring injury in the second half and is a doubt for this week.
Selection for Lisburn will be fairly similar with Luke Burford going to the bench for Chris Rea where he will be joined by Colin McKinty. Ian McIIheron makes a welcome return to take his place in the centre after playing a few matches for the seconds.
Randalstown v PSNI
Head coach Gary Longwell felt his players showed their character against a powerful Ards side and were able to win a tight game with two late scores. Randalstown scored five tries through Martin Connolly x 2, David Millar, Chris McGoldrick and Chris Allen 1 x try each with Martin Connolly converting three to bring it up to 20 tries that Randalstown have scored in their opening five matches. The team have moved into 2nd place in the league four points behind league leaders Grosvenor with Ballymoney a further point behind in 3rd place.
UUC v Ballymoney
Jonny Hanna is expecting a tough game for his players at UUC on Saturday. The students play entertaining rugby and have a number of experienced and talented players in their squad.
Ballymoney are missing prop Peter Irvine with second row Michael Allan returning from a shoulder injury. Injuries to Chris Watson and Rory Strang along with the unavailable Thomas Hunter will see Matthew Bell, Michael Armstrong and Nathaniel Steele retain their places after impressing against Ballymena seconds on Saturday despite carrying some minor knocks.
After the team’s defeat last week it is important the players put in a better performance this week as November is turning out a very important month for the 1st xv.
KUKRI ULSTER RUGBY CONF/LEAGUE DIV 2
Banbridges seconds (6) v Ballymena seconds (9)
Malone seconds v Omagh seconds (Postponed)
KUKRI ULSTER RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP DIV 3
Cavan (9) v Donegal Town (12)
Civil Service (11) v BHSFP (7)
Holywood (8) v Newry (6)
Monaghan (3) v Donaghadee (2)
Strabane (4) v Letterkenny (10)
Virginia (5) v Lurgan (1)
Preview compiled by George Millar
Ulster Bank All Ireland League Rugby took priority last weekend with the 12 Ulster UBL teams competing in Round 5 of the UBL, while in the All Ireland Junior Cup 1st Rd Ballyclare, Instonians, Portadown and Enniskillen represented Ulster.
Round 5 of the UBL was disappointing for Ulster teams. We only had five winners in Banbridge, Ballymena, Malone, Queens Uni and Rainey OB with Belfast Harlequins coming back from a 22 – 7 deficit to secure a 22 – 22 draw with visitors MU Barnhall at Deramore Park. Four of the wins were away from home with four teams losing at home. There were defeats for Ballynahinch, City of Armagh, City of Derry, Dungannon, Bangor and Omagh. Both Banbridge and Malone remain the only undefeated Ulster teams in the UBL after five rounds. Banbridge have moved into 2nd place in Div 1B after their 20 – 10 win over neighbours Ballynahinch at Rifle Park. They make the long journey to Limerick to play league leaders Shannon on the back pitch at Thomond Park. Div 2A leaders Malone are involved in an Ulster derby with 4th place City of Armagh at Gibson Park. Malone winning 27 – 10 after turning around a 10 – 3 halftime deficit at Blackrock College. City of Armagh let slip a 29 – 3 first half lead against Nenagh Ormond to lose a pulsating game at the Palace Grounds 38 -32.
Ballymena had to put in a massive second half defensive effort to win 19 – 13 at Naas with Queens University staging a dramatic fight back to overturn a 11 – 7 halftime deficit at Galwegians to win 42 – 18. Rainey put in a powerful second half performance to defeat Dungannon 27 – 10 at Stevenson Park.
Belfast Harlequins have no match this weekend. Their game at Sunday Wells was moved forward to the 21st October with the Cork side winning 17 – 12.
In the All Ireland Junior Cup there were several surprise results. Ulster Rugby Championship Div 1 leaders Ballyclare lost a tight game at holders Ashbourne 24 – 13. A Roger Wilson inspired Instonians won a tight contest at Shaws bridge against Leinster opponents Gorey to win 22 – 16. Portadown were surprisingly beaten 35 – 12 by Connacht league champions Ballina. Enniskillen received a bye after Bandon conceded their match. Other surprise results in the 1st Rd saw previous winners Enniscorthy beaten at Newcastle West 30 – 25 and DLSP defeated 21 – 12 by Connacht side Connemara. After the eight matches on Saturday we ended up with 3 x Munster sides, 2 x Ulster teams, 2 x Connacht teams and 1 x Leinster side going into the quarter final draw. Details as follows:
Ballina (Connacht) v Instonians (Ulster)
Ashbourne (Leinster) v Clonmel (Munster)
Connemara (Connacht) v Kilfeacle & District (Munster)
Enniskillen (Ulster) v Newcastle West (Munster)
Ties to be played on 11th November.
In the Kukri Ulster Rugby Championship we had a number of games in Div 2 and 3.
In Div 2 we have the league split in two with the top five Grosvenor, Randalstown, Ballymoney, Academy and Larne all playing teams from the bottom five that include Lisburn, Limavady, Ards, PSNI and UUC this weekend. Randalstown moved into 2ndplace with a convincing 31 – 11 win over Ards. Academy maintained their recent good form making it four league wins after defeating the students 40 – 10 at Roughfort. Larne winning 33 – 0 at PSNI. Limavady recorded their first league win defeating Lisburn 36 – 24. Three points separate the bottom five with all points vital to avoid finishing in the bottom two places.
In Div 3 Lurgan and Donaghadee occupy the top two places. Both remain undefeated with Lurgan travelling to 5th place Virginia whilst Donaghadee travel to 3rd place Monaghan this weekend.
ULSTER BANK ALL IRELAND LEAGUE ROUND 6
DIV 1A
Dublin Uni (9) v Cork Constitution (6)
Lansdowne (1) v Garryowen (3)
Terenure College ( 2) v Buccaneers (10)
UCD (5) v Clontarf (4)
Young Munster (7) v St Mary’s College 98)
DIV 1B
Ballymena (7) v UCC ( 5)
Ballynahinch (3) v Naas (6)
Old Belvedere ( 4) v UL Bohemians (8)
Old Wesley (9) v Dolphin (10)
Shannon (1) v Banbridge (2)
Ballymena v UCC
Head coach Andy Graham was delighted with his team’s hard fought win at Naas on Saturday. In the second half the team had to defend for large periods of the match. It was an important win with the coach looking to his players to back it up with a win against UCC at Eaton Park this weekend. Ulster players Clive Ross, Marcus and Matthew Rea put in huge performances. These players raised the level of the performance of the players around them. Being able to call on a strong bench that included Connor Smyth and Matty Agnew in the forwards was crucial to grinding out the win.
Ulster commitments in South Africa this week rule out the release of Adam McBurney, John Andrews, Ross Kane, Andrew Warwick, Ross Kane, Clive Ross and Matthew Rea. Both Callum Patterson and David Shanahan are unavailable due to injury. Ulster Players to be released include Marcus Rea and Brett Herron. Michael Stronge returns from Sevens duty at the weekend. Bryan Young is unavailable. Willie McKay has work commitments with Alan Smyth still an injury concern with number 8 Adrian Hamilton continuing his rehabilitation.
Ballymena team: 1. Nacho Clandero Crespo, 2. James Taggart, 3. Chris Cundell, 4. David Whann, 5. Connor Smyth, 6. Marcus Rea, 7. Matty Agnew, 8. Stephen Mulholland, 9. Michael Stronge, 10. Brett Herron, 11. Jonny Rossborough, 12. Glenn Baillie, 13. Angus Kernohan, 14. Dean Reynolds, 15. Rodger McBurney, 16. Andrew Ferguson, 17 Scott Agnew/Josh Bill, 18. Mark Foster, 19. Joe Thompson, 20. Matthew Norris.
Andy Graham and his players are expecting to face a student side who don’t give up for the 80 mins. They hung in to win both matches with Ballymena last season.
Ballynahinch v Naas
Director of Rugby Ronnie Duncan was disappointed with the performance of the Ballynahinch team at Banbridge on Saturday with the home side deserving the win. Squad selection will not be finalised until later in the week.
Banbridge v Shannon
Head coach Daniel Soper is delighted with the progress of his team this season. Rather than measuring by league position the team have set themselves targets for blocks of games. It is a case of measuring each performance based on what happens on the pitch rather than the league table. If the team keep improving then hopefully they will find themselves in a good position at the end of the season.
A lot of the club players have stepped up and proven their quality at this level with the players coming from Ulster continuing to make a great impact but no more so than the local players. Josh Cromie played his first game at out half in the UBL last Saturday and was rightly rewarded with the man of the match award. Hooker Peter Cromie who played for Ulster club select against the Ulster Academy in August has been outstanding in every game for the 1st xv over the last two seasons. He has enjoyed the opportunity of pitting himself against Adam McBurney and Zack McCall.
Shannon provides a great opportunity this weekend for the squad. They are one of the most successful clubs in Ireland with them having aspirations to play in Div 1A. His players are looking forward to testing themselves against them.
Unfortunately Ryan Hughes fractured his collarbone on Saturday against Ballynahinch so he joins the list of second row and back row injured in the club. Former club captain Johnny Graham has agreed to join Banbridge as a dual status player from Newry to cover for the injured Ryan Hughes on the bench. With Captain Ian Porter unavailable due to family commitments Josh Cromie moves into scrum half with Adam Doherty coming into 10 from 15. Rob Lyttle who missed the game against Ballynahinch due to illness will start at 15. Andrew Kirkwoood returns from injury to replace Ross Cartmill on the bench
Banbridge team that played Ballynahinch: 1. Eric O’Sullivan, 2. Peter Cromie, 3. Michael Cromie, 4. Chris Allen, 5. Robin Sinton, 6. Greg Jones, 7. Nick Hayes, 8. Stephen Irvine, 9. Ian Porter (Captain), 10. Josh Cromie, 11. Ben Carson, 12. Johnny Little, 13. Andrew Morrison, 14. Conor Field, 15. Adam Doherty, 16. Jonny Weir, Stuart Cromie, 18. Tom O’Toole, 19. Ryan Hughes, 20. Ross Cartmill. Points scorers Andrew Morrison and Conor Field 1 x try each. Ian Porter 2 x cons, 2 x pens.
The Banbridge injury list includes Caleb Montgomery, Nick Timoney, Michael Lowry, James Hume, Kallan Martin, Adam Ervine (Captain) and Ryan Hughes. Dale Carson who injured his collarbone last season remains out injured. Caleb Montgomery has a rib injury, Nick Timoney is still 4/5 weeks away from playing with an ankle injury. Michael Lowry has a groin injury with Ulster Rugby agreeing to rest this long term injury for 10/12 weeks. James Hume is close to running again with Dec/Jan a target date. Second row Kallan Martin picked up a knee injury early season against Ballynahinch that is worse than originally diagnosed. Captain Adam Ervine has started running again as he recovers from a thumb injury. Another injured player from last season winger John Porter is expected to return to playing next week.
DIV 2A
Galway Corinthians (8) v Cashel RFC (5)
Greystones (10) v Galwegians (7)
Malone (1) v City of Derry (4)
Nenagh Ormond (2) v Highfield (3)
Queens Uni (6) v Blackrock College (9)
Malone v City of Armagh
Head coach Paddy Armstrong has a couple of fitness tests on Thursday night along with availability to be clarified with a couple of players with selection not being finalised until then.
Blackrock was a tough fixture as the team had prepared for and again showed how tough this league is. The players stuck well to the task with it pleasing to get the result.
Malone showed a lot of character to come back from a 10 – 3 halftime deficit to score 24 unanswered points in the second half to win 27 – 10. The team picked up four injuries to Peter Cooper, David Irvine, David McMaster and Josh Davidson during the match. Along with the unavailable Nathan Brown, Joe Dunleavy, Jack Owens, and Callum Smith Head coach Paddy Armstrong will be hoping these players come through training and late fitness tests to play this week with the second xv travelling to Portadown to play a rearranged Junior Cup quarter final tie at Chambers Park.
Armagh have had a very good start to the league and were unlucky last week against Nenagh not to get a win. Head coach Willie Faloon has done a very good job taking over from and building on the work done by Armagh over the last number of seasons. They have a number of talented players throughout the team with his players expecting a big challenge.
City of Armagh assistant coach Chris Parker was ultimately disappointed with the result against Nenagh Ormond. It really was a game of two halves with regards to the team’s performance. The first half saw Armagh play some of the best rugby the team has played all year with a bounce of the ball before half time letting Nenagh back into the game. Despite a poor second half performance there was still opportunities to win the match. But credit to Nenagh for taking their chances. Lots of learning has been done since then but there was a lot of positives from that first half display which the team hope to build on going into this weekend at Malone.
The coaches are not expecting to make any changes with the team to be confirmed on Thursday night for what will be another very difficult task against a Malone side that have built momentum and are playing well.
When these two teams last met at Gibson Park on the 29th August 2015 in the SONI Ulster Premiership league Armagh won 39 – 27. Armagh remain unbeaten against Ulster teams for the last two seasons having defeated Ballynahinch, Ballymena and Banbridge in the Ulster Premiership league and First Trust Senior Cup so far this season.
Queens Uni v Blackrock College
The students put in a magnificent performance in Galway to come back from a halftime 11 - 7 deficit against Galwegians to win 42 – 18.
Queens team: 1. Anton Lupari, 2. Alexander Clarke, 3. Andrew Clinghan, 4.Dave Whitten, 5. Ali Burke, 6. Nigel Simpson (Captain), 7. Jonny Lees, 8. Daniel Dass, 9. John Creighton, 10. Richie McMaster, 11. Jonny Milliken, 12. Rory Bell, 13. Conor Shiels, 14. Gerarad Treanor, 15. Jack Milligan, 16. Kris Brennan, 17. David Swann, 18. Marc Campbell, 19. Mark Keane, 20. Angus Curtis. Points scorers Conor Shiels, Nigel Simpson, Jack Milligan, Angus Curtis, Johnny Milliken and Mark Keane 1 x try each. Richie McMaster 6 x cons.
After two home defeats against Cashel and Nenagh Ormond the students are hoping to secure their first home win in the UBL against Blackrock College at the Dub. Hooker Alexander Clarke picked up an early injury in Galway and was replaced by David Swann. Injuries rule out Alexander Clarke, Connor McKee, Gary Dillon, Jordan Southway and Nicky Woods this week. Scrum half Johnny Stewart is away with Ulster in South Africa.
Jonny Black is expected to replace Kris Brennan on the bench.
Key player for Queens in Galway was out half Richie McMaster who pinned Galwegians into the corners with his kicking in the second half as well as converting the six tries.
DIV 2B
MU Barnhall (7) v Dungannon (8)
Navan RFC (5) v City of Derry (9)
Old Crescent (1) v Skerries (2)
Rainey OB (3) v Wanderers (4)
Dungannon v MU Barnhall
Head coach Andy Hughes could see the parallels in his teams 27 – 10 home defeat to Rainey and the loss they experienced away to Malone in the First Trust Senior Cup. The first half of the match against Rainey was scrappy from both teams. The problem was when the Dungannon pack started to tire the Rainey pack really got into their stride with home side unable to compete. Another area of concern was the team conceding too many penalties at the set piece that resulted in the team putting themselves under pressure and not allowing the Dungannon team to establish any rhythm.
This week is another big challenge for the Dungannon forwards. The players know what they need to do to turn things around with their effort and response in training this week very positive.
The coach welcomes back Mark Riddell, Seamus Mallon, David Leyburn and Ben Matchett into contention for selection. Injuries rule out John Russell, Daniel Maxwell and Andrew McPhillips.
City of Derry v Navan RFC
Richard McCarter is expecting City of Derry to select the same playing squad for the trip to play Navan. League leaders Old Crescent showed their class in outscoring Derry 8 tries to 3 in their heavy 54 – 21 defeat at home. Their opponents this weekend Navan surprised Wanderers at the Aviva stadium winning 17 – 13 last Saturday.
City of Derry team that played Old Crescent: 1. Ross Harkin, 2. Cathal lafferty, 3. Barry Lafferty, 4. Rodney Hill, 5. Gerard Doherty, 6. David Ferguson (Captain), 7. Aaron Derry, 8. Craig Huey, 9. Tyler Rogers – Holden, 10. Neil Burns, 11. Simon Logue, 12. Paddy Blennerhassett, 13. David Graham, 14. Jack Beattie, 15. Thomas Cole, 16. Ryan King – Magee, 17. Danny Burns, 18. Jake McDevitt, Gary Boyle, 20. Tiernan Thorton. Points scorers: Simon Logue 2 x tries, Tyler Rogers – Holden 1 x try, Neil Burns 3 x cons.
Rainey OB v Wanderers
Head coach John Andrews was disappointed with the attacking performance of his team in the first half at Dungannon. Accuracy and discipline were issues. The team gave away 10 penalties in this half that could have proved costly on another day. In saying that the second half was much better with the set piece able to dominate and provide a platform to go on and secure the win.
Josh McIIroy and Robert Lamberton return to the squad this week with Ronan McCusker ruled out with concussion to follow the return to play protocols.
His team are looking forward to the visit of Wanderers to Rainey on Saturday in a game that can really establish the teams top four position.
Rainey team that defeated Dungannon. 1. Tommy O’Hagan, 2. Brad Roberts, 3. Kieran Donaghy, 4. Ronan McCusker. 5. Timothy Barker, 6. Michael McCusker, 7. Paul Pritchard, 8. Jodie McMurray, 9. Jason Bloomfield, 10. Andrew McGrath, 11. Philip McCusker, 13. Damien McMurray (captain), 14. Nicholas Stirling, 15. Michael O’Neill, 16. Stephen Rutledge, 17. Finton Quinn, 18. John McCusker, 19 Andrew Harbinson, 20. Michael Wilson. Points scorers Andrew Harbinson 2 x tries, Michael O’Neill and Timothy Barker 1 x try each. Andrew Magrath 2 x cons and 1 x penalty.
DIV 2C
Bangor (5) v Bruff (2)
Seapoint (7) v Omagh (6)
Sligo (1) v Midleton (8)
Thomond (3) v Malahide RFC (4)
Tullamore (9) v Bective Rangers (10)
Bangor v Bruff
Bangor 1st xv Manager Ricky Armstrong was blunt in his assessment of the teams defeat at Malahide. It was not a great day at the office. Slackness in defence allowed their scrum half to take two quick tap penalties along with a chip and chase to provide the openings for the home side to win 29 – 7. These lapses in concentration cost his side the game.
Big home game this weekend against a much improved Bruff side who have moved up to 2nd in the Division. Again a big effort will be needed to beat one of the best teams in the league. Not many changes are expected to the team with selection being finalised on Thursday night.
James Henley returns to the squad this week with Ryan Latimer putting his hand up after playing well on the second xv.
Injury rules out Dave Caughey this week. Jamie Clegg, Adam McCusker, Ali Lockhart and Chris Jordan remain on the injury list.
Bangor team that played against Malahide: 1. Philip Whyte (Captain), 2. Andrew Shaw, 3. James leary, 4. Martin Withers, 5. Lewis Stevenson, 6. David Bradford, 7. James Stewart, 8. Jack Cooke, 9. Lewis Bret, 10. Ross McCloskey, 11. Dave Charles, 12. Desi Fusco, 13. Phil Broderick, 14. Rob Gamble, 15. Nathan Graham, 16. Charlie Clegg, 17. Andrew Jackson, 18. Dave Caughey, 19. Mark Widdowson, 20. Jules Storey.
Omagh v Seapoint
Head coach Philip Marshall was very disappointed with the performance of his team in the opening 20 /25 minutes of their match with Tullamore last Saturday. Despite several changes to the team selection that will take time for the players to build their match sharpness the coach still felt his team should have won. It was another one of those days where two try scoring efforts were spilled on the try line. It is these silly errors that continue to cost the team dearly.
The Omagh players have two tough games coming up away to Seapoint and home to Bangor to put things right. Former Captain and prop Kyle Alexander who only recently returned has picked up a further shoulder injury that will rule him out for several weeks. Further injury doubts remain over Hooker Adam Pollock and young prop Matthew Sproule for this week along with out half Lee Murphy being unavailable until the new year.
The coach is hoping to bring in Eoin Murnaghan at out half with both Davy Thompson and Adam Beatty taking their place on the bench.
For the Omagh players they will be aware that Bangor lost at Seapoint. The coach is looking a reaction from his players at a very difficult venue.
MILLAR McCALL WYLIE JUNIOR CUP QUARTER FINAL
Portadown v Malone seconds
Yes there was surprise in Ulster that Portadown conceded six tries in their 35 – 12 defeat away to Connacht league champions Ballina in the 1st Rd of the All Ireland Junior Cup. Head coach Richard Hedley said his players thought Ballina were the strongest team they had played this season. It was a case of the team finding it hard to get going as well as looking after the ball.
Ryan Muldrew, Matthew Wilson, Gary Hall, Niall Davison and Josh Matchett all return to the squad this week with Jonny Holden unavailable.
The coach is hoping his team can defend better than they did in the abandoned game two weeks ago at Chambers Park with Malone seconds leading 22 – 3.
The winners of this match will travel to Ballymacarn Park to play holders Ballynahinch seconds in the semi final on Saturday 25th November. In the other semi final Ballymoney will host City of Armagh seconds.
KUKRI ULSTER RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP DIV 1
Carrickfergus (4) v Coleraine (8)
Dromore (3) v CIYMS (6)
Enniskillen (9) v Cooke (5)
Instonians (2) v Ballyclare (1)
Carrickfergus v Coleraine
It has been a difficult start to the season for newly promoted Coleraine winning two from eight games played. Both those wins came against Clogher Valley in the league and Junior Cup. Head coach Richard Boyd knew when he looked at the opening fixtures for Coleraine how difficult an opening two months it would be for his team. They had to play three of the top four teams in the league from last season, two of which were away from home. They also had to contend with playing the top two second xv teams in Ballynahinch seconds and City of Armagh seconds twice, again with two of those fixtures away from home. He has been pleased with some of the excellent rugby his team have played this year, but they have failed to convert opportunities into points especially of the kicking tee which has been costly.
The team have picked up points from every league game so far this season and will be looking to pick up some momentum between now and Xmas. Carrick is always a tough place to travel, but the coach is confident that the players know they are not far away from clicking. Div 1 is a tough league and a big step up from last season with the players having to adapt and be patient especially looking at the teams fixture list. People outside the group may have had elevated expectations, but the squad have their feet firmly on the ground and will be working hard to improve things.
For this week the experienced pair of Chris Nash and Michael Ferguson return to the starting line up with top try scorer Mark Woods returning after injury to bolster the squad.
Dromore v CIYMS
Director of Rugby Jeremy Ogle looks on this week as big for both the Dromore 1st and 2nd xv teams with selection to be finalised on Thursday night. They welcome back Andrew Black, Frazer Mulholland and Adam McDonald who will come into contention for selection. The Dromore players are looking forward to the CIYMS match and the challenge it will bring.
Dromore seconds captained by Geoff Moore have had a late start to their league campaign winning their opening two games. They are hoping to continue this good form when they play Instonians seconds.
CIYMS Head coach Gareth Fry is looking forward to returning to league action this week. The three weeks without a game is too long and with the team having no game every other week between now and Xmas helps no one win or lose. The 1st xv had a training game with Ards which gave his players a much needed hit out.
Team wise CIYMS have been disrupted this week due to players away on half term break with the team selection not being confirmed until Thursday night. The players are expecting a hard physical battle at Dromore. It is a difficult place to play and they are in good form at the moment.
Enniskillen v Cooke
Head coach Willy Gibson was delighted with the performance of his team in their defeat at Ballynahinch seconds in the Junior Cup. Both he and the players were really disappointed that the Bandon game had to be called off in the All Ireland Junior Cup last weekend. Enniskillen are missing a few players from the Ballynahinch game but for the most part it is the same team that will play against Cooke. The coach is pleased to see all the hard work in training is starting to pay off with progress being made by the team. He is hoping this will continue against Cooke this week.
Cooke Head coach Colin Atkinson welcomed the three week break for his players to get a rest and clear up niggles with a few players still on the long term injury list. At the same time it is difficult to keep momentum going during this part of the season with a week on week off scenario. Cooke seconds also face the same problem with having a very fragmented fixture schedule between now and Xmas. The goal for the coaches Colin Atkinson and Philip Cartmill has been to keep training fresh and enjoyable to keep the players focused.
Selection for this Saturday will be finalised on Thursday night. Andrew Pollock and Liam Bennett are expected to return after injuries with Ryan Flavelle available after missing the Carrick game. Jonny McClure, Russell Hunter and Alex Gourley are all unavailable due to work and exam commitments this week.
Instonians v Ballyclare
Director of Rugby William Leacock was pleased with the performance put in by his team in their 22 – 16 win over Gorey at Shaws bridge on Sat. It was full of heart and commitment against a big physical Gorey team. He was delighted to see the team getting back to winning ways after defeats against Ballynahinch seconds and Dromore.
Ballyclare will be a big test on Sat for the team. They are the league leaders and unbeaten, so will go into the game as favourites. Ben Scott fractured his hand so will be out for a couple of months with both Roger Wilson and Conor Gallagher unavailable this week. Team selection will be finalised on Thursday night.
Ashbourne was a great occasion for Ballyclare rugby club and the players to experience this season. The players gave a superb account of themselves in defence in the first half playing into the hard conditions against a very physical side. Head coach Mike McKeever felt his attack let them down in the second half which is really unlike Ballyclare.
The match on Sat was perfect in preparation for returning to a competitive league game on Saturday. He and the players are really looking forward to playing at Shaws bridge. It is always a great pitch to play on with his team always having competitive matches with Instonians.
Selection will be close to full strength and there will be players disappointed not to be included. The challenge is for the players selected to perform or else they run the risk of being replaced for the next game. Which is what you want from a squad at each match.
With having had such a strong start to the league it has allowed Ballyclare to gain a five point advantage which takes the pressure off it being a must win game for the team which is what Instonians may feel it is.
KUKRI ULSTER RUGBY CONF/LEAGUE DIV 1
City of Armagh seconds (2) v Clogher Valley (12)
Ballynahinch seconds v Portadown (Postponed)
KUKRI ULSTER RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP DIV 2
Ards (8) v Academy (4)
Limavady (7) v Grosvenor (1)
Lisburn (6) v Larne (5)
Randalstown ( 2) v PSNI (9)
UUC (10) v Ballymoney (3)
Ards v Academy
After defeating Lisburn in their opening league game Ards have lost their last three league games away to Randalstown, Ballymoney and Larne. Three of the current top five teams. This Saturday they play 4th place Academy at Hamilton Park who have won their last four league games after losing their opening two league games against Ballymoney and Grosvenor. Ards Head coach John West is concerned that the team are trying to force things in the latter stages of matches. That is when the team become unstuck and loose their shape and become vulnerable to conceding scores.
Ards team that played at Randalstown: 1. Andrew Foster (Captain), 2. Tom Arthur Donnan, 3. Paddy Bond, 4. Ross Torney, 5. Gareth McBurney, 6. Ryan Thompson, 7. Onisi Burekama, 8. Danny Patton, 9. Alex Hendricks, 10. Mark Banford, 11. David Armstrong, 12. Stuart paul, 13. Graeme Taylor, 14. Scott Young, 15. Paul Cox, 16. Matty Kane, 17. Adam Coulter. Points scorers David Armstrong 1 x try, Paul Cox 2 x penalties.
Academy Head coach Gareth Lynn was delighted with his teams 40 – 10 win over UUC. They scored four tries through Stewart Martin x2, Simon Beattie and Mark Wylie 1 x each. Out half Chris Cooper kicked 20 points from 4 x cons and 4 x penalties.
Academy team: 1. Peter Jackson, 2. Lee Moody, 3. Adam Martin, 4. Keith Dobbin, 5. Kyle Gregg, 6. Richard Henderson, 7. Lewis Donaldson, 8. Stewart Martin, 9. David Kenny, 10. Chris Cooper, 11. Ben Cave, 12. Mark Wylie, 13. Andy Eggleton, 14. David McCullough, 15. Simon Beattie, 16. Max oates, 17. Troy Wilson.
The coach is hoping to keep the same team for the trip to Ards with possibly 1/2 late changes. Lewis Donaldson made his debut for the 1st xv on Saturday after performing well for the seconds in place of the injured Brian Cahill. He is a former pupil of BRA who hadn’t played rugby for a while. Came back this season and has been excellent for the seconds. Got his chance on Saturday and took it.
Limavady v Grosvenor
The coaching staff were satisfied with the Limavady win over Lisburn last Sat. There are areas that need improvement in terms of fitness and being clinical in attack and defence. Saturday was a small step in the right direction with the team having to improve greatly this week against a formidable Grosvenor side who have kicked on from last season. The coach Mark Nicholl is expecting Grosvenor to go through the season undefeated such is the quality and strength in depth they have in their squad.
For this week the coach is looking an improved performance from the squad defensively and if we can get this right we will give Grosvenor a tough battle. The squad this week will add Stewart Roddy and Luke Montgomery who were both unavailable.
Grosvenor Head coach Robert Ford has virtually a full strength squad to select from with only absentees being David Egner and Matt Johnston with Stuart McIIwaine and Paddy Hamill returning. Training has been good this week with good numbers in attendance and all three club sides winning last Saturday. The 1st xv played well to defeat a strong Omagh seconds side 50 – 14 scoring eight tries.
The 2nd xv got their season up and running after defeating previously undefeated Instonians 2nds 33 -22 at Shaws bridge. This is a reward for the effort put in by coaches James Bowman, Marty McCullough and John Lutton.
Lisburn v Larne
Director of Rugby Michael Knowles was disappointed with his teams 36 - 24 defeat at Limavady. Several players were missing from the team that defeated the PSNI including Adam Heaps, Epi Ratu, Chris Cummings, Chris Nimmons and Yabia Lemeki. This Saturday at home to Larne is the last Div 2 game for almost a month, with a number of free Saturdays and Conference league games in November.
A big effort will be required to pick up points on Saturday against a Larne team going well under Graham Cloke. The Lisburn team finished strongly against Limavady but will need an 80 min performance this weekend.
Larne Head coach Graham Cloke described the 33 - 0 win against the PSNI as reasonable. With the team having a week off it did not help with the conditions on the day that were breezy. He felt his team made a lot of errors in an error ridden match. His side got the bonus point but will need to be better this week at Lisburn. Ryan Garrett was excellent scoring three tries with Colin McKinty who played centre after Jordan Burns suffered a bad ankle injury scoring one. Matthew Agnew scored as well with Phil Andrews converting 4/5. With Phil Andrews and Aaron McBride swapping positions at 10 and 15 it was Phil Andrews who played well at full back. Aaron McBride picked up a hamstring injury in the second half and is a doubt for this week.
Selection for Lisburn will be fairly similar with Luke Burford going to the bench for Chris Rea where he will be joined by Colin McKinty. Ian McIIheron makes a welcome return to take his place in the centre after playing a few matches for the seconds.
Randalstown v PSNI
Head coach Gary Longwell felt his players showed their character against a powerful Ards side and were able to win a tight game with two late scores. Randalstown scored five tries through Martin Connolly x 2, David Millar, Chris McGoldrick and Chris Allen 1 x try each with Martin Connolly converting three to bring it up to 20 tries that Randalstown have scored in their opening five matches. The team have moved into 2nd place in the league four points behind league leaders Grosvenor with Ballymoney a further point behind in 3rd place.
UUC v Ballymoney
Jonny Hanna is expecting a tough game for his players at UUC on Saturday. The students play entertaining rugby and have a number of experienced and talented players in their squad.
Ballymoney are missing prop Peter Irvine with second row Michael Allan returning from a shoulder injury. Injuries to Chris Watson and Rory Strang along with the unavailable Thomas Hunter will see Matthew Bell, Michael Armstrong and Nathaniel Steele retain their places after impressing against Ballymena seconds on Saturday despite carrying some minor knocks.
After the team’s defeat last week it is important the players put in a better performance this week as November is turning out a very important month for the 1st xv.
KUKRI ULSTER RUGBY CONF/LEAGUE DIV 2
Banbridges seconds (6) v Ballymena seconds (9)
Malone seconds v Omagh seconds (Postponed)
KUKRI ULSTER RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP DIV 3
Cavan (9) v Donegal Town (12)
Civil Service (11) v BHSFP (7)
Holywood (8) v Newry (6)
Monaghan (3) v Donaghadee (2)
Strabane (4) v Letterkenny (10)
Virginia (5) v Lurgan (1)
Preview compiled by George Millar