The second Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup Semi-Final will see Sullivan Upper take on Coleraine Academical Institution at the Queen’s University playing fields on Thursday 6th March.
The Sullivan Upper team will play in the Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Semi-Final aware of the fact that no Sullivan Upper team has ever graced a Schools’ Cup Final. However, the great majority of the Sullivan Upper squad has experienced success in a final at Ravenhill when the Sullivan Upper Medallion team won the Danske Bank Medallion Shield in 2011. On that occasion, the team was captained by Ross Todd and, once again, Ross is the Sullivan Upper captain this season. Ross will not let his team underestimate the challenge provided by Coleraine Academical Institution, one of the few teams from Ulster to have beaten the Sullivan Upper team this season. However, he will let them know what it felt like to lift a trophy at Ravenhill and how much he would love to repeat the experience. Team coach, Willie Anderson, will have done his homework on the Coleraine AI team. He will know his pack will need to claim, at least parity, in the scrums. His Sullivan Upper team could be seen as not being one of the strongest scrummaging teams in the Province. Injuries have disrupted a potentially very strong scrum but one that came away from their Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Quarter-Final encounter with their heads held high. The Sullivan scrum will look to improve even more against the Coleraine AI set piece. The Sullivan lineout, with Josh Davidson reigning supreme, has been impressive throughout the season. More of the same will be required on Thursday! Ross Todd and Fergus Jemphrey are two outstanding backrow talents. Their role in the game, in particular at the breakdown, could be central to the eventual outcome of this game. If the Sullivan Upper pack can supply their backline with a possession of quality ball, it will be up to scrum half, Charlie McEwan, to ensure the ball is used wisely. Mark Adair will need to bring his representative experience to bear in terms of game management. He has exciting players outside him, players that love to get the ball into their hands. David McMaster is playing with renewed confidence since moving from full back to the centre where he forms a very effective partnership with Michael Cartmill. Jonny Betts and Zac Bertenshaw are wide players who love to get a chance to run with the ball. These players, who love to attack, are also very sound defensively and have yet to have had their line crossed in the course of their two Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup matches. They will want to maintain this in the course of their Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Semi-Final game against Coleraine AI.
The Coleraine Academical Institution team will see themselves as favourites to win this Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Semi-Final game against Sullivan Upper. They are one of the few teams to have inflicted defeat on the Sullivan Upper team this season. They firmly believe they could, and should, have won that particular encounter by more. The Coleraine AI team seems to have strength all over the pitch. Danny McAllister, Thomas Pethwick, Joel Stanbridge and Ollie McDowell are key members of the Coleraine AI pack, a pack that has caused problems for opposition teams throughout the season. Their set piece work is very effective, especially in the scrums. They say proudly that no opposition scrum has bettered them in any match this season. They have a very well-organised lineout which has allowed then to use effectively their driving maul tactic to good effect in the course of their Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup run. The Coleraine AI backline has a number of very talented players available for selection. Like the Sullivan Upper team, their midfield trio of Callum Smith, Mark Gordon and team Captain, Conor Shiels, has been responsible for scoring a lot of tries and kicking a lot of conversions during the season. They are also a very effective defensive unit with Mark Gordon outstanding in this respect with his performance in the final quarter of their previous Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup game against Ballyclare High School. The Coleraine AI team has played three Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup games this season. If they can bring the many positives taken from those games, and add to them, that should make this game a most intriguing encounter. Team coach, Richard Beggs, will be asking his team to emulate the success of the Coleraine AI heroes of ’92. Nothing would give Richard more pleasure than to see his young charges do so!
This game is scheduled to kick off at 2-30pm.
