Ticketing Info
Tickets must be purchased in advance from ulster.rugby/buytickets, as they will not be available at the stadium on match-day.
Match 1 - Ulster Carpets U14 Cup Final: Virginia v Rainey OB \[11:30\]
Route to the Final: Virginia
- Round 1, 12 Feb: 31-0 v Ballymoney
- Quarter-Final, 26 Feb: 43-17 v Monaghan
- Semi-Final, 12 Mar: 24-12 v Lurgan
Joint Captain Eoghan Keogan:
“I’m really looking forward to the Cup Final on Saturday. It is a huge reward for all the hard work put in by our squad of 32 players this season”.
Joint Captain Pat Crawley:
“Biggest game of rugby I have ever played, and a great honour to be joint captain of this great team".
Head Coach Werner Pienaar:
"Playing at Kingspan Stadium is a huge honour and from my side I would like to wish the boys the best of luck, and to leave all you have on the pitch. I also just have to mention how proud we are as coaches, parents, and a club for what they have achieved thus far, they are a credit to us all."
Youth Convenor Conor Walker:
“The Club has a strong tradition of producing great Youth sides, and this year's crop are living up to that legacy. Well done to all the coaches, the kids are a reflection of you, and a big thank you to all the parents for your backing. Mostly, congratulations to the players. Enjoy the day, leave it all out there, the Club are already very proud.”
Virginia's U14s are attempting to secure the double after having already won the Provincial League Final.
Route to the Final: Rainey OB
- Round 1, 12 Feb: 37-12 v Donaghadee
- Quarter-Final, 26 Feb: 19-7 v Ballynahinch \[away\]
- Semi-Final, 19 Mar: 22-17 v Ballymena \[away\]
Captain Luke O'Connor:
"It’s been a real privilege to be able to captain this team to the final. Our boys and coaches have put in countless hours to prepare for it. At the start of the year, we didn’t have that many players but we have grown to become a very capable team. There is a lot of talent in the squad and we are looking forward to playing at the home of Ulster Rugby. It would be great if we could make history for our club and win the game."
Coach Cahir McCann:
"Reaching the final is a great achievement for the team and it shows the hard work that all the players have put in throughout the season to keep improving to get to the final. This was the goal at the start of the season. Knowing that they will now be playing in Kingspan Stadium has created a great excitement within the team knowing that they get to play on the same pitch as their rugby heroes. There is a great buzz around the club and the support the team has been getting is incredible. Like every season playing it has its ups and downs throughout the year but overall this season has been a success with a third-place finish in the league and now reaching the final of the cup. This team will continue to improve year after year."
Head of Youth Rugby Russell Kennedy:
"I'm absolutely delighted for this group of U14 players and coaches to reach the Ulster Carpets Youth Cup final and have the opportunity to play in a showpiece game. The support the lads have had from P1 minis to 1XV players has been absolutely fantastic everyone involved at Rainey Old Boys RFC wishes them well on Saturday."
Match 2 - Ulster Carpets U16 Cup Final: Coleraine v Virginia \[12:45\]
Route to the Final: Coleraine
- Round 1, 12 Feb: 43-0 v Ballymoney
- Quarter-Final, 26 Feb: 45-5 v Ballymena
- Semi-Final, 12 Mar: 48-12 v Clogher Valley
Captain Simon Boorman:
“We’re all excited and looking forward to the final. We have worked towards getting to Kingspan Stadium, and it has been our ultimate goal. The team has been together through many seasons with some starting from mini rugby. We work as a tight knit group pushing each other hard through every training session. The season so far has gone well for the team through to the last qualifying matches, but the hard work only begins now, the boys will have to be switched on and prepared for whatever comes at us on Saturday.”
Head Coach Neil Beddow:
“The players and coaching team have worked extremely hard over the last two and a half years, and this year’s achievements are reward for all of that hard work. The 22 players in the squad are committed to delivering the cup for the club and have been fine tuning their game plan and techniques at training this week. Virginia, as always, will offer a committed and physical game that we need to be ready for on Saturday.”
Youth Rugby Convenor Paul Forbes:
"We are immensely proud of these fine young men. They have worked so hard this season and their resilient, tenacious attitude has given them this opportunity to play at the home of Ulster Rugby. The boys have been a credit to their families, their Club, and the community. I am delighted that the boys are able to share this Cup Final experience with their family and friends and have the opportunity to make memories which will last a lifetime.”
Route to the Final: Virginia
- Round 1, 12 Feb: 48-7 v Bangor
- Quarter-Final, 26 Feb: 34-0 v Malone
- Semi-Final, 12 Mar: 19-7 v Banbridge
Captain Aaron Byers:
“We are delighted and honoured to have achieved a place in the Cup final. I’d like to say a big thank you to the whole squad, coaches, and parents for their continued work and support throughout the season. Getting to play in the Kingspan Stadium is big deal to us, as Covid deprived us of the last two Cup competitions at U14’s and U16’s”.
Head Coach Mikey Forde:
“I couldn't be prouder of the team for all the hard work they've done this year. We only got to play one game last season, so the lads came out and made the most out of rugby before it gets taken away from us again, and what a great run we've had to get to the final. Whatever the result may be, this team has made the club extremely proud and excited for their development next year”.
Match 3 - Ulster Carpets U18 Cup Final: Ballymena v Belfast Met \[2:15\]
Route to the Final: Ballymena
- Round 1, 12 Feb: 45-5 v Omagh
- Quarter-Final, 26 Feb: 35-5 v Rainey OB
- Semi-Final, 12 Mar: 39-7 v Monaghan
Captain Jack French:
“We have worked really hard this year and are looking forward to playing in the final, the team have played some great rugby this year and we hope we can keep our momentum, play well and do ourselves justice on Saturday.”
Coach Nick Read:
“The team have been great to coach this year, they have been keen to learn and applied themselves very well. We know that we are in for a tough game in the final, we have played Belfast Met three times this season, 2 of the games being won with a last minute Ballymena score. We’re proud of our season this year and hope we can keep our winning streak going for another week. The boys have great team spirit and this has got us through tough games this year, I’m sure they will do themselves justice whatever the score on Saturday.”
Director of Youth Rugby Don Pattison:
“All of our teams have performed very well this year. Our under 14s got to the league play off final and were narrowly defeated in the cup semi-final last week. The under 18s have been outstanding so far, going unbeaten in the league is a fantastic achievement and they have worked hard for it. Ballymena youth offers the opportunity to play and get great coaching for anyone who is interested to play rugby; we have boys in the youth section representing schools from all over the district coming together to represent Ballymeana RFC. In the final on Saturday players from St Louis, Cross and Passion, St Killian’s, Northern Regional College, Greenmount and Dunclug will all be pulling on a shirt and playing for each other and Ballymena RFC.”
Ballymena U18s are attempting to secure the double after having already won the Provincial League Final.
Route to the Final: Belfast Met
- Round 1, 12 Feb: 31-5 v Lurgan/Portadown
- Quarter-Final, 5 Mar: 45-5 v City of Armagh
- Semi-Final, 12 Mar: 23-12 v Banbridge
Captain Zak Wilson:
"This season's been incredible and we blew away our expectations. Saturday is going to be tough, Ballymena have won twice against us in the last play of the game this season, the league final especially stung, so we're focused on our execution and playing some quality rugby. This season has been very challenging with covid, but we've worked hard to get here and we're going to enjoy it! My brother James was here in 2019 winning the cup, so I'm hoping I can take it back home to Belfast Met this Saturday!"
Head Coach Jen Goodall:
"Every year we put together a new squad in September and it always amazes me how well the boys perform in such a short space of time. They've put the work in, listened to our team of coaches and really applied themselves this year and I couldn't be more proud to see them get their deserved run out at Kingspan Stadium. Ballymena are a well-drilled unit and we haven't taken them yet, but 4th time's a charm, right? Saturday is going to test the boys to their limit, but we're up to the challenge and can't wait to get out there."