There is no shortage of club games to interest rugby supporters throughout the province this week with games in the SONI Ulster Rugby Premiership, Kukri Ulster Rugby Championship and the 1st Round of the River Rock Towns Cup.
The result that was most talked about this week was the 52 – 14 defeat of First Trust Senior Cup holders Ballynahinch at the Palace grounds by Armagh last Sat. The result is we now have four teams in Div 1 of the Premiership competing for the Stevenson Shield with two games remaining. Banbridge, Ballymena, Armagh and Ballynahinch are all on 10 points. Ballymena are the current holders and compete their league programme against Armagh at Eaton Park on the 14th January.
Malone cannot be caught in Div 2 and have secured their place in Div 1 next season.
In Div 1 of the Ulster Rugby Championship Instonians remain at the top followed by Omagh, Ballyclare, Enniskillen and Portadown with five points separating these five teams. Four points now separate Carrick, Dromore, Cooke and Clogher Valley in the battle to avoid finishing in 9th place.
In Div 2 CIYMS and Coleraine remain the two teams fighting it out for the league title after CIYMS scored seven tries in their 43 – 19 win at Grosvenor. Coleraine were made to work hard for their 21 – 0 win at home to neighbours Limavady.
We have the first round of the River Rock Towns Cup with the Div 1 teams given a bye. It still leaves one mouth watering tie at Ballymacarn Park between Millar McCall Wylie Junior Cup holders Ballynahinch seconds and Div 2 promotion favourites Coleraine.
The rugby action starts on Thursday night with Bangor playing Rainey at Upritchard Park with a 7.30PM kick off. On Friday night we have the return leg in the back to back games at Shawsbridge involving Instonians and Cooke. Kick off 7.30PM
On Saturday there is a appetising double header at Ballymacarn Park involving Ballynahinch 1st xv v Banbridge 1st xv with Hinch seconds playing Coleraine at the same venue in the Towns Cup.
At the Palace Grounds in Armagh you have the 1st xv playing City of Derry with the home second xv playing Limavady in the Towns Cup.
There are also mouth watering derby games involving Enniskillen and Omagh at Mullaghmeen and Ballyclare against Carrickfergus at the Cloughan.
SONI ULSTER RUGBY PREMERSHIP DIV 1
Armagh v City of Derry
Both these teams have already met in the UBL at the Palace Grounds on the 24.9.16 when the home side won 18 – 6. The Orchard County side scored seven tries in their convincing 52 – 14 win over First Trust Senior Cup winners Ballynahinch last weekend. City of Derry won their first UBL game of the season against Dungannon 16 – 15 last Saturday, with their full back Neil Burns scoring all his sides 16 points.
Armagh Captain Ali Birch was amongst the try scorers scoring two along with centre John Faloon. Ulster under 19 outhalf Cormac Fox continues to be a player who is attracting a lot of attention. He once again showed his accuracy from the tee converting all seven conversions and kicking a penalty to amass 17 of his sides 52 points.
City of Derry were boosted by the return of influential backs Andrew Semple and David Funston who along with Ulster under 19 back row forward Joe Dunleavy were key players in their teams win over Dungannon. It was a game that had drama right into injury time. A late Dungannon try left one point between both sides. Fortunately there was relief amongst the Judges Road faithful when the conversion drifted wide.
Armagh are now one of four teams competing for the Stevenson Shield with two games remaining.
City of Derry player coach Richard McCarter was delighted with the win over Dungannon. It was a much needed result . The squad is looking slightly healthier and it was a big bonus having Andrew Semple and David Funston home for Xmas. The squad picked up a few injuries at the weekend so there will be a few changes this weekend for Armagh. The priority for City of Derry is their next home game in the UBL against Barnhall on the 21st January.
The unfamiliar name in the City of Derry front row Peadar Meenan played rugby for RBAI and turned up at City of Derry a couple of months ago. A welcome addition to the City of Derry front row union. The coach is not expecting back row forward John Burns to be available again to play rugby this season after a concussion injury.
There was sheer delight with the performance of former Letterkenny player Joe Dunleavy who made a big impression in his debut for the 1st xv last week.
Ballynahinch v Banbridge
First Trust Senior Cup holders Ballynahinch were brought down to earth with their 52 – 14 defeat at Armagh last week. As Ballynahinch Director of Rugby Ronnie Duncan put it, Ballynahinch did not turn up at the Palace grounds with Armagh running out as deserved winners.
With the 11 Ulster UBL teams completing preparations for the return to UBL action in three weeks there is work for Ballynahinch coaches Derek Suffern and Chris Parker to complete with the two SONI league games left to play.
With a local derby coming up this week against neighbours Banbridge the Ballynahinch supporters will be looking a much improved performance from their team. Both these teams have already met in the First Trust Senior Cup with Ballynahinch winning 32 – 5 at Rifle park on the 19.11.16.
Ballynahinch have selected a strong squad for this derby with 8 players being released by Ulster including Jonny Murphy, Craig Trenier, John Donnan, Lorcan Dow, Connor Joyce, Aaron Cairns, Jonny McPhillips and David Busby.
Ballynahinch squad 1 – 20. Ben Cullen, Jonny Murphy, Craig Trenier, James Simpson, John Donnan, Callum Irvine, Lorcan Dow, Connor Joyce, Aaron Cairns, Jonny McPhillips, David Busby, Jordan Gratton, Stuart Morrow, David Nicholson, Chris Quinn, Stuart Orr, Joe Roe, Mike Graham, Christopher Orr and Ross Carlisle.
Banbridge Head coach Daniel Soper was delighted with his teams efforts at Ballymena last week. Apart from the first ten minutes he was pleased with their performance. The game was an opportunity to give several of the younger players game time on the 1st xv. Veteran Jeff Dodds filled in at scrum half and played particularly well as the game progressed.
The coach is using the game against Ballynahinch to continue preparations for the return game with Highfield in the UBL at Rifle Park on the 21st January. Both Ben Carson and Ryan Hughes played well last weekend and will keep their places despite the return of more senior players. Second row Chris Allen misses out with a shoulder injury picked up last week. At half back Josh Cromie returns after being out for 10 weeks along with Aaron Kennedy who has been out for the last four weeks. Unfortunately Andrew McGrath and Ian Porter remain sidelined through injury.
The coach is aware of how strong Ballynahinch will be on Sat with their Ulster representatives.. That is their reward for playing in Division 1.
Dungannon v Ballymena
There was initial surprise when City of Derry defeated Dungannon 16 – 15 last week at Judges Road until you read the Derry team list. Even though Dungannon almost snatched a win only for a last minute conversion to drift wide it has not been a good five weeks for Dungannon coach Andy Hughes and his players. They have lost their last two UBL league games 16 – 15 to Derry and 15 -14 at home to Old Crescent along with their 27 – 10 defeat to Ballynahinch in the Final of the First Trust Senior Cup. There was also the 65 – 14 defeat at Ballymena on Boxing day in the Kyle Cup. Small margins decide games and Dungannon have certainly not had the luck you need to pick up narrow league wins in the UBL.
Ballymena have regrouped and are focusing on retaining the Stevenson Shield and securing their place in Div 1A of the UBL next season. They have picked up wins against Dungannon 65 – 14 in the Kyle Cup and Banbridge 26 – 15 last Saturday. It was a case of the Eaton Park side coming back from a 15 – 14 deficit at halftime against Banbridge to secure the bonus point win.
Ballymena Head coach Andy Graham was delighted with his teams win at the weekend. They started off with a high tempo going through multiple phases to score two tries. It was a case of the players thinking the game was won and taking their foot of the pedal. Banbridge responded to take a 15 – 14 halftime lead. In the second half Ballymena were much more disciplined scoring two further tries to secure the win and bonus point. What pleased the coach was the strong defensive display in the second half that denied Banbridge any points.
Ballymena selection during the SONI Ulster league games has been about providing playing opportunities for squad players including Houston Bonnar, Andrew Cundell, Dean Reynolds and Matthew Norris. Another bonus for the coach has been the return to the club of promising former Ballymoney and Ulster under age player Russell Blair. Stephen Mulholland, Callum Patterson and Mark Best have been released by Ulster to play at Dungannon.
Ballymena squad 1 – 20 Bryan Young, Andrew Cundell, Chris Cundell, Connor Smyth, Mark Foster, Stephen Mulholland, Tony McGuinness, James Gallagher, Glenn Baillie, Richie McMaster, Matthew Norris, Marty Irwin, Callum Patterson, Jonny Rossborough and Mark Best. Replacements will be from Houston Bonnar, James Taggart, Aidy Kirkpatrick, Russell Blair, Willy McKay, Jordan Foster and Dean Reynolds.
Second row David Whann along with full back Rodger McBurney are unavailable this week with injury ruling out John Creighton and the unlucky Josh McIIroy. Michael Lagan, Matty Rea and Alan O’Connor remain on the Ulster injury list.
Armagh (3) v City of Derry (6)
Ballynahinch (4) v Banbridge (1)
Dungannon (5) v Ballymena (2)
SONI ULSTER RUGBY PREMIERSHIP DIV 2
Bangor (5) v Rainey OB (4). Thursday 5.1.17. Kick off 7.30PM
Malone (1) v Queens Uni (2)
Bangor v Rainey OB
Two teams that need to start building some momentum before they resume their UBL campaign with Rainey facing Munster opponents Bruff and Kanturk in the opening two weeks and Bangor hosting Sligo before travelling away to Bruff. Both teams are on a losing run having lost their last three games in the UBL and the SONI Ulster league. When these two teams met at Upritchard Park on the 17th September in their opening UBL game Rainey ran out 24 – 18 winners in an entertaining match.
Bangor 1st XV manager Ricky Armstrong was disappointed with the teams showing in the second half against Queen's in their 22 – 0 defeat. There were positives with Andrew Shaw having a strong game alongside back row forwards Ryan Latimer and Mike Apsley.
There is a realisation that the team and players need to sharpen up before the return UBL game with Sligo on the 21st January.
Team to play Rainey at Upritchard Park tonight is Andrew Shaw, Conor Piper, Philip Whyte (captain), James Stewart, Craig Burton, David Bradford, Ryan Latimer, Curtis Stewart, Gareth Wright, Gareth Millar, Robert Gamble, Mike Apsley, Mark Widdowson, Desi Fusco, Phil Broderick, Evan Wellard McMillan, James Leary, Dave lynn, Adam McCusker and Ali Lockhart.
Rainey Head coach John Andrew’s has been pleased with the numbers at training. He is picking a similar team to the one that played against Belfast Harlequins at the weekend in their 19 – 7 defeat. The focus is giving the young players more game time on the 1st xv to strengthen the playing squad for the remaining games in the UBL. Rainey are expected to have Ulster A players Tommy O’Hagan and John McCusker in their playing squad.
Malone v Queens Uni
These two sides have already met in the UBL at the Dub Arena on the 1.10 16 with Queens running out 40 – 10 winners. Queens have had the upper hand on Malone winning all matches between the two sides since 2011. Once again Queens will be favourites at Gibson Park to add to that tally with several players released by Ulster rugby.
Malone Head coach Paddy Armstrong is still to finalise his squad for Sat. He is using this fixture to give more players the opportunity to secure game time on the 1st xv and strengthen his playing options. Max Porter will return to the back row with Josh Davidson continuing in the second row. Nathan Brown will partner Michael Cartmill in the centre. The coach has been pleased with the response of the players who have trained extremely well this week. He is under no illusions about the test his players will face against Queens Uni. Malone will return to playing in the Ulster Premiership Div 1 next season after winning Div 2. They are six points ahead of Quins and a further 10 points ahead of Queens in 3rd place with one match remaining.
Malone resume their UBL campaign next weekend when they travel to play Sunday’s Well in Cork.
Queens coaches Bob Young and DJ Creighton will miss the assistance of former Ulster prop Bronson Ross who has returned to NZ. He had played a pivotal role in developing the students forward pack. Queens looked comfortable in their 22- 0 bonus point win over Bangor last Sat. From broken play they punished any mistakes made by their opponents.
Queens will welcome back Captain Alex Thompson who has been released by Ulster along with Zack McCall, Nick Timoney, Jonny Stewart, and Rob Lyttle for this weekend.
KUKRI ULSTER RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP DIV 1
Instonians (1) v Cooke (8). Friday 5.1.17. Kick off 7.30PM
Ards (10) v Portadown (5)
Ballyclare (3) v Carrickfergus (6)
Clogher Valley (3) v Dromore (7)
Enniskillen (4) v Omagh (2)
Instonians v Cooke
The fans of both clubs were not disappointed in the first of the back to back meetings between these two sides at Shaws bridge last Sat with Instonians coming back from 14 – 10 down to win 17 – 14. Instonians had played the majority of the second half with 14 players after losing three players to injury including Lewis McNamara, Mark Mairs and Jordan McMullan. It was a valiant effort by the Inst side with centre Davy Scott grabbing the all important winning try. Both sides meet again in the return fixture this Friday night at the same venue. Games involving these two sides are always played with total commitment from the players. Expect the return to be no different.
Cooke Head coach Colin Atkinson was disappointed his team were unable to hold on to their 14 – 10 lead and see out the game against instonians last Sat. He has been in the game long enough to know that a match is never won till the final whistle. He was disappointed that a few lapses in focus from his players had let Instonians in for scores. He also felt his team were not clinical enough in finishing off the breaks they made during the game.
For the return match on Friday night the coaches playing resources are certainly stretched to the limit at the present. He lost two key players last Sat through injury in Captain Toby Mannus with a shoulder problem and influential out half Alan Gourlay to concussion. There are a couple of other players who will be assessed at training tonight before selection is finalised for tomorrow night. The coach welcomes back Phili Cartmill and Scott McClelland after being unavailable over the new year.
Ards v Portadown
When these two sides met at Chambers Park on the 19.11.16 the home side Portadown ran out comfortable 40 – 7 winners. Under new coaches John West and Scott Young Ards put in a more disciplined and committed performance to go down 13 – 0 to Clogher Valley at the Cran last Sat.
Ards have lost their last 10 games following their opening day win at Ballymena in the Conference league.
Portadown were a team competing on three fronts during October and November until they hit a dip in form losing three of their last four matches. Coaches Richard Hedley and Ciaran O’Kane will have been relieved to see the team get back to winning ways with a 34 – 22 win over Ballymena seconds in the Conference league last week. More of the same commitment will be required at Hamilton Park against an Ards team capable of pulling off their first league win.
Portadown have four league games coming up against Ards, Instonians, Clogher Valley and Omagh that will define their season pursuit of league honours.
Ballyclare v Carrickfergus
Advantage is to Ballyclare after they won the first round in these back to back games at the Tom Simms Memorial Park on Boxing Day 19 – 6. The returning Bobby Smith was the hero for his side scoring all 19 points. When one looks at the Div 1 league table Ballyclare are well positioned on 27pts in third place – four points behind leaders Instonians with Omagh one point ahead in second place. They are quietly going about their business with most pundits focusing on Instonians and Omagh as the key contenders for the league title.
Ballyclare Head coach Mike McKeever is seeing the league starting to take shape. It really will take to the first half of January, then the action commences. His view is that his coaching team and players will sit down as a group after the match against Carrickfergus with most teams having completed the first half of their league programme.
He formed the view in August that he thought Omagh would be a front runner and that Enniskillen would be in the mix also , which is why he can see how hard a place it is to go and get a result at.
Selection for the game against Carrick will not be finalised until Thursday night. James Greer is ruled out with concussion but the coach will have both Robbie Reid and Niall Lawther returning and available for selection along with Michael Rainey who offers experience and strength. It is a credit to the current 1st xv pack when players like Matthew Robson, Matthew Coulter, Ross Johnston and Willie Rae cannot get a starting place. Again they will offer so much to the team during the second half of the season. There is also the welcome news on the availability of Gary Clotworthy and Andrew Butler in the backs for the second half of the season.
Carrickfergus on the other hand realise how important every point is as four points separate them from Dromore, Cooke and Clogher Valley in 6th – 9th place in Div 1.
Clogher Valley v Dromore
Two teams now separated by four points in the bottom half of Div 1. Both need the win this weekend to avoid finishing in 9th place. It is impressive that Clogher Valley have only lost one game in their last seven and that was the narrow 20 – 19 defeat away to Ashbourne in the AIL Junior Cup semi final. The Fivemiletown side have closed the gap on Cooke, Dromore and Carrickfergus and will be going all out for four points this weekend. The team was disappointed they did not get a bonus point in their 13 – 0 win over Ards who proved very difficult opposition.
Clogher are expecting a difficult game against a Dromore side they defeated 3 – 0 at Barben Hill on the 19.11.16.
For this week prop Neil Henderson is unavailable with Michael Treanor moving into the front row. Eugene McKenna moves into the second row alongside Matty Robinson with Nathan Orr coming into the back row. Allister Trenier moves to 12 and will be partnered by former Royal School Dungannon player Philip Wilson. Eamon Whyte comes off the bench to play at full back. After a lengthy period on the injured list back row forward David Sharkey has returned to playing his best rugby with a man of the match performance against Ards.
Dromore have shown they have the players to be competitive this season with home wins over Enniskillen, Cooke and Omagh. The difficulty for Head coach Jonny Cullen is the teams away form. Their last win on the road was at Ards on the 17.9.16 when they won 15 – 3.
In scrum half Lee Steenson they have a match winner who given the opportunities can be difficult for any team to defend against.
Enniskillen v Omagh
Head coach Phil Marshall felt his players answered the doubters following back to back losses against Ballynahinch seconds and Dromore with a comprehensive 29 – 7 win against neighbours Enniskillen at the Thomas Mellon playing fields last Sat. It was the manner in which they secured the bonus point in scoring five tries. Hero was scrum half Stewart McCain who proved unstoppable in final quarter scoring three tries. Omagh know if they want to challenge Instonians and Ballyclare for the league title they will have to win at Mullaghmeen this weekend. Enniskillen on the other hand cannot afford to lose this match if they want to remain in the chasing pack. No doubt all roads from Omagh and Enniskillen will lead to Mullaghmeen for this crucial fixture.
Enniskillen Head coach Willie Gibson said that anything that go wrong went wrong in the lead up to their game at Omagh last Sat. On the Thursday night he lost two players through injury. Two minutes before kick off he lost out half John Maguire in the warm up and two backs who were injured in the first half. He felt his team lost their way in the final quarter after fighting back to get to within three points of Omagh. A couple of handling errors and Omagh pounced to score a try.
He was full of praise for the Omagh side who played nice rugby and stuck to their game plan that worked well for them.
The challenge for the Enniskillen players and their Captain Davy Buchanan is can they reverse the result at Mullaghmeen. This is a must win game for Skins if they are to maintain their title challenge. The players have been working hard in training this week to correct areas they needed to improve on for this weekend. The coach and his Skins players are very much looking forward to welcoming the Omagh players to Mullaghmeen for this crunch game for both teams.
RIVER ROCK TOWNS CUP 1ST ROUND
Armagh seconds v Limavady
Ballymoney v Lisburn
Ballynahinch seconds v Coleraine
City of Derry seconds v Bangor seconds
Donaghadee v Rainey OB seconds
Lurgan v Dungannon seconds
Randalstown v Banbridge seconds
Virginia v Larne
Armagh seconds v Limavady
These two teams have already met in the Kukri Ulster Rugby Championship/Conference Div 2 when Armagh seconds traveled to Limavady on the 8th October and won 17 -12. Both teams are in good form. Armagh completed their Conference league programme with a 41 – 5 win at Lisburn with Limavady going down 21 – 0 to Coleraine. Both are in 3rd place in their leagues with Armagh unbeaten in their last six matches. With Armagh 1st’xv playing City of Derry at home fans will have a choice of what game they want to watch. Armagh Head coach Alex McCloy is looking to develop strength in depth at the Palace Grounds. This Sat will be an opportunity to build on that progress.
Limavady having secured promotion last season have maintained their form in challenging for a top two finish in Div 2 alongside Coleraine and CIYMS. All ingredients are there for a cracking contest
Ballynahinch seconds v Coleraine
Unfortunately the draw has permed two of the inform teams in Junior rugby against each other in the 1st rd. Ballynahinch fresh from lifting the Millar McCall Wylie Junior Cup and the Conference league One title will be looking to add the River Rock Towns Cup to their list of Silverware this season. Coleraine like Ballynahinch have only lost one game this season. That was Ballyclare winning in the conference league against Hinch seconds and Coleraine losing out to Omagh in the Junior Cup semi final. Like Ballynahinch, Coleraine have lifted the Conference league Div 2 title and along with CIYMS are favourites to secure promotion to Div 1 this season.
Coleraine Captain Mikey Poskitt was a key player for his team, scoring two tries in their 21 – 0 home win over neighbours Limavady. The North coast side face a demanding playing schedule with games coming up against Hinch seconds, Limavady, CIYMS and Randalstown in consecutive weeks.
Both teams will be at full strength with home advantage likely to favour Ballynahinch seconds.
City of Derry seconds v Bangor seconds
Bangor seconds will represent the club in the Towns Cup this season after the 1st xv were promoted to UBL this season. In a memorable Final Bangor were pushed all the way to defeat Enniskillen 31 – 25. Bangor have set their stall out as they attempt to retain the trophy.
For the visit to Judges Road they have selected a strong team. 1 – 15 Ben Worthington, Andrew Jackson, Peter Morrow, Glenn Burton, Matt Nesbitt, Robb Falls, James Ferguson, Matty Baillie, Ali Lockhart, Jason Morgan, Neil Cuthbertson, Keith Rosson, Tayloe Ferguson, Chris Burns and Adam McCusker.
Both these teams play their rugby in Ulster Rugby Provincial league. Bangor seconds are in Div 1. They have won 6/10 games and sit in 4th place behind Queens, Omagh seconds and Ballynahinch thirds. City of Derry seconds are in Div 2. They have won 5/9 games and are in 5th place.
Donaghadee v Rainey OB seconds
Two teams who have only won one game between them this season. Donaghadee are in 10th place in Div 2 of the Kukri Ulster rugby championship. The Dee have played 14 matches and remain without a win this season. In their last outing they lost 29 – 11 at Deramore against Belfast Harlequins seconds in the Conference league last Sat.
Rainey OB seconds play in Div 1 of the Ulster rugby provincial league. They are in 10th place having won 1/9 games.
Both teams will be looking a morale boosting win after a difficult season for both these sides.
Lurgan v Dungannon seconds
The Stevenson Park side have already played a preliminary round match in this Cup defeating Ballymena seconds 16 – 10 on the 27th October. Interesting fixture this one. Lurgan are the cureent Gordon West Cup holders and are the only team to have defeated Ballymoney this season. They won a tight encounter with the Div 3 league leaders at Pollack Park in the 1st round of this seasons Gordon West Cup 26 – 24. Can this Lurgan side cause an upset this weekend. They are 3rd in Div 3 behind the PSNI and Ballymoney. Last season they defeated a much fancied Limavady side in the Gordon West Cup Final at the Kingspan stadium 32 – 31.
Randalstown v Banbridge seconds
Both these teams met in the Conference league game at Nelisbrook last Sat with a much changed Randalstown side coming out winners by 26 – 5. With Banbridge 1st xv playing at Ballynahinch this weekend you would have to expect Randalstown to win this contest.
Virginia v Larne
Div 3 Virginia up against 6th place Larne from Div 2. You can see only one winner. Larne Head coach Laurence Kelly will be aware of the pitfalls in travelling to County Cavan to play Virginia. He has a talented squad at his disposal who have lacked consistency in their performances this season. In Captain Eddie Hunter who scored two tries against UUC last Sat along with prop Luke Burford they have one of the most exciting half back pairings in Junior rugby – Ryan Garrett and Philip Andrews not to mention the talented Jordan Burns in the centre. If this Larne team decide to play rugby they will be a handful for this young Virginia side to contend with.
The result that was most talked about this week was the 52 – 14 defeat of First Trust Senior Cup holders Ballynahinch at the Palace grounds by Armagh last Sat. The result is we now have four teams in Div 1 of the Premiership competing for the Stevenson Shield with two games remaining. Banbridge, Ballymena, Armagh and Ballynahinch are all on 10 points. Ballymena are the current holders and compete their league programme against Armagh at Eaton Park on the 14th January.
Malone cannot be caught in Div 2 and have secured their place in Div 1 next season.
In Div 1 of the Ulster Rugby Championship Instonians remain at the top followed by Omagh, Ballyclare, Enniskillen and Portadown with five points separating these five teams. Four points now separate Carrick, Dromore, Cooke and Clogher Valley in the battle to avoid finishing in 9th place.
In Div 2 CIYMS and Coleraine remain the two teams fighting it out for the league title after CIYMS scored seven tries in their 43 – 19 win at Grosvenor. Coleraine were made to work hard for their 21 – 0 win at home to neighbours Limavady.
We have the first round of the River Rock Towns Cup with the Div 1 teams given a bye. It still leaves one mouth watering tie at Ballymacarn Park between Millar McCall Wylie Junior Cup holders Ballynahinch seconds and Div 2 promotion favourites Coleraine.
The rugby action starts on Thursday night with Bangor playing Rainey at Upritchard Park with a 7.30PM kick off. On Friday night we have the return leg in the back to back games at Shawsbridge involving Instonians and Cooke. Kick off 7.30PM
On Saturday there is a appetising double header at Ballymacarn Park involving Ballynahinch 1st xv v Banbridge 1st xv with Hinch seconds playing Coleraine at the same venue in the Towns Cup.
At the Palace Grounds in Armagh you have the 1st xv playing City of Derry with the home second xv playing Limavady in the Towns Cup.
There are also mouth watering derby games involving Enniskillen and Omagh at Mullaghmeen and Ballyclare against Carrickfergus at the Cloughan.
SONI ULSTER RUGBY PREMERSHIP DIV 1
Armagh v City of Derry
Both these teams have already met in the UBL at the Palace Grounds on the 24.9.16 when the home side won 18 – 6. The Orchard County side scored seven tries in their convincing 52 – 14 win over First Trust Senior Cup winners Ballynahinch last weekend. City of Derry won their first UBL game of the season against Dungannon 16 – 15 last Saturday, with their full back Neil Burns scoring all his sides 16 points.
Armagh Captain Ali Birch was amongst the try scorers scoring two along with centre John Faloon. Ulster under 19 outhalf Cormac Fox continues to be a player who is attracting a lot of attention. He once again showed his accuracy from the tee converting all seven conversions and kicking a penalty to amass 17 of his sides 52 points.
City of Derry were boosted by the return of influential backs Andrew Semple and David Funston who along with Ulster under 19 back row forward Joe Dunleavy were key players in their teams win over Dungannon. It was a game that had drama right into injury time. A late Dungannon try left one point between both sides. Fortunately there was relief amongst the Judges Road faithful when the conversion drifted wide.
Armagh are now one of four teams competing for the Stevenson Shield with two games remaining.
City of Derry player coach Richard McCarter was delighted with the win over Dungannon. It was a much needed result . The squad is looking slightly healthier and it was a big bonus having Andrew Semple and David Funston home for Xmas. The squad picked up a few injuries at the weekend so there will be a few changes this weekend for Armagh. The priority for City of Derry is their next home game in the UBL against Barnhall on the 21st January.
The unfamiliar name in the City of Derry front row Peadar Meenan played rugby for RBAI and turned up at City of Derry a couple of months ago. A welcome addition to the City of Derry front row union. The coach is not expecting back row forward John Burns to be available again to play rugby this season after a concussion injury.
There was sheer delight with the performance of former Letterkenny player Joe Dunleavy who made a big impression in his debut for the 1st xv last week.
Ballynahinch v Banbridge
First Trust Senior Cup holders Ballynahinch were brought down to earth with their 52 – 14 defeat at Armagh last week. As Ballynahinch Director of Rugby Ronnie Duncan put it, Ballynahinch did not turn up at the Palace grounds with Armagh running out as deserved winners.
With the 11 Ulster UBL teams completing preparations for the return to UBL action in three weeks there is work for Ballynahinch coaches Derek Suffern and Chris Parker to complete with the two SONI league games left to play.
With a local derby coming up this week against neighbours Banbridge the Ballynahinch supporters will be looking a much improved performance from their team. Both these teams have already met in the First Trust Senior Cup with Ballynahinch winning 32 – 5 at Rifle park on the 19.11.16.
Ballynahinch have selected a strong squad for this derby with 8 players being released by Ulster including Jonny Murphy, Craig Trenier, John Donnan, Lorcan Dow, Connor Joyce, Aaron Cairns, Jonny McPhillips and David Busby.
Ballynahinch squad 1 – 20. Ben Cullen, Jonny Murphy, Craig Trenier, James Simpson, John Donnan, Callum Irvine, Lorcan Dow, Connor Joyce, Aaron Cairns, Jonny McPhillips, David Busby, Jordan Gratton, Stuart Morrow, David Nicholson, Chris Quinn, Stuart Orr, Joe Roe, Mike Graham, Christopher Orr and Ross Carlisle.
Banbridge Head coach Daniel Soper was delighted with his teams efforts at Ballymena last week. Apart from the first ten minutes he was pleased with their performance. The game was an opportunity to give several of the younger players game time on the 1st xv. Veteran Jeff Dodds filled in at scrum half and played particularly well as the game progressed.
The coach is using the game against Ballynahinch to continue preparations for the return game with Highfield in the UBL at Rifle Park on the 21st January. Both Ben Carson and Ryan Hughes played well last weekend and will keep their places despite the return of more senior players. Second row Chris Allen misses out with a shoulder injury picked up last week. At half back Josh Cromie returns after being out for 10 weeks along with Aaron Kennedy who has been out for the last four weeks. Unfortunately Andrew McGrath and Ian Porter remain sidelined through injury.
The coach is aware of how strong Ballynahinch will be on Sat with their Ulster representatives.. That is their reward for playing in Division 1.
Dungannon v Ballymena
There was initial surprise when City of Derry defeated Dungannon 16 – 15 last week at Judges Road until you read the Derry team list. Even though Dungannon almost snatched a win only for a last minute conversion to drift wide it has not been a good five weeks for Dungannon coach Andy Hughes and his players. They have lost their last two UBL league games 16 – 15 to Derry and 15 -14 at home to Old Crescent along with their 27 – 10 defeat to Ballynahinch in the Final of the First Trust Senior Cup. There was also the 65 – 14 defeat at Ballymena on Boxing day in the Kyle Cup. Small margins decide games and Dungannon have certainly not had the luck you need to pick up narrow league wins in the UBL.
Ballymena have regrouped and are focusing on retaining the Stevenson Shield and securing their place in Div 1A of the UBL next season. They have picked up wins against Dungannon 65 – 14 in the Kyle Cup and Banbridge 26 – 15 last Saturday. It was a case of the Eaton Park side coming back from a 15 – 14 deficit at halftime against Banbridge to secure the bonus point win.
Ballymena Head coach Andy Graham was delighted with his teams win at the weekend. They started off with a high tempo going through multiple phases to score two tries. It was a case of the players thinking the game was won and taking their foot of the pedal. Banbridge responded to take a 15 – 14 halftime lead. In the second half Ballymena were much more disciplined scoring two further tries to secure the win and bonus point. What pleased the coach was the strong defensive display in the second half that denied Banbridge any points.
Ballymena selection during the SONI Ulster league games has been about providing playing opportunities for squad players including Houston Bonnar, Andrew Cundell, Dean Reynolds and Matthew Norris. Another bonus for the coach has been the return to the club of promising former Ballymoney and Ulster under age player Russell Blair. Stephen Mulholland, Callum Patterson and Mark Best have been released by Ulster to play at Dungannon.
Ballymena squad 1 – 20 Bryan Young, Andrew Cundell, Chris Cundell, Connor Smyth, Mark Foster, Stephen Mulholland, Tony McGuinness, James Gallagher, Glenn Baillie, Richie McMaster, Matthew Norris, Marty Irwin, Callum Patterson, Jonny Rossborough and Mark Best. Replacements will be from Houston Bonnar, James Taggart, Aidy Kirkpatrick, Russell Blair, Willy McKay, Jordan Foster and Dean Reynolds.
Second row David Whann along with full back Rodger McBurney are unavailable this week with injury ruling out John Creighton and the unlucky Josh McIIroy. Michael Lagan, Matty Rea and Alan O’Connor remain on the Ulster injury list.
Armagh (3) v City of Derry (6)
Ballynahinch (4) v Banbridge (1)
Dungannon (5) v Ballymena (2)
SONI ULSTER RUGBY PREMIERSHIP DIV 2
Bangor (5) v Rainey OB (4). Thursday 5.1.17. Kick off 7.30PM
Malone (1) v Queens Uni (2)
Bangor v Rainey OB
Two teams that need to start building some momentum before they resume their UBL campaign with Rainey facing Munster opponents Bruff and Kanturk in the opening two weeks and Bangor hosting Sligo before travelling away to Bruff. Both teams are on a losing run having lost their last three games in the UBL and the SONI Ulster league. When these two teams met at Upritchard Park on the 17th September in their opening UBL game Rainey ran out 24 – 18 winners in an entertaining match.
Bangor 1st XV manager Ricky Armstrong was disappointed with the teams showing in the second half against Queen's in their 22 – 0 defeat. There were positives with Andrew Shaw having a strong game alongside back row forwards Ryan Latimer and Mike Apsley.
There is a realisation that the team and players need to sharpen up before the return UBL game with Sligo on the 21st January.
Team to play Rainey at Upritchard Park tonight is Andrew Shaw, Conor Piper, Philip Whyte (captain), James Stewart, Craig Burton, David Bradford, Ryan Latimer, Curtis Stewart, Gareth Wright, Gareth Millar, Robert Gamble, Mike Apsley, Mark Widdowson, Desi Fusco, Phil Broderick, Evan Wellard McMillan, James Leary, Dave lynn, Adam McCusker and Ali Lockhart.
Rainey Head coach John Andrew’s has been pleased with the numbers at training. He is picking a similar team to the one that played against Belfast Harlequins at the weekend in their 19 – 7 defeat. The focus is giving the young players more game time on the 1st xv to strengthen the playing squad for the remaining games in the UBL. Rainey are expected to have Ulster A players Tommy O’Hagan and John McCusker in their playing squad.
Malone v Queens Uni
These two sides have already met in the UBL at the Dub Arena on the 1.10 16 with Queens running out 40 – 10 winners. Queens have had the upper hand on Malone winning all matches between the two sides since 2011. Once again Queens will be favourites at Gibson Park to add to that tally with several players released by Ulster rugby.
Malone Head coach Paddy Armstrong is still to finalise his squad for Sat. He is using this fixture to give more players the opportunity to secure game time on the 1st xv and strengthen his playing options. Max Porter will return to the back row with Josh Davidson continuing in the second row. Nathan Brown will partner Michael Cartmill in the centre. The coach has been pleased with the response of the players who have trained extremely well this week. He is under no illusions about the test his players will face against Queens Uni. Malone will return to playing in the Ulster Premiership Div 1 next season after winning Div 2. They are six points ahead of Quins and a further 10 points ahead of Queens in 3rd place with one match remaining.
Malone resume their UBL campaign next weekend when they travel to play Sunday’s Well in Cork.
Queens coaches Bob Young and DJ Creighton will miss the assistance of former Ulster prop Bronson Ross who has returned to NZ. He had played a pivotal role in developing the students forward pack. Queens looked comfortable in their 22- 0 bonus point win over Bangor last Sat. From broken play they punished any mistakes made by their opponents.
Queens will welcome back Captain Alex Thompson who has been released by Ulster along with Zack McCall, Nick Timoney, Jonny Stewart, and Rob Lyttle for this weekend.
KUKRI ULSTER RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP DIV 1
Instonians (1) v Cooke (8). Friday 5.1.17. Kick off 7.30PM
Ards (10) v Portadown (5)
Ballyclare (3) v Carrickfergus (6)
Clogher Valley (3) v Dromore (7)
Enniskillen (4) v Omagh (2)
Instonians v Cooke
The fans of both clubs were not disappointed in the first of the back to back meetings between these two sides at Shaws bridge last Sat with Instonians coming back from 14 – 10 down to win 17 – 14. Instonians had played the majority of the second half with 14 players after losing three players to injury including Lewis McNamara, Mark Mairs and Jordan McMullan. It was a valiant effort by the Inst side with centre Davy Scott grabbing the all important winning try. Both sides meet again in the return fixture this Friday night at the same venue. Games involving these two sides are always played with total commitment from the players. Expect the return to be no different.
Cooke Head coach Colin Atkinson was disappointed his team were unable to hold on to their 14 – 10 lead and see out the game against instonians last Sat. He has been in the game long enough to know that a match is never won till the final whistle. He was disappointed that a few lapses in focus from his players had let Instonians in for scores. He also felt his team were not clinical enough in finishing off the breaks they made during the game.
For the return match on Friday night the coaches playing resources are certainly stretched to the limit at the present. He lost two key players last Sat through injury in Captain Toby Mannus with a shoulder problem and influential out half Alan Gourlay to concussion. There are a couple of other players who will be assessed at training tonight before selection is finalised for tomorrow night. The coach welcomes back Phili Cartmill and Scott McClelland after being unavailable over the new year.
Ards v Portadown
When these two sides met at Chambers Park on the 19.11.16 the home side Portadown ran out comfortable 40 – 7 winners. Under new coaches John West and Scott Young Ards put in a more disciplined and committed performance to go down 13 – 0 to Clogher Valley at the Cran last Sat.
Ards have lost their last 10 games following their opening day win at Ballymena in the Conference league.
Portadown were a team competing on three fronts during October and November until they hit a dip in form losing three of their last four matches. Coaches Richard Hedley and Ciaran O’Kane will have been relieved to see the team get back to winning ways with a 34 – 22 win over Ballymena seconds in the Conference league last week. More of the same commitment will be required at Hamilton Park against an Ards team capable of pulling off their first league win.
Portadown have four league games coming up against Ards, Instonians, Clogher Valley and Omagh that will define their season pursuit of league honours.
Ballyclare v Carrickfergus
Advantage is to Ballyclare after they won the first round in these back to back games at the Tom Simms Memorial Park on Boxing Day 19 – 6. The returning Bobby Smith was the hero for his side scoring all 19 points. When one looks at the Div 1 league table Ballyclare are well positioned on 27pts in third place – four points behind leaders Instonians with Omagh one point ahead in second place. They are quietly going about their business with most pundits focusing on Instonians and Omagh as the key contenders for the league title.
Ballyclare Head coach Mike McKeever is seeing the league starting to take shape. It really will take to the first half of January, then the action commences. His view is that his coaching team and players will sit down as a group after the match against Carrickfergus with most teams having completed the first half of their league programme.
He formed the view in August that he thought Omagh would be a front runner and that Enniskillen would be in the mix also , which is why he can see how hard a place it is to go and get a result at.
Selection for the game against Carrick will not be finalised until Thursday night. James Greer is ruled out with concussion but the coach will have both Robbie Reid and Niall Lawther returning and available for selection along with Michael Rainey who offers experience and strength. It is a credit to the current 1st xv pack when players like Matthew Robson, Matthew Coulter, Ross Johnston and Willie Rae cannot get a starting place. Again they will offer so much to the team during the second half of the season. There is also the welcome news on the availability of Gary Clotworthy and Andrew Butler in the backs for the second half of the season.
Carrickfergus on the other hand realise how important every point is as four points separate them from Dromore, Cooke and Clogher Valley in 6th – 9th place in Div 1.
Clogher Valley v Dromore
Two teams now separated by four points in the bottom half of Div 1. Both need the win this weekend to avoid finishing in 9th place. It is impressive that Clogher Valley have only lost one game in their last seven and that was the narrow 20 – 19 defeat away to Ashbourne in the AIL Junior Cup semi final. The Fivemiletown side have closed the gap on Cooke, Dromore and Carrickfergus and will be going all out for four points this weekend. The team was disappointed they did not get a bonus point in their 13 – 0 win over Ards who proved very difficult opposition.
Clogher are expecting a difficult game against a Dromore side they defeated 3 – 0 at Barben Hill on the 19.11.16.
For this week prop Neil Henderson is unavailable with Michael Treanor moving into the front row. Eugene McKenna moves into the second row alongside Matty Robinson with Nathan Orr coming into the back row. Allister Trenier moves to 12 and will be partnered by former Royal School Dungannon player Philip Wilson. Eamon Whyte comes off the bench to play at full back. After a lengthy period on the injured list back row forward David Sharkey has returned to playing his best rugby with a man of the match performance against Ards.
Dromore have shown they have the players to be competitive this season with home wins over Enniskillen, Cooke and Omagh. The difficulty for Head coach Jonny Cullen is the teams away form. Their last win on the road was at Ards on the 17.9.16 when they won 15 – 3.
In scrum half Lee Steenson they have a match winner who given the opportunities can be difficult for any team to defend against.
Enniskillen v Omagh
Head coach Phil Marshall felt his players answered the doubters following back to back losses against Ballynahinch seconds and Dromore with a comprehensive 29 – 7 win against neighbours Enniskillen at the Thomas Mellon playing fields last Sat. It was the manner in which they secured the bonus point in scoring five tries. Hero was scrum half Stewart McCain who proved unstoppable in final quarter scoring three tries. Omagh know if they want to challenge Instonians and Ballyclare for the league title they will have to win at Mullaghmeen this weekend. Enniskillen on the other hand cannot afford to lose this match if they want to remain in the chasing pack. No doubt all roads from Omagh and Enniskillen will lead to Mullaghmeen for this crucial fixture.
Enniskillen Head coach Willie Gibson said that anything that go wrong went wrong in the lead up to their game at Omagh last Sat. On the Thursday night he lost two players through injury. Two minutes before kick off he lost out half John Maguire in the warm up and two backs who were injured in the first half. He felt his team lost their way in the final quarter after fighting back to get to within three points of Omagh. A couple of handling errors and Omagh pounced to score a try.
He was full of praise for the Omagh side who played nice rugby and stuck to their game plan that worked well for them.
The challenge for the Enniskillen players and their Captain Davy Buchanan is can they reverse the result at Mullaghmeen. This is a must win game for Skins if they are to maintain their title challenge. The players have been working hard in training this week to correct areas they needed to improve on for this weekend. The coach and his Skins players are very much looking forward to welcoming the Omagh players to Mullaghmeen for this crunch game for both teams.
RIVER ROCK TOWNS CUP 1ST ROUND
Armagh seconds v Limavady
Ballymoney v Lisburn
Ballynahinch seconds v Coleraine
City of Derry seconds v Bangor seconds
Donaghadee v Rainey OB seconds
Lurgan v Dungannon seconds
Randalstown v Banbridge seconds
Virginia v Larne
Armagh seconds v Limavady
These two teams have already met in the Kukri Ulster Rugby Championship/Conference Div 2 when Armagh seconds traveled to Limavady on the 8th October and won 17 -12. Both teams are in good form. Armagh completed their Conference league programme with a 41 – 5 win at Lisburn with Limavady going down 21 – 0 to Coleraine. Both are in 3rd place in their leagues with Armagh unbeaten in their last six matches. With Armagh 1st’xv playing City of Derry at home fans will have a choice of what game they want to watch. Armagh Head coach Alex McCloy is looking to develop strength in depth at the Palace Grounds. This Sat will be an opportunity to build on that progress.
Limavady having secured promotion last season have maintained their form in challenging for a top two finish in Div 2 alongside Coleraine and CIYMS. All ingredients are there for a cracking contest
Ballynahinch seconds v Coleraine
Unfortunately the draw has permed two of the inform teams in Junior rugby against each other in the 1st rd. Ballynahinch fresh from lifting the Millar McCall Wylie Junior Cup and the Conference league One title will be looking to add the River Rock Towns Cup to their list of Silverware this season. Coleraine like Ballynahinch have only lost one game this season. That was Ballyclare winning in the conference league against Hinch seconds and Coleraine losing out to Omagh in the Junior Cup semi final. Like Ballynahinch, Coleraine have lifted the Conference league Div 2 title and along with CIYMS are favourites to secure promotion to Div 1 this season.
Coleraine Captain Mikey Poskitt was a key player for his team, scoring two tries in their 21 – 0 home win over neighbours Limavady. The North coast side face a demanding playing schedule with games coming up against Hinch seconds, Limavady, CIYMS and Randalstown in consecutive weeks.
Both teams will be at full strength with home advantage likely to favour Ballynahinch seconds.
City of Derry seconds v Bangor seconds
Bangor seconds will represent the club in the Towns Cup this season after the 1st xv were promoted to UBL this season. In a memorable Final Bangor were pushed all the way to defeat Enniskillen 31 – 25. Bangor have set their stall out as they attempt to retain the trophy.
For the visit to Judges Road they have selected a strong team. 1 – 15 Ben Worthington, Andrew Jackson, Peter Morrow, Glenn Burton, Matt Nesbitt, Robb Falls, James Ferguson, Matty Baillie, Ali Lockhart, Jason Morgan, Neil Cuthbertson, Keith Rosson, Tayloe Ferguson, Chris Burns and Adam McCusker.
Both these teams play their rugby in Ulster Rugby Provincial league. Bangor seconds are in Div 1. They have won 6/10 games and sit in 4th place behind Queens, Omagh seconds and Ballynahinch thirds. City of Derry seconds are in Div 2. They have won 5/9 games and are in 5th place.
Donaghadee v Rainey OB seconds
Two teams who have only won one game between them this season. Donaghadee are in 10th place in Div 2 of the Kukri Ulster rugby championship. The Dee have played 14 matches and remain without a win this season. In their last outing they lost 29 – 11 at Deramore against Belfast Harlequins seconds in the Conference league last Sat.
Rainey OB seconds play in Div 1 of the Ulster rugby provincial league. They are in 10th place having won 1/9 games.
Both teams will be looking a morale boosting win after a difficult season for both these sides.
Lurgan v Dungannon seconds
The Stevenson Park side have already played a preliminary round match in this Cup defeating Ballymena seconds 16 – 10 on the 27th October. Interesting fixture this one. Lurgan are the cureent Gordon West Cup holders and are the only team to have defeated Ballymoney this season. They won a tight encounter with the Div 3 league leaders at Pollack Park in the 1st round of this seasons Gordon West Cup 26 – 24. Can this Lurgan side cause an upset this weekend. They are 3rd in Div 3 behind the PSNI and Ballymoney. Last season they defeated a much fancied Limavady side in the Gordon West Cup Final at the Kingspan stadium 32 – 31.
Randalstown v Banbridge seconds
Both these teams met in the Conference league game at Nelisbrook last Sat with a much changed Randalstown side coming out winners by 26 – 5. With Banbridge 1st xv playing at Ballynahinch this weekend you would have to expect Randalstown to win this contest.
Virginia v Larne
Div 3 Virginia up against 6th place Larne from Div 2. You can see only one winner. Larne Head coach Laurence Kelly will be aware of the pitfalls in travelling to County Cavan to play Virginia. He has a talented squad at his disposal who have lacked consistency in their performances this season. In Captain Eddie Hunter who scored two tries against UUC last Sat along with prop Luke Burford they have one of the most exciting half back pairings in Junior rugby – Ryan Garrett and Philip Andrews not to mention the talented Jordan Burns in the centre. If this Larne team decide to play rugby they will be a handful for this young Virginia side to contend with.