The match began at a frantic pace, with Sullivan Upper asserting their physical presence early. Just two minutes in, outside-centre Harry McCartney signalled his intent with a powerful line-break that carved through the Wallace defence. Although Wallace initially recovered, the pressure told in the 3rd minute. Sullivan out-half George Kilpatrick executed a perfectly weighted kick toward the posts; the ball took a kind bounce into the path of the oncoming McCartney, who gathered and grounded the ball for the opening try. Ronan Naysmith added the conversion to give Sullivan a 7-0 lead.
Sullivan continued to control the territory, utilising their superior maul to force Wallace back into their own 22. In the 7th minute, after Wallace conceded a penalty at the breakdown, Kilpatrick stepped up to slot the points, extending the Sullivan lead to 10-0. Wallace struggled to maintain possession in the first quarter, though fullback Eoghan Watson and winger Jacob Dumigan provided glimpses of attacking threat with individual runs.
As the half progressed, the Wallace pack began to find their rhythm. Strong carries from Ethan Booth, Ben Gilmore, and Luke Ewing took the Lisburn side into the Sullivan 22 for the first time. Despite multiple five-metre lineouts and a powerful maul that pushed Sullivan back to their own gain line, the Sullivan defence remained disciplined. A crucial turnover in the 28th minute denied Oliver Hearne what looked like a certain try, leaving Wallace scoreless at the break.
HT: Wallace HS 0 – 10 Sullivan Upper School
The second half saw a complete shift in momentum. Wallace reduced the gap in the 35th minute through a well-worked team effort. After a sharp break from Dumigan and a heavy carry by Peter Moore, out-half Will Rodgers sold a "show and go" to fix the defence before feeding Zach Gordon, who crossed in the corner. Though the conversion was wide, the deficit was halved to 5-10.
Wallace struck again five minutes later. Ollie May-McCombe, who was increasingly influential in the midfield, sparked an attack that left the Sullivan defence scrambling. Following a series of hard yards from Gilmore and Dylan Moreland, the latter powered over the line from short range. May-McCombe added the conversion to put Wallace ahead for the first time at 12-10.
The decisive score arrived in the 51st minute. Following a slick transition in the midfield, captain Ben Gilmore found May-McCombe, who released Jacob Dumigan into space. The winger outpaced the cover defence to crash over, with May-McCombe again converting to make it 19-10.
Sullivan mounted a spirited late comeback. Exploiting a Wallace yellow card in the 58th minute, prop Jake Lynch forced his way over for a try, converted by Naysmith, to bring the score to 19-17. Despite a late penalty attempt from May-McCombe going wide, Wallace managed the final two minutes with maturity, keeping Sullivan pinned in their own half until the final whistle sparked scenes of historic celebration.
For his exceptional distribution, tactical kicking, and flawless second-half goal-kicking, Ollie May-McCombe was named Player of the Match.
Player of the Match
Congratulations to Ollie May-McCombe for his outstanding performance in today's final.
Scorers
Wallace High School: Tries: Z. Gordon, D. Moreland, J. Dumigan. Cons: Ollie May-McCombe (2)
Sullivan Upper School: Tries: H. McCartney, J. Lynch. Cons: R. Naysmith (2). Pen: G. Kilpatrick
Teams
Wallace
15 Eoghan Watson, 14 Zach Gordon, 13 Ollie May-McCombe, 12 Joshua Steele, 11 Jacob DUmigan, 10 Will Rodgers, 9 Peter Megarrel, 1 William Waugh, 2 Olly McKay, 3 Peter Moore, 4 Harry McCartan, 5 Luke Ewing, 6 Ethan Booth, 7 Oliver Hearne, 8 Ben Gilmore (C)
Replacements
16 Dylan Moreland, 17 Joel Sellars, 18 Rory McFetridge, 20 William Knox, 21 Oliver Lockhart, 22 Finn Girvan, 23 Isaac Morrell
Sullivan
15 Ronan Naysmith, 14 Felix Maxwell, 13 Harry McCartney, 12 Elliot Crawford, 11 Rory McClure, 10 George Kilpatrick, 9 Adam Yeates, 1 Jake Lynch, 2 Cyrus Mao, 3 Patrick Walton, 4 Sam Mairs, 5 Tom Buckley, 6 George McClure, 7 Daniel Farrel 8 Edan Polley
Replacements
16 Daniel byers, 17 Will Meharg, 18 Patrick Macdonald, 19 Noah Thompson, 21 Isaac McConville, 22 Cameron Lindsay, 23 Charles Duncan
