Sullivan Upper School v Belfast Royal Academy
Sullivan Upper School host Belfast Royal Academy in their quarter-final pair up. Sullivan were victorious against Banbridge in their clash at an extremely wet and windy Kingspan Stadium, emerging 24-3 winners. Sullivan will be being led out by captain, Jake Scott who was part of our Ulster U19 Schools interprovincial squad. Head Coach Adam Craig said, "We are really excited to be back in the quarter-final again. At this stage of the competition you just want a home draw and we are thankful to get that.
There’s a great buzz around Cup rugby at the minute in school with the Medallion XV reaching the semi-final of the Medallion Shield already and the 1st XV hoping to join them. The excitement of playing at Kingspan Stadium in the last round has given us more of an appetite to get back there again."
Belfast Royal Academy continued their strong run in the last round, picking up their fourth consecutive bonus-point win against Methodist College, beating MCB in a high-scoring thriller, 43-26. Reflecting on the group stages and competition so far, BRA Coach, DJ Creighton said, “Our group stage was good, and we had a couple of pretty convincing wins, but that was a different beast altogether against Methody. We enjoyed the group stage in terms of our preparation and process and it showed us what we need to do to be ready.” On Saturday, they will be captained by fly-half, Frank Davis.
Royal Belfast Academical Institution v Wallace High School
In a thrilling clash, Saturday will see a repeat of one of last year’s semi-finals, in which RBAI left victorious in a 33-20 thrilling encounter. Last year’s winners will be on the road to Wallace High School and are eager for the challenge, with captain Blake McClean leading the pack. RBAI Head Coach, Jamie Kirk said, “The boys are hugely excited ahead of Saturday. The Round of 16 fixture was an invaluable experience, coming through such a stern test against a strong CCB side. This has given the boys a real focus on areas we want to improve. Going into the quarter-finals, the excitement is building around the school, and we are looking forward to the challenge at Wallace.”
Wallace High School come off the back of a comfortable win in Enniskillen against Enniskillen Royal Grammar School, 31-7 and are now anticipating the replay of last year. Wallace will be led out by Jon Rodgers, who is 1XV for a second year in a row. Head Coach Neil Hinds said, “We are all excited and looking forward to the game. School life has been buzzing this week with the upcoming quarter-final as well as our 2XV drawing their semi-final with RBAI and our 3XV reaching the final of their cup competition. It is also great to see our younger pupils being so enthused by the game! It certainly feels like a big match is on the horizon. It will be a great social occasion with not only parents, staff and pupils supporting but also many past pupils in attendance. We are expecting one of the largest crowds ever seen on our own patch and are looking forward to a great atmosphere.”
Rainey Endowed School v Ballymena Academy
Rainey enter the quarter-finals on the back of four bonus-point wins after beating Bangor Grammar School 56-12 in the last round. They now play host to Ballymena Academy, who saw off Dalriada 22-0 in their Round of Sixteen replay. Director of Rugby at Rainey, Wilbur Leacock said, “We’re excited, we have worked incredibly hard as a group, and it is going to be an occasion that all the boys are looking forward to but at the end of the day it is just another game of rugby at home.” They will be running out behind skipper, Owen O’Kane, who was part of our winning Ulster U18 Schools interprovincial side.
Ballymena Head Coach, John Nicholl added, “We are looking forward to the challenge away to Rainey. I know it will be a tough contest, and Wilbur Leacock is an excellent coach so they will be very well drilled. They have an outstanding 10 in Owen who will be looking to guide them round the pitch and a few dangerous runners in the pack, so we fully expect a tight game. Everyone in the school is excited for the boys and now that it’s the quarter-final, that little bit of added pressure makes for an exciting encounter. Our captain on Saturday is scrum-half, James Gregg. He was the team’s captain throughout junior school and is also deputy head boy.”
Royal School Armagh v Regent House School
Royal School Armagh had a comfortable start to their Schools’ Cup campaign last round, racking up a 38-0 victory against Down High School. Captained by Thomas Dougan who was in South Africa this Summer with the Ireland Schools squad, the side will host Regent House this weekend. When discussing the game, RS Armagh’s Director of Rugby, Jonny Gillespie said ‘We are really excited to be this far into the Schools’ Cup competition and have been working really hard. Nick Gamble is a great coach, and so I know he will be coming with a really prepared team, especially at the breakdown. Sport generally is doing really well in the school which is creating a great buzz, and we are looking forward to Saturday.
Regent House Head Coach, Nick Gamble added, “It is a fixture we rarely play at senior level, so we know very little about their team. We know they have been playing to a consistently high level for a number of years so we are under no illusion about how tough an away quarter-final will be. The boys have been working hard over the last couple of weeks and are ready for the challenge.” Regent 1XV will be led out by skipper, Ethan Spratt.