Preview of this weekend's club rugby action...
In the wintry conditions last weekend, several of the Ulster UBL teams faced difficult journeys with Ballymena, Queens Uni and Omagh travelling to Dublin. Banbridge to Cork, Ballynahinch to Limerick and Malone to Galway. Special mention also for the efforts of Donaghadee Rugby Club who travelled to Letterkenny over the Glenshane Pass with a bus load of 52 players, officials and spectators to play two matches with their 1st xv winning 15 – 5.
The journey down south proved fruitful for Omagh, Banbridge and Malone with Ballymena and Ballynahinch both defeated at Old Belvedere and Shannon. Queens Uni suffered their third consecutive defeat losing at Greystones. There was a home win for City of Armagh over Cashel with Bangor staging a dramatic comeback to draw 20 – 20 with Division 2C leaders Sligo.
With Round 10 of the UBL completed at the weekend, we have eight rounds to play in 2018 with six Ulster teams in the top four of their leagues. Ballynahinch and Banbridge in Division 1B, Malone and City of Armagh in Division 2A with Queens Uni in 5th place. Rainey OB in Division 2B with Dungannon in 6th one point behind 4th and 5th place Wanderers and Navan RFC. Omagh in Div 2C with Bangor in 6th place four points behind 4th place Bruff. In Division 1B Ballymena are in 8th place one point ahead of 9thplace UL Bohemians. Both Belfast Harlequins and City of Derry occupy 9th and 10thplace in Division 2B. Round 11 of the UBL will recommence on Saturday the 6thJanuary with players and coaches looking forward to a three week break with teams involved in SONI Ulster Premiership fixtures on Saturday 30th December.
None of the teams in Div 1 of the Kukri Ulster rugby championship were in action at the weekend due to the All Ireland Junior Cup semi finals. Holders Ashbourne overcame Ballina with Kilfeacle & District defeating Munster rivals Newcastle West to leave both teams to progress to the final on the 27th January 2018.
In Div 1 you have the top four teams Ballyclare, Instonians, Carrickfergus and Dromore. You then have Cooke, Coleraine and CIYMS with three points separating these teams. Then you have Enniskillen, Portadown and Clogher Valley separated by five points. What you have is three separate groups of teams all with their own targets for the second half of the season.
In Div 2 we had two games at the weekend with Ballymoney defeating Limavady to move into second place behind leaders Grosvenor with Academy proving too strong for Larne at the Glynn winning 29 – 12 to maintain their 4th place.
In Div 2 you have Grosvenor, Ballymoney and Randalstown fighting it out for the top two places. The top team is automatically promoted with the second place team playing the 9th place team in Div 1 for a place in Div 1 next season. Can teams like Academy, Larne and Ards make a push for the top four in the second half of the season. The battle to avoid finishing in the bottom two places is between Lisburn, Limavady, PSNI and UUC with five points separating the four teams.
Academy 29 Larne 12
Academy team: 1.Peter Jackson, 2. Lee Moody, 3. Troy Wilson, 4. Kyle Gregg, 5. Keith Dobbin, 6. Brian Cahill, 7. Stewart Martin, 8. Richard Henderson, 9. Josh Lennox, 10. Chris Cooper, 11. Jamie Wilson, 12. Mark Wylie, 13. Lewis Davidson, 14. David McCullough, 15. Stevie Stewart, 16. Adam Martin, 17. David Kenny.
Head coach Gareth Lynn was delighted with how his players played and their attitude towards this game. Points scorers Mark Wylie 2 x tries, David McCullough and Richard Henderson 1 x try each with Chris Cooper 3 x cons 1 x pen. This win made it six wins from seven league games to consolidate the team’s 4th place in Division 2. The coach made six changes to the team from their 18 – 12 win at home to Lisburn two weeks ago as he looks to build strength in depth for a strong second half finish to their season.
In Div 3 Donaghadee maintained their second place with a win at Letterkenny. It seems to be the case that Lurgan, Donaghadee and Strabane will contest the top two places. Lurgan remain undefeated and are favourites to win the league.
The top games in the Kukri Ulster Rugby Championship this weekend include the bottom of the table clash in Division 1 between Enniskillen and Clogher Valley and the Belfast derby between CIYMS and Cooke at Belmont. In Division 2 two of the top three teams, Randalstown and Grosvenor meet at Neilsbrook Park.
On Thursday night the 14th December Ballyclare and City of Armagh seconds meet in Conference league 1 at the Cloughan with a 7.45PM kick off. One point separates City of Armagh in 1st place and Ballyclare in 2nd with Ballynahinch seconds the current holders a further one point behind with a game in hand. Both Ballyclare and City of Armagh met in the Millar McCall Wylie Junior Cup at the Cloughan with the visitors winning a high scoring game 40 – 34. Ballynahinch seconds travel to play Carrickfergus 1st xv at the Tom Simms Memorial Park on Saturday. No date has been set for their postponed game with Portadown.
In Conference league 2 Grosvenor lead Ballymoney and Malone seconds by 4 points. Malone seconds have one game in hand on Grosvenor and two games in hand on Ballymoney with Malone seconds playing Lisburn 1st xv at home in the Conference league on Saturday.
Two Provincial Cup Finals will take place at the Kingspan stadium next week. First up is the First Trust Senior Cup Final between City of Armagh and Ballymena on Tuesday the 19th December with a 7.30PM kick off. The second game involves Ballynahinch seconds v City of Armagh seconds in the final of the Millar McCall Wylie Junior Cup on Thursday the 21st December with a 7.30PM kick off.
ULSTER BANK ALL IRELAND LEAGUE DIV 2B
Sunday’s Well (8) v Rainey OB (2)
With not having played for two weeks Head coach John Andrews and his players are looking forward to this crucial game in Cork against Sunday’s Well at Irish Independent Park. Missing the trip will be forwards Thomas O’Hagan, Stepehen Rutledge and Timothy Barker. Fintan Quinn returns after concussion to play in the front row with John McCusker being released by Ulster to play in the second row. In the backs Oisin Quinn and Nicholas Stirling are unavailable with Robert Lamberton taking his place on the wing. Scott McLean makes his first appearance on the bench after a long layoff due to injury.
Training has gone really well this week with the players using the Meadowbank arena. The squad are hungry and are looking forward to playing at Irish Independent Park that makes the trip tough but an exciting one to Munster.
KUKRI ULSTER RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP DIV 1
CIYMS (7) v Cooke (5)
Dromore (4) v Coleraine (6)
Enniskillen (8) v Clogher Valley (10)
Instonians (2) v Portadown (9)
CIYMS v Cooke
Head coach Gareth Fry thought the Instonians team were excellent in their 40 – 9 win over his CI team two weeks ago at Belmont. He felt they were head and shoulders better than any other team in the league. His CI team lived with Instonians for the first 60 minutes. After an Instonians player was red carded CI missed a difficult penalty that would have brought the score back to 18 – 12. Instonians then went on to score a soft try that left CI chasing the game with the physicality of the first half taking its toll on the CI players in the final quarter.
It was a great day at Belmont, apart from the result. The club had 140 for lunch and many others outside watching the match. A great club day that brought back memories when these two teams met 20 years ago as Senior teams.
Cooke this weekend are a slightly different prospect. They have a backline with speed and skill with the coach hoping his players can match them.
Team wise CI are still looking at a few options, but hope to have a couple of players returning from injury with a couple unavailable.
Both the coaches and the players are looking forward to another big derby day at Belmont.
For Cooke Head coach Colin Atkinson the teams inconsistency in selection is due to injuries and has been a big contributor to the ups and downs in form of late with several players having to play out of position. This combined with the lack of flow to the season has hampered players from building momentum and get some form going.
The coach was delighted to get over the line in the teams 14 – 8 win over a dogged Dromore side at Shaws bridge. Injuries and Indiscipline in the second half made things very close at the end. His players stood up and defended very well to close out the win.
Unfortunately for this weekend at CIYMS Alex Gourley will miss out this week with concussion. However Jason Lyons, Matthew Elliott and Adrian Dodd will hopefully put their hands up for selection if they complete a full weeks training following recent injuries with selection to be finalised on Thursday night.
Dromore v Coleraine
Director of Rugby Jeremy Ogle feels consistency is the key for Dromore to compete in this league both in selection and performance. He thought his players were slightly off colour against Cooke and paid for a slow start.
Injuries rule out Sam Russell and Michael Allen with Ryan Cobb expected to return in the centre. Forwards Rory Pepper and Andrew Black are available for selection after missing the Cooke game.
The Dromore players are looking forward to the Coleraine game at home this week with the thirds travelling to Grosvenor for a cup tie.
Coleraine Head coach Richard Boyd was delighted his players backed up the performance at Cooke with another solid win against Enniskillen 15 – 5 two weeks ago. Enniskillen were strong and physical but the coach thought the Coleraine set piece and defence really set the platform for the win.
He is particularly pleased to see young local talent coming of age in recent weeks with David Greatorex, Peter Wisener, James Millsopp, Andrew Wisener and Matthew Leighton all looking at home at this level and really enjoying their rugby at the club. All five players retain their place in the squad this week with the only change to the squad being the experienced Niall Irwin returning to the starting lineup to replace the unavailable Josh McCaw.
Dromore have had a strong campaign so far and are always difficult to beat at home. He knows his Coleraine team will have to improve their performance again to get anything out of this difficult fixture. However the squad will take great confidence from the last two performances and will be aiming to keep the winning run going.
Enniskillen v Clogher Valley
Head coach Willy Gibson has a near full strength Enniskillen squad to select from for the game at home to Clogher Valley. One bonus is the return of last year’s captain David Buchanan in the second row, which is a great lift for the team along with Richard Beatty in the front row. His backs selection has yet to be confirmed, but Connor Keys will return in the centre with winger Marty Balmer ruled out with a rib injury picked up in the Coleraine game.
This is a massive game for both teams with the Skins coach needing his players to go out and put all parts of their game together. The players are looking forward to a hard physical battle that Clogher Valley always bring in these derby games.
Clogher Valley forwards coach Davy Black was delighted with his teams 21 – 10 win over Carrickfergus at the Cran two weeks ago. He felt the team clicked with the combination of Neil Trotter and Fleming Agnew at 9 and 10 controlling the game. Developing young players at the club has been a priority for the coaches with Josh Coulter another player who grabbed his opportunity on the wing in the win over Carrick. Davy Black felt it was the self belief and ‘steel’ amongst the players that brought that much needed first league win. This weekend it is a local derby with Enniskillen at Mullaghmeen. Never an easy game with both teams needing the league points to move away from the bottom two places in Division 1. Since the win over Carrick the players have worked hard in training. The problem in this league is that every team on their day is capable of beating each other. Another plus for the coaches has been the form of back row forward Ross Finlay since he joined the club from City of Armagh. The match at Enniskillen will be all about attitude and work ethic. The win over Carrick has given the players confidence. Enniskillen will not be easy with a lot of passion from both teams. It will be all about players putting their bodies on the line in this derby game. Form does not count in a derby game. It all levels out once both teams take the pitch.
Clogher Valley team: 1. Philip Hopper, 2. Kyle Cobane, 3. Neil Henderson, 4. David Sharkey, 5. Michael Treanor (Captain), 6. B J Wilson, 7. Ross Finlay, 8. Ryan Wilson, 9. Neil Trotter, 10. Fleming Agnew, 11. Mark Ellis, 12. Allister Trenier, 13. Clive Donaldson, 14. Josh Coulter, 15. Dillon Crawford, 16. Philip Moore, 17. Toby McAlpine.
Players hoping to be available in the coming weeks include Matthew Keyes and PC Falconer with Eugene McKenna continuing his rehabilitation on his knee injury. Ian Mulligan is expected to be out long term.
Instonians v Portadown
For Director of Rugby William Leacock it is a case of his Instonians team building on their convincing 40 – 9 win at CIYMS two weeks ago. With Ballyclare having a seven point advantage it is important Instonians pick up the maximum five points to narrow their lead. William Leacock and his players are looking forward to getting a game. Both Harry Clelland and Lewis McNamara have trained with the squad this week. The coach is delighted to have them involved again. The win at CIYMS was the best performance the team have put in this season. The coaches are hoping to get another good performance against Portadown on Saturday.
Portadown Head coach Richard Hedley has had to deal with a number of changes to his playing squad this season, losing the experience of Gareth McCoy, Ciaran O’Kane and Chris Cousens. Adding in injuries and unavailability, it has been a difficult season to select a team. The timing of the injuries has not helped. Losing second row Willie Graham at the beginning of the match, two weeks ago at Ballyclare made it very difficult for the team.
This Saturday against Instonians it doesn’t get any easier. Both Willy and Ryan Muldrew are unavailable with Danny Alexander, Matthew Wilson and Taylor Tweedie returning to the squad.
Portadown will be looking to end a four match losing run in the AIL Junior Cup, Junior Cup and two league defeats against top four teams, Carrickfergus and Ballyclare.
KUKRI ULSTER RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP/CONFERENCE DIV 1
Ballyclare (2) v City of Armagh seconds (1)
Carrickfergus (5) v Ballynahinch seconds (3)
KUKRI ULSTER RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP DIV 2
Limavady (8) v Ards (6)
Randalstown (3) v Grosvenor (1)
UUC (10) v Larne (5)
Limavady v Ards
Head coach Mark Nicholl was delighted with the performance of his Limavady team at Ballymoney as they raced into a 12 – 0 lead in the first 20 minutes. Too many mistakes by this very young and inexperienced team with only three players over the age of 23 years allowed Ballymoney back into the match. The coach is hoping to have a number of players available this week after they missed the Ballymoney game for a very tough game at home to Ards.
Ards coaches John West and Scott Young are hoping to have a full squad to pick from for the trip to Limavady. At this stage they are making only one change from the 19 – 18 defeat at Grosvenor with Graham Taylor being restored at number 8. The team selection will be finalised on Thursday night.
The Ards coaches and players are looking forward to the game. They are expecting a hard game and will not be taking any team for granted. The focus for the team is to treat every team with respect.
Randalstown v Grosvenor
One game many rugby supporters are looking forward to. Both teams are renowned for the entertaining style of rugby they play. Grosvenor having scored 48 tries in 8 games with Randalstown scoring 31 tries in 7 matches. Two teams well coached by their Head coaches Gary Longwell and Robert Ford. Grosvenor remain undefeated in the league with Randalstown losing 23 – 22 at Academy. Their only league defeat of the season. All the ingredients are there for a thrilling contest between two evenly matched teams at Nelisbrook Park. Both teams had their Conference league games against Malone and Ballymena seconds postponed last week as coaches focused on this top of the table clash.
The focus for Grosvenor Head coach Robert Ford and his players is to take it one game at a time. They are expecting a very difficult fixture away to Randalstown. Their Head coach Gary Longwell has his team well coached with a number of very good players in their squad.
For Grosvenor they are faced with having to make a number of changes with several 1st xv players unavailable. Captain and number 8, Andrew Kelly is unavailable with a major doubt over influential scrum half Allen McCluggage. Matthew Cahoon remains on the injured list. With the wintry weather the players have been training indoors this week as they work hard for this match. The coach would love to finish this run of fixtures with a win, but Randalstown away is one of the hardest fixtures his Grosvenor team will face this year.
UUC v Larne
The students had their crucial league game postponed at Blaris against Lisburn due to the weather last weekend. Larne were well beaten 29 – 12 at home by Academy at the Glynn. The UUC team continue to make improvements in recent games. With another game away to Ards on the 30th December this young UUC team need to start picking up league points.
KUKRI ULSTER RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP/CONFERENCE DIV 2
Academy (5) v Omagh seconds (7)
Banbridge seconds (6) v Ballymoney (2)
Malone seconds (3) v Lisburn (11)
PSNI (14) v Ballymena seconds (8)
KUKRI ULSTER RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP DIV 3
BHSFP (6) v Letterkenny (10)
Civil Service (11) v Cavan (9)
Donaghadee (2) v Donegal Town (12)
Lurgan (1) v Holywood (7)
Monaghan (4) v Newry (8)
Virginia (5) v Strabane (3)
Preview compiled by George Millar
In the wintry conditions last weekend, several of the Ulster UBL teams faced difficult journeys with Ballymena, Queens Uni and Omagh travelling to Dublin. Banbridge to Cork, Ballynahinch to Limerick and Malone to Galway. Special mention also for the efforts of Donaghadee Rugby Club who travelled to Letterkenny over the Glenshane Pass with a bus load of 52 players, officials and spectators to play two matches with their 1st xv winning 15 – 5.
The journey down south proved fruitful for Omagh, Banbridge and Malone with Ballymena and Ballynahinch both defeated at Old Belvedere and Shannon. Queens Uni suffered their third consecutive defeat losing at Greystones. There was a home win for City of Armagh over Cashel with Bangor staging a dramatic comeback to draw 20 – 20 with Division 2C leaders Sligo.
With Round 10 of the UBL completed at the weekend, we have eight rounds to play in 2018 with six Ulster teams in the top four of their leagues. Ballynahinch and Banbridge in Division 1B, Malone and City of Armagh in Division 2A with Queens Uni in 5th place. Rainey OB in Division 2B with Dungannon in 6th one point behind 4th and 5th place Wanderers and Navan RFC. Omagh in Div 2C with Bangor in 6th place four points behind 4th place Bruff. In Division 1B Ballymena are in 8th place one point ahead of 9thplace UL Bohemians. Both Belfast Harlequins and City of Derry occupy 9th and 10thplace in Division 2B. Round 11 of the UBL will recommence on Saturday the 6thJanuary with players and coaches looking forward to a three week break with teams involved in SONI Ulster Premiership fixtures on Saturday 30th December.
None of the teams in Div 1 of the Kukri Ulster rugby championship were in action at the weekend due to the All Ireland Junior Cup semi finals. Holders Ashbourne overcame Ballina with Kilfeacle & District defeating Munster rivals Newcastle West to leave both teams to progress to the final on the 27th January 2018.
In Div 1 you have the top four teams Ballyclare, Instonians, Carrickfergus and Dromore. You then have Cooke, Coleraine and CIYMS with three points separating these teams. Then you have Enniskillen, Portadown and Clogher Valley separated by five points. What you have is three separate groups of teams all with their own targets for the second half of the season.
In Div 2 we had two games at the weekend with Ballymoney defeating Limavady to move into second place behind leaders Grosvenor with Academy proving too strong for Larne at the Glynn winning 29 – 12 to maintain their 4th place.
In Div 2 you have Grosvenor, Ballymoney and Randalstown fighting it out for the top two places. The top team is automatically promoted with the second place team playing the 9th place team in Div 1 for a place in Div 1 next season. Can teams like Academy, Larne and Ards make a push for the top four in the second half of the season. The battle to avoid finishing in the bottom two places is between Lisburn, Limavady, PSNI and UUC with five points separating the four teams.
Academy 29 Larne 12
Academy team: 1.Peter Jackson, 2. Lee Moody, 3. Troy Wilson, 4. Kyle Gregg, 5. Keith Dobbin, 6. Brian Cahill, 7. Stewart Martin, 8. Richard Henderson, 9. Josh Lennox, 10. Chris Cooper, 11. Jamie Wilson, 12. Mark Wylie, 13. Lewis Davidson, 14. David McCullough, 15. Stevie Stewart, 16. Adam Martin, 17. David Kenny.
Head coach Gareth Lynn was delighted with how his players played and their attitude towards this game. Points scorers Mark Wylie 2 x tries, David McCullough and Richard Henderson 1 x try each with Chris Cooper 3 x cons 1 x pen. This win made it six wins from seven league games to consolidate the team’s 4th place in Division 2. The coach made six changes to the team from their 18 – 12 win at home to Lisburn two weeks ago as he looks to build strength in depth for a strong second half finish to their season.
In Div 3 Donaghadee maintained their second place with a win at Letterkenny. It seems to be the case that Lurgan, Donaghadee and Strabane will contest the top two places. Lurgan remain undefeated and are favourites to win the league.
The top games in the Kukri Ulster Rugby Championship this weekend include the bottom of the table clash in Division 1 between Enniskillen and Clogher Valley and the Belfast derby between CIYMS and Cooke at Belmont. In Division 2 two of the top three teams, Randalstown and Grosvenor meet at Neilsbrook Park.
On Thursday night the 14th December Ballyclare and City of Armagh seconds meet in Conference league 1 at the Cloughan with a 7.45PM kick off. One point separates City of Armagh in 1st place and Ballyclare in 2nd with Ballynahinch seconds the current holders a further one point behind with a game in hand. Both Ballyclare and City of Armagh met in the Millar McCall Wylie Junior Cup at the Cloughan with the visitors winning a high scoring game 40 – 34. Ballynahinch seconds travel to play Carrickfergus 1st xv at the Tom Simms Memorial Park on Saturday. No date has been set for their postponed game with Portadown.
In Conference league 2 Grosvenor lead Ballymoney and Malone seconds by 4 points. Malone seconds have one game in hand on Grosvenor and two games in hand on Ballymoney with Malone seconds playing Lisburn 1st xv at home in the Conference league on Saturday.
Two Provincial Cup Finals will take place at the Kingspan stadium next week. First up is the First Trust Senior Cup Final between City of Armagh and Ballymena on Tuesday the 19th December with a 7.30PM kick off. The second game involves Ballynahinch seconds v City of Armagh seconds in the final of the Millar McCall Wylie Junior Cup on Thursday the 21st December with a 7.30PM kick off.
ULSTER BANK ALL IRELAND LEAGUE DIV 2B
Sunday’s Well (8) v Rainey OB (2)
With not having played for two weeks Head coach John Andrews and his players are looking forward to this crucial game in Cork against Sunday’s Well at Irish Independent Park. Missing the trip will be forwards Thomas O’Hagan, Stepehen Rutledge and Timothy Barker. Fintan Quinn returns after concussion to play in the front row with John McCusker being released by Ulster to play in the second row. In the backs Oisin Quinn and Nicholas Stirling are unavailable with Robert Lamberton taking his place on the wing. Scott McLean makes his first appearance on the bench after a long layoff due to injury.
Training has gone really well this week with the players using the Meadowbank arena. The squad are hungry and are looking forward to playing at Irish Independent Park that makes the trip tough but an exciting one to Munster.
KUKRI ULSTER RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP DIV 1
CIYMS (7) v Cooke (5)
Dromore (4) v Coleraine (6)
Enniskillen (8) v Clogher Valley (10)
Instonians (2) v Portadown (9)
CIYMS v Cooke
Head coach Gareth Fry thought the Instonians team were excellent in their 40 – 9 win over his CI team two weeks ago at Belmont. He felt they were head and shoulders better than any other team in the league. His CI team lived with Instonians for the first 60 minutes. After an Instonians player was red carded CI missed a difficult penalty that would have brought the score back to 18 – 12. Instonians then went on to score a soft try that left CI chasing the game with the physicality of the first half taking its toll on the CI players in the final quarter.
It was a great day at Belmont, apart from the result. The club had 140 for lunch and many others outside watching the match. A great club day that brought back memories when these two teams met 20 years ago as Senior teams.
Cooke this weekend are a slightly different prospect. They have a backline with speed and skill with the coach hoping his players can match them.
Team wise CI are still looking at a few options, but hope to have a couple of players returning from injury with a couple unavailable.
Both the coaches and the players are looking forward to another big derby day at Belmont.
For Cooke Head coach Colin Atkinson the teams inconsistency in selection is due to injuries and has been a big contributor to the ups and downs in form of late with several players having to play out of position. This combined with the lack of flow to the season has hampered players from building momentum and get some form going.
The coach was delighted to get over the line in the teams 14 – 8 win over a dogged Dromore side at Shaws bridge. Injuries and Indiscipline in the second half made things very close at the end. His players stood up and defended very well to close out the win.
Unfortunately for this weekend at CIYMS Alex Gourley will miss out this week with concussion. However Jason Lyons, Matthew Elliott and Adrian Dodd will hopefully put their hands up for selection if they complete a full weeks training following recent injuries with selection to be finalised on Thursday night.
Dromore v Coleraine
Director of Rugby Jeremy Ogle feels consistency is the key for Dromore to compete in this league both in selection and performance. He thought his players were slightly off colour against Cooke and paid for a slow start.
Injuries rule out Sam Russell and Michael Allen with Ryan Cobb expected to return in the centre. Forwards Rory Pepper and Andrew Black are available for selection after missing the Cooke game.
The Dromore players are looking forward to the Coleraine game at home this week with the thirds travelling to Grosvenor for a cup tie.
Coleraine Head coach Richard Boyd was delighted his players backed up the performance at Cooke with another solid win against Enniskillen 15 – 5 two weeks ago. Enniskillen were strong and physical but the coach thought the Coleraine set piece and defence really set the platform for the win.
He is particularly pleased to see young local talent coming of age in recent weeks with David Greatorex, Peter Wisener, James Millsopp, Andrew Wisener and Matthew Leighton all looking at home at this level and really enjoying their rugby at the club. All five players retain their place in the squad this week with the only change to the squad being the experienced Niall Irwin returning to the starting lineup to replace the unavailable Josh McCaw.
Dromore have had a strong campaign so far and are always difficult to beat at home. He knows his Coleraine team will have to improve their performance again to get anything out of this difficult fixture. However the squad will take great confidence from the last two performances and will be aiming to keep the winning run going.
Enniskillen v Clogher Valley
Head coach Willy Gibson has a near full strength Enniskillen squad to select from for the game at home to Clogher Valley. One bonus is the return of last year’s captain David Buchanan in the second row, which is a great lift for the team along with Richard Beatty in the front row. His backs selection has yet to be confirmed, but Connor Keys will return in the centre with winger Marty Balmer ruled out with a rib injury picked up in the Coleraine game.
This is a massive game for both teams with the Skins coach needing his players to go out and put all parts of their game together. The players are looking forward to a hard physical battle that Clogher Valley always bring in these derby games.
Clogher Valley forwards coach Davy Black was delighted with his teams 21 – 10 win over Carrickfergus at the Cran two weeks ago. He felt the team clicked with the combination of Neil Trotter and Fleming Agnew at 9 and 10 controlling the game. Developing young players at the club has been a priority for the coaches with Josh Coulter another player who grabbed his opportunity on the wing in the win over Carrick. Davy Black felt it was the self belief and ‘steel’ amongst the players that brought that much needed first league win. This weekend it is a local derby with Enniskillen at Mullaghmeen. Never an easy game with both teams needing the league points to move away from the bottom two places in Division 1. Since the win over Carrick the players have worked hard in training. The problem in this league is that every team on their day is capable of beating each other. Another plus for the coaches has been the form of back row forward Ross Finlay since he joined the club from City of Armagh. The match at Enniskillen will be all about attitude and work ethic. The win over Carrick has given the players confidence. Enniskillen will not be easy with a lot of passion from both teams. It will be all about players putting their bodies on the line in this derby game. Form does not count in a derby game. It all levels out once both teams take the pitch.
Clogher Valley team: 1. Philip Hopper, 2. Kyle Cobane, 3. Neil Henderson, 4. David Sharkey, 5. Michael Treanor (Captain), 6. B J Wilson, 7. Ross Finlay, 8. Ryan Wilson, 9. Neil Trotter, 10. Fleming Agnew, 11. Mark Ellis, 12. Allister Trenier, 13. Clive Donaldson, 14. Josh Coulter, 15. Dillon Crawford, 16. Philip Moore, 17. Toby McAlpine.
Players hoping to be available in the coming weeks include Matthew Keyes and PC Falconer with Eugene McKenna continuing his rehabilitation on his knee injury. Ian Mulligan is expected to be out long term.
Instonians v Portadown
For Director of Rugby William Leacock it is a case of his Instonians team building on their convincing 40 – 9 win at CIYMS two weeks ago. With Ballyclare having a seven point advantage it is important Instonians pick up the maximum five points to narrow their lead. William Leacock and his players are looking forward to getting a game. Both Harry Clelland and Lewis McNamara have trained with the squad this week. The coach is delighted to have them involved again. The win at CIYMS was the best performance the team have put in this season. The coaches are hoping to get another good performance against Portadown on Saturday.
Portadown Head coach Richard Hedley has had to deal with a number of changes to his playing squad this season, losing the experience of Gareth McCoy, Ciaran O’Kane and Chris Cousens. Adding in injuries and unavailability, it has been a difficult season to select a team. The timing of the injuries has not helped. Losing second row Willie Graham at the beginning of the match, two weeks ago at Ballyclare made it very difficult for the team.
This Saturday against Instonians it doesn’t get any easier. Both Willy and Ryan Muldrew are unavailable with Danny Alexander, Matthew Wilson and Taylor Tweedie returning to the squad.
Portadown will be looking to end a four match losing run in the AIL Junior Cup, Junior Cup and two league defeats against top four teams, Carrickfergus and Ballyclare.
KUKRI ULSTER RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP/CONFERENCE DIV 1
Ballyclare (2) v City of Armagh seconds (1)
Carrickfergus (5) v Ballynahinch seconds (3)
KUKRI ULSTER RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP DIV 2
Limavady (8) v Ards (6)
Randalstown (3) v Grosvenor (1)
UUC (10) v Larne (5)
Limavady v Ards
Head coach Mark Nicholl was delighted with the performance of his Limavady team at Ballymoney as they raced into a 12 – 0 lead in the first 20 minutes. Too many mistakes by this very young and inexperienced team with only three players over the age of 23 years allowed Ballymoney back into the match. The coach is hoping to have a number of players available this week after they missed the Ballymoney game for a very tough game at home to Ards.
Ards coaches John West and Scott Young are hoping to have a full squad to pick from for the trip to Limavady. At this stage they are making only one change from the 19 – 18 defeat at Grosvenor with Graham Taylor being restored at number 8. The team selection will be finalised on Thursday night.
The Ards coaches and players are looking forward to the game. They are expecting a hard game and will not be taking any team for granted. The focus for the team is to treat every team with respect.
Randalstown v Grosvenor
One game many rugby supporters are looking forward to. Both teams are renowned for the entertaining style of rugby they play. Grosvenor having scored 48 tries in 8 games with Randalstown scoring 31 tries in 7 matches. Two teams well coached by their Head coaches Gary Longwell and Robert Ford. Grosvenor remain undefeated in the league with Randalstown losing 23 – 22 at Academy. Their only league defeat of the season. All the ingredients are there for a thrilling contest between two evenly matched teams at Nelisbrook Park. Both teams had their Conference league games against Malone and Ballymena seconds postponed last week as coaches focused on this top of the table clash.
The focus for Grosvenor Head coach Robert Ford and his players is to take it one game at a time. They are expecting a very difficult fixture away to Randalstown. Their Head coach Gary Longwell has his team well coached with a number of very good players in their squad.
For Grosvenor they are faced with having to make a number of changes with several 1st xv players unavailable. Captain and number 8, Andrew Kelly is unavailable with a major doubt over influential scrum half Allen McCluggage. Matthew Cahoon remains on the injured list. With the wintry weather the players have been training indoors this week as they work hard for this match. The coach would love to finish this run of fixtures with a win, but Randalstown away is one of the hardest fixtures his Grosvenor team will face this year.
UUC v Larne
The students had their crucial league game postponed at Blaris against Lisburn due to the weather last weekend. Larne were well beaten 29 – 12 at home by Academy at the Glynn. The UUC team continue to make improvements in recent games. With another game away to Ards on the 30th December this young UUC team need to start picking up league points.
KUKRI ULSTER RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP/CONFERENCE DIV 2
Academy (5) v Omagh seconds (7)
Banbridge seconds (6) v Ballymoney (2)
Malone seconds (3) v Lisburn (11)
PSNI (14) v Ballymena seconds (8)
KUKRI ULSTER RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP DIV 3
BHSFP (6) v Letterkenny (10)
Civil Service (11) v Cavan (9)
Donaghadee (2) v Donegal Town (12)
Lurgan (1) v Holywood (7)
Monaghan (4) v Newry (8)
Virginia (5) v Strabane (3)
Preview compiled by George Millar