This U16 Girls' Cup will supplement the Super Series, a programme which began at the start of the 2021/22 season.

It aims to ensure girls are provided with the opportunity to play competitive games on a regular basis, increasing the playing numbers for the clubs involved.

The U16 Girls Cup will see 16 teams enter in the first round. 9 clubs will compete as standalone teams, while clubs with smaller playing numbers have been grouped together to create an additional 7 teams, meaning all players throughout the province will have access to the competition.

A draw was held on Tuesday the 11th of January at Kingspan Stadium which produced the following fixtures:

Ulster Rugby U16 Girls Cup - Round 1

• Newry + Portadown v Limavady
• Enniskillen v Ballymena
• Ballymoney + Rainey v City of Derry + Finn Valley
• Banbridge v Inishowen + Letterkenny
• Carrick + Larne + Ophir v Donaghadee
• Ards + Ballynahinch + Cooke v Malone
• Armagh + Dungannon + Lurgan v Monaghan
• Clogher Valley v Virginia

These fixtures are to be played on or before Sunday 6th February, with the teams who are eliminated dropping down into the U16 Girls Shield.

Ulster Rugby Development Officer for Women & Girls Becky Hall said:

"This season, our Super Series programme got under way with the aim of simply getting more girls to play competitive games of rugby, and so far it's been a huge success. Between September and December, we had roughly 150 girls take part at U16 level.

While the Super Series will continue throughout the rest of this season, the creation of the U16 Girls Cup provides a fantastic opportunity for the girls to compete for silverware in a more structured competition. The additonal of the subsidiary tournaments also means teams are guaranteed several cup games, and we'll have 4 finals taking place in early April."

Key Dates

Sunday 6th Feb: U16 Girls' Cup, Round 1
-Teams eliminated at this stage of the Cup will enter the Round 1 of Shield.

Sunday 6th March: Cup Round 2 and Shield Round 1
-Teams eliminated in Round 2 of the Cup will enter Round 2 of the Shield.
-Teams eliminated in Round 1 of the Shield will enter into the Plate Semi-Finals.

Sunday 20th March: Shield Round 2

Sunday 3rd April: Cup Semi-Finals, Shield Semi-Finals, Plate Semi-Finals
-Teams eliminated from the Plate Semi-Final will enter into the Bowl Final.

Sunday 10th April: Finals Day (Cup, Shield, Plate & Bowl)