Campbell College v Wallace High School, Wed 2nd March, 2:30, Kingspan Stadium
Campbell College boast a proud history in the Danske Bank Schools' Cup, with their 24 wins making them the third most successful side to have taken part.
They lost out in 2019's final, but were victorious the previous year, as they overcame Royal School Armagh 19-13 to lift the Cup in 2018.
This season's cup run began with the biggest win of the 4th round, as Campbell beat Down High 40-7.
An early penalty try set the tone, before front row duo Cameron Hillis and Zac Soloman extended the lead. Oliver McAuley then crossed to give them a commanding 25-0 lead at the break.
Matthew Rae, Lukas Kenny, and Reece Bell added second half tries to finish off a resounding victory and set up a home quarter final meeting with Dromore High.
Hooker Zac Soloman scored for the second Danske Bank Schools' Cup match in a row, but it was a tense game and Campbell only led 5-3 at half-time.
Peter Caves converted his own try early in the second period, before Darragh Hanlon crashed over close to the posts, allowing Caves to kick the extras.
Hanlon then touched down for his second try which was again converted to give Campbell a 26-8 victory.
Ahead of their semi-final game with Wallace High School, we spoke to Campbell College Head of Rugby, Johnny Cupitt.
Prior to the Schools’ Cup, how had your season been going?
I have been very happy with how the season has gone to date and the players have developed both individually and collectively extremely well. Our fixture list is aligned to play very competitive games throughout December and January and we played Dublin schools such Clongowes and Pres Brae in this block of games. These cup-type fixtures have been excellent preparation for the Schools' Cup and playing away was vital as well to replicate the challenging environments we could face.
How do you feel your team has performed so far during the Schools’ Cup?
With regards to our first two games against Down High School and Dromore High School, we have been gradually building momentum within our performances and we are now in a position that we believe the technical side of things have been banked so it's time to now enjoy the Semi Final and hopefully express ourselves in this regard. Over the last 4-5 seasons we have enjoyed being involved in various Finals and our players this year once again can’t wait to play at Kingspan together.
Have there been any of your players that have stood out and made a significant impact so far this season?
Our pack as a collective unit is strong this year and has been led very well by Zac Solomon, Joe Hopes, Flynn Longstaff and Oli McCauley. Zac, Joe and Flynn are involved in the National set ups and their Provincial experience has allowed them to push their standards further throughout the season. In the backline Lukas Kenny, Cal Florence and Matthew Booth have been very effective to date and they possess the necessary attributes to perform well in this competition.
What’s been your impression of Wallace this season, and what kind of game are you expecting at Kingspan?
Wallace are always an extremely well prepped team who cause opposition problems at the breakdown and with their set piece. They also have some dangerous individuals in the backline that we will try and nullify. The game will be a war of attrition up front and game managers behind them on the day will make the difference. We are very much looking forward returning to the Kingspan on Wednesday 2nd March.