Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup Round 1 Preview Saturday 10th January 2015.
There are seven Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup Round 1 games scheduled to take place on Saturday 10th January 2015.
Banbridge Academy will host an Antrim Grammar School team that will have gained a great deal of confidence from their hard earned victory against Strabane Academy in the Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup Preliminary Round game played in December.
The Banbridge Academy team has had a mixed season, in terms of results, thus far. They have recorded some excellent wins against teams such as Royal School, Armagh, Portora Royal School and Royal School, Dungannon. They have picked up one Cup already this season when they won a tournament involving three schools from the Mid Ulster area. This success will have given the Banbridge Academy squad a great deal of confidence. Team coaches, Brian Leslie and Roy Stevenson know they have a good mixture of youth and experience to hand as they prepare for this game. Unfortunately, their Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ 2nd Row forward, Richard McNeill, will not be available as he is currently in rehab following a knee injury. However, in players such as Daniel McElderry, Jay Pinion, Ben Carson, Shane Honeyford and Rhys Mackey, the Banbridge team has experience in their back division. Add in the emerging talents of Ulster U16 Development scrum half, Jordan Mount, featuring on the wing, and the finishing power of fellow winger, Michael McGaffin, the Banbridge back line has a lot of quality in the ranks. These players will look to the experience in their pack, provided by players such as Ben Nixon, Stephen Rompante, Richard McNeill and captain, Matthew Bell, to provide the quality possession they need to enable them to ask questions of the Antrim defence.
The Banbridge team will see themselves as favourites to win this Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup game against the Antrim Grammar School team. However, they should not underestimate the Antrim Grammar School team. The Antrim boys have had the experience of a Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup game behind them. They have had the experience of celebrating a hard fought victory in the Schools’ Cup and will arrive in Banbridge wanting more of the same. They know they have nothing to lose and will go flat out for the seventy minutes determined to cause an upset. Their coaching staff, Michael Ferguson, John Burns and Richard Cullen, knows they have some talented players available for this game. None more so than their Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ U17 squad member, JJ McKee. JJ has been a rock in the Antrim Grammar School pack all season. He gets great support from players such as the Mawhinney brothers, James and Robert, at prop, alongside the hard working backrow trio of Jacob McCollum, Daniel McGrandles and team captain, Matthew Dunne. In the Antrim Grammar School back division, NCU U17 Cricketer, Sam Gordon, provides good game management and decision making skills while Adam Johnston has developed an eagle eye for the opposition try line throughout the season. These players will need to be monitored closely by the Banbridge Academy defence throughout the game.
This game is scheduled to kick off at 10-30am.
Friends’ School, Lisburn will be prepared to accept the role of “underdogs” as they prepare for their Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Round 1 clash at home against Portadown College on January 10th. It has been an indifferent season for the Lisburn team. They have had to endure a season which has seen the squad blighted by injury problems, non-availabilities and a very young squad of inexperienced players. Their early season form saw them lose games narrowly, in four of the games just one score separated them from a successful outcome. Then a series of injuries to key players set in and the results dipped even more! A number of successes in November showed what the team could achieve but then more injury woes set in. The coaching team of Stephen Robinson, Norman Gamble and Graham Cloke is still not sure as to whether or not they will have a full squad from which to select for the Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup encounter against Portadown. Curtis Dundas, Ryan Hall and Kirk McGrady are talented players who are among a lot of Friends’ School players who will be facing the pressure of their first Ulster Schools’ Cup campaign. They will look to the leadership qualities of players such as Stevie Kay, the Friends’ School captain, Thomas Boyde, who has deputised for Stevie on a number of occasions, Bart Campbell, Adam Scoffield and James McGucken to guide them through this encounter.
The Portadown College team has recorded a number of impressive results in the course of the current season. The stand out result will have been their success against Rainey Endowed School earlier in the season when they won the Vinnie Doyle Memorial Cup. Their Head Coach, Andrew Symington, realises he has an experienced squad to work with, especially in the back division. Six of the backline are going into their third season of Ulster Schools’ Cup Rugby. Team captain, Niall Davidson initially earned his reputation as a talented No 10. He has now moved out one channel and has established an excellent centre partnership with Jason Lau. The Portadown College team will look for quality possession to allow these two players the opportunity to influence the game in a positive manner. The Portadown College pack can look to the experience of players such as Jonathan Leckey, Robert Bleakney and Jacob McKeeman to assist in the provision of the quality possession the backline will crave. Not only is Jacob a hard working No 8, he is also among the leading try scorers on the Portadown College team this season. His younger brother, Peter, is turning out to a be recognised talent in the Portadown backline and will, no doubt, tell his older sibling exactly what the backline requires from the pack! The McKeeman brothers could have a major impact on the eventual outcome of this game. It is a game the Portadown College players will see their team as the clear favourite to win and, with it, a place in the Round 2 draw for the Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup.
This game is scheduled to kick off at 10-30am.
It has been a season of transition for the Limavady Grammar School squad which has just two of last season’s successful squad returning for this season’s Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup venture. The Limavady Grammar School coaching team of Chris Nash, Sam Vallelly and Brian Hughes realise that this period of transition applies, in the main, to them as well. They have worked hard with a very young squad to establish an effective series of game plans. They have found themselves in a winning position in a number of games this season only to lose out in the dying minutes of these encounters. The one major consistent factor in all these games has been the desire of the players to learn from their mistakes. Team captain, Scott McLean, has led from the front and, even in defeat, has impressed with his maturity, leadership and high levels of skilled performances. Everyone involved has been working hard to learn how to retain possession in critical areas of the pitch, close out games when leading in the final quarter of games and develop a sense of confidence that will be sufficient to carry them through to next stage of the Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup. Critical to this will not only be the leadership of Scott McLean but, also, the performances of players such as Darren Corrigan, Oliver Mullan and Sheagh McLaughlin. Scott Patton and Gareth Kee are the leading try scorers in the course of the season so far. The Limavady Grammar School team will be delighted they play the Wellington College, Belfast team at home in this Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup Round 1 game. That fact alone could be sufficient to give the Limavady team a positive look at the outcome of this game.
The Wellington College team should not be underestimated in this game. For the first time in many seasons they have a large number of players available for selection. The Wellington College coaching staff, Peter Chambers, a former Ulster Schools’ Cup winner, Simon Fitzgerald and Gareth Montgomery, took their squad to a mid-term training camp in Portugal. They planned out the lead up to their Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup campaign and finished the camp with successful games against Gresham College and a Portugese U18 Regional team. Team captain, James Hayes, leads from the front and he forms a formidable front row trio alongside Karl Sloan and Ross Dunning. James is among the top try scorers on the Wellington College team. The top try scorer honour goes to David Montgomery who has averaged almost one try per game during the season. David would be the first to recognise the role his fellow forwards have played in helping him with his try scoring exploits. Ethan Sweeney and Luke Harris form an effective half back partnership and these players attempt to bring their outside backs into the game at every opportunity. Leading points scorer on the Wellington College team is their place kicker, Jamie Hewitt. Jamie has a rugby pedigree second to none as he is the grandson of former Ulster, Ireland and British and Irish Lions player, John Hewitt. He has had a phenomenal goal kicking success already this season and the Limavady Grammar school team would be well advised not to present Jamie with too many penalty kick opportunities. Wellington College will realise they will enter this game as underdogs but they will go all out to provide an upset.
This game is scheduled to kick off at 11-00am.
Two previous winners of the Ulster Schools’ Cup will meet when Regent House host the Royal School, Dungannon team in their Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup Round 1 clash on Saturday. The Regent House team, with coaches, Peter Lowry, Mervyn Tweed and Nick Gamble in charge, will look upon themselves as favourites to win this game. With former Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ U18 second row, Jonny Harris, captaining the team, there is a great deal of experience in the Regent House pack. Kyle Van Geison brings Ulster Development squad experience to the Regent House front row but it is players such as Tommy Scullion, Conn Crawford and Robert Brown that will provide the real Schools’ Cup experience for their captain. As coach of the Regent House forwards, Mervyn Tweed believes he has a pack that, on their day, can match up to any school pack in Ulster. Alex Hendrickse, Ethan Bradley, Josh McFarland and Brandon Frazer bring a youthful exuberance to the Regent squad and they will look forward to their first Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup outing. Jonny Harris has really led his team by example and is the leading try scorer. Taylor Nutt has had a great season with his boot and the Dungannon team will know not to give needless penalties away in their half otherwise they will be punished severely. Aaron May, in the Regent House midfield, has displayed great creativity in many games. This has been of benefit to the Regent House wingers, Matthew Stanex and David Jamieson, both of whom love to get the ball in their hands. Head coach, Peter Lowry, has worked hard to ensure his charges peak at just the right time. He will hope his squad repay all his hard work on Saturday.
The Royal School, Dungannon team took themselves of to Portugal in December for a training camp in preparation for their Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup visit to regent House. For a school with such a limited number of players, the RS Dungannon teams, over the years, have always looked forward to their Schools’ Cup encounters. The “Class of 2015” will be no different. The school won the Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Trophy last season. That achievement has given the current team the desire to go, at least, one step further this season. Team coaches, Gareth McClintock, Gareth Lucas and Jason Hunniford, will hope to have a squad of fully fit players from which to make their final selections. They have a very young, but talented, group of players, many of whom will make their Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup debuts. Team captain, John Buckley, will look to his pack to get the quality possession his backs desire. Forwards such as Jim Meng, Jonathan Black, David Cooper, Josh McKee, Josh Black and Peter Doran will have vital roles to play in both the set piece and the breakdown areas. There is an array of talent in the RS Dungannon backline with players such as Nathan McCammon, Matthew Smyth, Aaron Perry, Aaron McCammon and Philip Wilson all hoping to get the opportunity to display their attacking skills in the course of this game. Results wise, it has been something of a mixed season for the RS Dungannon team but going into this game as “definite” underdogs will suit their Ulster Schools’ Cup pedigree just fine.
This game is scheduled to kick off at 11-00am.
The recently appointed Cambridge House coach, John Nicholl, has put structures into place to revitalise the game of Rugby Football in the school. He has brought former Ulster player, Jamie Smyth, and fellow Ballymena RFC player, Chris Smyth, on board to assist with coaching players throughout the school. Their squad of senior players, the largest for a number of years, has benefitted from the coaching set up so far. The team has won more games than they lost in the course of the build up to their Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Round 1 encounter with Grosvenor Grammar School on Saturday. Sam Nicholl is the Cambridge House team captain and he has made it clear to his team mates he expects them to front up in this game. He can look at the try scoring ability of players such as Lewis Wray, the points scoring ability of James Bovill, the work ethic of his vice-captain, Aaron Henry, as well as the fact that Houston Bonnar has been selected in an Ulster Schools’ Development squad to see he is surrounded by a number of talented players. He will expect to great support from these players as they look forward to their Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup match against Grosvenor Grammar School on Saturday.
The Grosvenor Grammar School players will see themselves as clear favourites to win their Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Round 1 game against Cambridge House. They are a young squad in transition but the players have adapted remarkably well to the demands of School 1stxv Rugby. The entire squad is now starting to realise they have the potential to achieve a good run in the Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup. Team coaches, Gary Hunter and Andrew Gibson realise they have a talented group of young players to work with but a group that has little experience of the pressures of a Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup game. Their players will be told never to underestimate the opposition, particularly in a Cup game. Leading players for the Grosvenor Grammar School this season include James Cartilage, Ben Davidson, an Ulster Schools’ U17 Development player, Jordan McDowell and Taylor Pollock in the Grosvenor pack. The Grosvenor backline contains the emerging talents of players such as Thomas Quinn, an U16 RDS player, Gareth Lammey, Jonah McDowell and Mark Johnston. Mark, as well as being a top notch place kicker, has developed the happy knack of scoring crucial tries at crucial times in recent games. The Cambridge House defence will need to pay Mark just respect for the entire game. The Grosvenor Grammar School team will expect to be in the draw for the 2nd Round of the Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup but the Cambridge House team will be all out to cause an upset.
This game is scheduled to kick off at 10-30am.
The Carrickfergus Grammar School team is another of the teams from Ulster to travel to Portugal for a training camp in preparation for their Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup campaign which starts against the Lurgan College team on Saturday. The Carrickfergus Grammar School coaches, Neal Kennedy and Stephen Martin, have moulded a talented group of players into a team that a number of opposition teams have found difficult to defeat this season. Captained by Jake Porter, who forms a prolific try scoring centre partnership with International Schoolboy Athlete, Christian Robinson, the Carrickfergus Grammar school team has performed to a high standard throughout the season. Injuries to key players, in the latter stages of the first term, impacted seriously on results but recent performances seem to suggest they are hitting top form at just the right time. Adan Urquhart, Tom Gilpin, an Ulster Schools’ U17 Development Squad member, Scott Henderson and the Berry twins, Reece and Kris, bring experience to a pack of forwards that is efficient at set piece time and effective at the breakdown. The Carrickfergfus Grammar School half back pairing of Michael Black and David Carse has established a great understanding and will be asked to keep their pack on the front foot throughout the game. The back three trio of Mark Ellison, Conor Schirk and Fionn Mc Cormack love to get the ball in hand to test the opposition defence. If the Carrickfergus Grammar School team gets sufficient quality possession on Saturday the Lurgan College defence will need to be well-organised.
Having defeated the Carrickfergus Grammar School team already this season the Lurgan College team will travel to this game as favourites. Team coach, Geoff Caldwell, has had the good sense to bring Trevor Carruthers on board as his assistant. Trevor has brought experience, dedication and knowledge to his role. He has developed a high degree of self-belief in the Lurgan College back division and the team is reaping the rewards. Ulster Branch Strength and Conditioning coach, Paul Heasley, has been brought in to the school to assist the players in developing the S&C aspect of their game. This appointment seems to be paying dividends as well.Team captain, Matthew Lairds leads from the No 8 position and he can call upon the experience of fellow forwards such as Ulster Schools’ U17 Development squad member, Harry Simpson, Mark Montgomery, Nathan Moffett, Thomas Neill, Ben McAllister and Matthew Turner. Matthew will look to his dynamic pack to control the scrums, lines-out, as well as the breakdown area, to supply his backs with the quality possession they require. Scott Wilson and Jonny Hunter are experienced attacking half backs and Jonny can rely on his brother, Jamie, playing in the centre, to assist him when required. The Hunter brothers have great rugby DNA being the grandsons of former Ulster, Ireland and British and Irish Lions player, Raymond. Jamie Patterson has settled well into his new role as full back and brings an attacking prowess to the position. The Lurgan College team has some twelve Year 12 players in their squad but their coaches belief they justify the tag of favourites to win this game as they have hit good form at just the right time.
This game is scheduled to kick off at 10-30am.
Foyle and Londonderry College will host Larne Grammar School in their Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup Round 1 encounter on Saturday. The Foyle College squad, under the astute coaching team of David Barnett and Ray Menown, has prepared well for their Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup campaign. They have experienced great success in the course of the season so far and will expect that success to continue on Saturday. A particularly impressive win, among others, was on the road against a more than useful Dublin High School team on the morning of an Autumn International at the Aviva Stadium. Team captain, Alex Mc Donnell, will get great support from his brother, Callum, a player who is developing into a more than useful and adaptable forward. Alex himself is a very astute outhalf who displays tremendous game management skills. He is also an outstanding place kicker, among the top in any school in the Province. Larne Grammar School will need to be disciplined anywhere inside their half otherwise they will be punished! Robbie House, Thomas Cole, Jack McNeill and Lee Brady have been among the try scorers on the Foyle College team this season. They will be looking for more on Saturday.
This has been a season full of difficulties for the young Larne Grammar School squad. Team coaches, Jonny Lowe and Barry Kilpatrick, have had to do without the services of their Ulster U19 squad member, Terry O’Donnell. Terry has been side lined from action as he recovers from a long term injury. Captained by their star backrow player, Alistair Black, the team has found wins hard to come by this season. That is not to say the team has not come close on a number of occasions. David Campbell has worked hard in all games and he is currently the leading try scorer for the Larne Grammar School team. Calum McKay has been the top points scorer this season and he will be going all out to add to his growing reputation against the Foyle and Londonderry College team on Saturday. Rory McDowell, now playing as a talented hooker, spent the previous six seasons as a scrum half. He will want his pack to ensure they produce quality possession for the Larne Grammar School backs. The Larne outhalf, Ethan Brownlee, is a British U18 Powerlifting Champion and Record Holder. He is currently ranked fifth in the world. He could prove to be a handful for the opposition on Saturday.
This game is scheduled to kick off at 11-00am.
Following the Round 1 games the draw for the Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Trophy Quarter-Finals and the draw for the Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup Round 2 games will take place at Friends’ School, Lisburn.
The seven losing Round 1 teams will join Strabane Academy in the draw for the Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Trophy Quarter-Finals.
The seven winners of the Round 1 games will join Bangor Grammar School, Belfast High School, Belfast Royal Academy, Dalriada School, Down High School, Omagh Academy, Portora Royal School, Rainey Endowed School and Royal School, Armagh in the draw for the Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup Round 2 games which are scheduled to take place on Saturday 24th January.
