Rainey Endowed School put on a very good performance when they defeated Belfast Royal Academy in their second round encounter. Their star performer on the day was back row forward, Eunan Shaw. He not only ran in two tries during the game but also got through a lot of work in both attack and defence. He will realise that himself, and his team mates, will need to step up another gear when they entertain a very well organised Down High School team in round three.
Kieran Lynch, Anton Lupari, Scott Campbell, Conal Murphy and Shaw will be central to the performance of Rainey in the course of this eagerly anticipated encounter. There will be a large group of enthusiastic home supporters in attendance and they will be hoping for another competent Rainey Endowed Schools’ Cup performance. If they get it, and the players step up to the mark, there should be a place for them in the draw for the quarter finals of the Danske Bank Schools’ Cup.
It was the Down High School pack that laid the foundations for their round two victory against a determined Lurgan College team. Down HS will be delighted to have successfully come through that encounter. They are a well-organised team and one which will have taken a lot of confidence from their second round result. It was a confident and mature performance against Lurgan and one that was played in horrendous weather conditions. Thomas McCavera, Nathan Gibson, Thomas Johnston and team captain, Darren Cheung, all played leading roles in the Down High School pack. However, it was the performance of Thomas Donnan, playing in the back row, which really caught the eye. The Rainey Endowed School pack will have to front up.
Down High School has a number of very talented players in their backline and players who, despite the difficult conditions against Lurgan, were prepared to attack with the ball in hand. Ricky Gill, Joseph Bingham, Ryan Smyth and Patrick Wright are players who will take advantage of any defensive lapses in the Rainey Endowed defence. These players will need to be monitored closely throughout the game.
METHODY v LIMACADY GS, 11am
Methodist College Belfast will be expected to come through their potentially tricky encounter at home to Limavady Grammar School. This Methodist College team is seen by many observers as clear favourites to win the Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup for the third season in a row. However, coach Nick Wells, who is assisted by Stephen Lindsay, will take nothing for granted as they prepare for this fixture.
Captained by Ireland U19s prop, Michael Lagan, Methody can also call on a number of players who have picked up a range of Ulster and Ireland Age Grade honours. Joining Lagan on the Ireland U19 team were Steven Weir, Alex Thompson, Josh Bingham and Conor McKee. Connor Kelly played for an Ireland Schools’ U18 team at Christmas while Connall Boomer and Matthew McKinney have gained Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ U18 honours. Ross McAllister was involved with the successful Ulster U19 team earlier in the season and Saul Herdman captained a very talented Ulster Schools’ U18 Development team. Nine of the squad were involved in the Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup winning squad last season and all of the squad will be determined to achieve the ‘three in a row’ this season.
The Limavady Grammar School team will realise they did not really do themselves justice in their Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup second round encounter against Foyle College. The game was played in very difficult conditions which, possibly, inhibited the potential attacking flair of Limavady. The majority of their squad experienced the excitement of running out at Ravenhill three seasons ago when they played in a Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Medallion Shield Final. They lost on that occasion but the players concerned would love the opportunity of another appearance at HQ. They will be well aware if that is going to happen they have to overcome the strongest team currently playing schoolboy rugby in Ulster. They will look to their experienced players to step up in terms of performance against Methody.
They have beaten some ‘big names’ this season and lost narrowly to others. Head Coach, Stephen Barr, assisted by Chris Nash and Sam Vallelly, will see the performance of their forwards as key to the outcome of this game. Sam Mackey, Brendan Ferguson, Richard Boyd and Stephen Fallows are key men in that regard. Rory Squires brings representative experience to the squad and these players will be vital if Limavady is too progress.
If they can provide a sufficient quantity of quality possession for their backline, then it could be an interesting encounter. Scott McLean will punish any Methody indiscretions while the team captain Michael Barr and his centre partner Jamie Millar will be keen to ask questions of the midfield defence. There is a lot of Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup experience in the Limavady GS team; 17 of the squad were involved last season as they reached the quarter finals of the competition. They will have to work really hard if they are to reach that stage again.
COLERAINE AI v REGENT HOUSE, 11am
Coleraine Academical Institution will be delighted to be at home against Regent House in their Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ third round game. The Coleraine AI team travelled to Banbridge Academy last time out and found it difficult to grind out a narrow victory from that game. They can justifiably be seen as one of the ‘dark horses’, having achieved some very impressive results this season, including a big win against Regent House in September. They will expect to be seen as clear favourites on Saturday.
Coach, Richard Beggs, will see his captain, Conor Shiels, as being one of the key players in his team. Shiels brings creativity to a very talented Coleraine AI midfield, a midfield that includes Callum Smith and Mark Gordon. They will expect their pack, with Daniel McAllister, Thomas Pethwick, Joel Stanbridge and Ollie McDowell to the fore, to provide a good supply of quality possession so that the talented Coleraine AI backline can take the game to their opposition. If they do, the Regent defence will have to be well-organised and efficient in all they do. Any infringements will be punished by Shiels, a very talented player who is also first class kicker.
The Regent House team will need to be at full strength if they are to progress any further in the Schools’ Cup competition. They have recorded two narrow wins this season, against Wellington College and Portora Royal School. These wins will stand them in good stead and they will take a great deal of confidence from these victories. However, they will need to be at their very best in Coleraine.
Jonny Harris, their Ulster Schools second row forward, team captain Matthew Johnston, prop Tom Arthur Donnan and hooker Rhys Thompson all performed well against Portora. However, it was the performances of fullback Nathan Graham and fellow back Lewis Loane that really caught the eye. Coach, Peter Lowry, will be hoping that all these players, and more, can produce even better performances if the Regent House team is to come away from Coleraine with any degree of success. The Regent House team has improved a lot since their defeat earlier in the season to Coleriane and they will hope to avoid a similar outcome on Saturday.
BELFAST HS v WALLACE HS, 10.30am
Belfast High School produced enough to come through their postponed game against Omagh Academy when the sides met in their round two game. The High School team won that game by 13-5 but their coaching team of Michael Rainey and David Scott will realise their talented group of players will have to dig deep if they are to achieve a winning result against an ever improving Wallace High School.
Belfast HS captain Lewis Benson is aware of the fact his team can be rightly seen as another ‘dark horse’ in the Schools’ Cup. He will want his players to do themselves justice in their encounter with Wallace. He can call upon his own representative know-how as well as the Ulster Age Grade representative experience of players such as Jordan Garford, a hard running and skilful centre, Robbie Reid, Joel McBride and Conor McDermott. These players will have to take the initiative in the game from the kick off if the team is to fulfil its undoubted potential. 18 of the squad have been involved in Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup games in previous seasons. They know it will have to be a first class performance on Saturday if they are to take a place in the draw for the quarter finals.
Wallace High School has experienced varying degrees of success in the course of the season. However recent results, including a 28-26 win against St. Mary’s College, Dublin, would suggest they are starting to peak at just the right time. They had a number of players unavailable earlier in the season due to injury but it would appear that the Wallace High School coaches, Derek Suffern and Neil Hinds, will have a full squad from which to select for this game. Nine of their starting XV were involved last season and they have ten players available for this game, all of whom have picked up Age Grade Schools’ representative honours at Ulster U17 Development, Ulster U18 Development, Ulster U18 Schools and Ireland U18 Schools level.
If the Wallace High School pack, with team captain Callum Irvine a vital member, can provide a front foot ball, the Wallace High School backline has a talented group of players who can use it effectively. Jonny Stewart and Ryan Moore form a very effective half back partnership. Both these players display great footballing ability as well as top class game management skills. Ben Finlay is rapidly gaining a reputation as a very fine young centre while Andrew Cardosi loves nothing more than to get the ball in his hands. However, the real jewel in the crown is Jacob Stockdale, who has the ability to play in a number of positions but, regardless of where he is selected to play, he will provide a definite threat to any opposition. He has scored tries for his Wallace High School team, the Danske Bank Ulster Schools team and ran in a hat trick of tries for an Ireland Schools team in their Christmas game against an Ireland Clubs U18 team. These players will be central to the Wallace High School hopes of progressing further in the competition.
BALLYCLARE HS v BALLYMENA ACADEMY, 10.45am
In recent seasons teams from Ballyclare High School have been involved in reaching the semi-final stage of the Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup on quite a few occasions. The current squad of players will be determined to emulate the success of those teams in this season. However, they will know it is going to take a big performance against Ballymena Academy when the two sides meet in their eagerly anticipated round three clash in Ballyclare on Saturday. The new coach at Ballyclare High School is Michael McKeever, who gained a lot of Schools’ Cup experience when he was a pupil at Royal Belfast Academical Institution. McKeever can call upon the services of the experienced Gareth Shaw, as his assistant. As a player, Shaw picked up his experience of the Ulster Schools’ Cup when he wore the jersey of Ballymena Academy. It will be up to these coaches to guide what is a very young group of players through this tricky encounter.
Team captain Matthew Brolly and Ulster U19 winger James Beattie, played in the 2012 Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup Final. Team member Matthew Darling is a younger brother of last season’s captain Jonny Darling. These players will be working hard for another run out at Ravenhill. Mattie McDowell has been a revelation with his play at outhalf over the course of the season. He was joined on an Ulster Schools U17 team by Jack Magee, while Zack McMorran has caught the eyes of the Ulster Schools U16/17 Age Grade Management teams. The Ballyclare HS team put together a good run of results during November and December. They lost a number of games around the Christmas period but seem to be back on track again with some recent results going their way. They will have to at their best on Saturday if they are to progress.
The Ballymena Academy team has experienced a very mixed set of results so far this season. The team, coached by John Andrews, who is assisted by Gavin Murray, will be hoping for a positive run of results in their Schools’ Cup campaign. Their captain Duncan Maguire, an Ulster Schools U18 team member, will not allow his players to underestimate the opposition .The coaches and players at Ballymena Academy will be delighted if they have their Ireland Schools U18 flanker, Josh McElroy, available for selection for this game. His availability would be a major boost for the squad. Jonathan McKeown has picked up Ulster Schools U18 honours as has Andrew Magrath, a very talented place kicker. Marcus Rea has played U17 Ulster Schools rugby and will be keen to emulate the success of his older brother, Matthew, who played on the Ballymena Academy team that experienced Schools’ Cup success in 2010. Josh McNabey is in a similar situation as his brother, Sam, played on the same team four years ago. These players will have to bring their experience to bear in the game at Ballyclare High School. On their day, the Ballymena backline can cause problems for any team in the Province.
DALRIADA SCHOOL v RBAI
The Dalriada School team came successfully through against Portadown College in their second round Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup game. On that occasion, it was the performance of team captain, Timmy Emerson, which laid the foundations for the victory. He displayed the game management skills that saw him involved with the successful Ulster U19 team back in September. The skipper will require another big performance if his team is to have any chance of pulling off what you be a shock victory when the Royal Belfast Academical Institution team comes to town on Saturday.
Emerson got great support from his very determined pack of forwards with players such as Matthew Christie, Scott Malcolmson, Alan Montgomery and Ryan Malcolmson getting through a lot of work. Michael Finnerty, Gavin McCaughern and Peter Dunlop showed attacking flair in the game against Portadown College while Robert Hunter was always a threat in a game played in particularly difficult conditions. Team coach, David Dougherty, will be hoping for better weather conditions for the third round game. If he gets them, and hos charges perform as they can, it could be an interesting encounter.
Eleven players in the Royal Belfast Academical Institution squad have experienced the disappointment of defeat in the last Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup Final. They will fancy their chances of making it through to another final but will not underestimate Dalriada when the teams meet on Saturday. On paper, the Belfast Inst team would appear to have too many talented players throughout their squad. Coach Dan Soper, as well as his assistant, Richard Hedley, has experienced the pain of defeat in recent Schools’ Cup Finals - Soper with Ballyclare HS and Hedley with Belfast Inst! They would be delighted to get an opportunity to set the record straight this season. They have played 18 games this season and have won 14 of those. Three of those defeats came against teams from outside the Province.
Robert Little and Harry Clelland played for the Ulster Schools U18s team while team captain Rory Bell, Rory Campbell and vice-capt