Methodist College kicked off towards the Nevin Spence stand, however Campbell College immediately capitalised and within two minutes, a superb kick chase, initiated by Campbell's second row, Peter Johnston, created an opportunity. The ball was swiftly passed to Russell Alo Veikune, who powered over on the wing. Henry Ralston converted, giving Campbell an early 7-0 lead.
Campbell pressed for a second try, but Methodist College Belfast (MCB) forced a knock-on just outside their 22. Despite further Campbell attacks, MCB's defence held firm, and the play fluctuated up and down the field with neither side gaining significant ground. Campbell's powerful forwards, Harry Hudson and Cal McKinney, were instrumental in gaining territory.
In the tenth minute, MCB's scrum-half, Techin McGarvey made a brilliant line break, taking his team into Campbell's 22. However, possession was lost following a kick, and Campbell cleared to the halfway mark. MCB made another determined effort to score in the fifteenth minute, coming within inches of the try line. Powerful surges by Luca Vericat, Matthew Scott, and Matthew Bell were thwarted when Campbell pounced on a loose ball.
In the twentieth minute, after a lineout and a powerful drive from Cal McKinney, Campbell's James Callaghan executed a fine break before offloading to scrum-half James Wells, who scored. Ralston converted, extending Campbell's lead to 14-0.
Methodist College responded in the 31st minute, with Conor Doherty crashing over after a dominant 5m lineout maul. Curran's conversion attempt went wide, leaving the score at 14-5. The half-time whistle blew, with Methodist College trailing despite a fiercely contested first half.
HT: Campbell College 14 - 5 Methodist College Belfast
The second half began explosively, with Campbell scoring within a minute. Following forward pressure, centre Michael Bradbury powered over, increasing the lead to 19-5. Methodist College quickly retaliated, with Joe Thompson scoring after excellent phases involving Peter Lindsay and Callum Largey.
Campbell extended their lead again just two minutes later, as Paddy Woods powered over. Ralston converted, making it 26-10. Methodist College responded immediately, with Peter Lindsay scoring in the 47th minute. Louis Curran converted, narrowing the gap to 26-17.
Campbell dominated the final twenty minutes, scoring three unanswered tries. Maxwell Scott, Rus Veikune Alo Lovo, and Cal McKinney all crossed the line. Ralston converted two of these tries, pushing the score to 45-17.
However, Methodist College refused to give up, scoring two late tries. Hooker Matthew Scott and flanker James Reid both crossed the whitewash. Louis Curran converted both tries, bringing the final score to a hard-fought 45-31.
FT: Campbell College 45 - 31 Methodist College Belfast
Scorers
Campbell College
Tries: Alo Lovo (2), Wells, Bradbury, Woods, Scott, McKinney
Conversion: Ralston (5)
Methodist College
Tries: Doherty, Thompson, Lindsay, Scott, Reid
Conversion: Curran (3)
Teams
Campbell College
15 Rus Veikune Alo Lovo, 14 Oli Parks, 13 Paul Henry, 12 Michael Bradbury, 11 James Callaghan, 10 Henry Ralston, 9 James Wells, 8 Cal McKinney, 7 Maxwell Scott, 6 Harry Hudson, 5 Peter Johnston, 4 Paddy Woods, 3 Ranaan Potter, 2 Jed Dornan (C), 1 Dante Noel Simmons
Replacements
16 Ethan Kennedy, 17 Conor McKinney, 18 Caelan Doy Dolan, 19 Rory Adair, 20 Harry Burrows, 21 Ollie Larkin, 22 Isaac Hatch, 23 Iaith Hanash
Methodist College Belfast
15 Peter molloy, 14 Sam Nixon, 13 Callum Largey, 12 Peter Lindsay, 11 Matthew Gourley, 10 Louis Curran, 9 Techin McGarvey, 8 Oliver Gartley, 7 James Reid, 6 Harry Doherty, 5 Callum Godfrey, 4 Conor Doherty, 3 Matthew Bell (C), 2 Matthew Scott, 1 Luca Vericat
Replacements
16 Kalid Alaga, 17 Noah Davey, 18 Oliver McCay, 19 Scott Harrower, 20 Sam Gray, 21 Alex O'Hagan, 22 Alex Turkington, 23 Joe Thompson