There are two Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup Semi-Finals scheduled to be played on Monday 4th March and Wednesday 6th March 2013. Both games are to be played at Ravenhill and are to kick off at 2-30pm.
The first of the Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup Semi-Finals sees an intriguing clash with the Royal Belfast Academical Institution taking on a school that will be featuring in their fifth Ulster Schools’ Cup Semi-Final in the past six years.
Despite this impressive record of semi-final appearances, the Ballyclare High School teams have reached only one final since they won the Schools’ Cup in 1973 and that was the 2012 season when they lost to Methodist College. This current group of Ballyclare High School players has quite a few members of that squad which featured last season. They have set their stall out and are determined to reach their second final in succession and attempt to emulate the success of their heroes of 1973. The current squad won convincingly in their 4th Round encounter against Down High School but struggled in terms of possession as well as territory before winning their Quarter-Final encounter against Sullivan Upper. The Ballyclare High School coaching staff of Dan Soper and Gareth Shaw will realise they will need to gain a lot more possession against Belfast Inst if they are to have any chance of progressing to the Final of the Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup. The Ballyclare High School defence was excellent against Sullivan Upper but their attack is going to have to step up to the mark if they are to progress to the final. The star performer against Sullivan Upper was prop forward, David Lawther. Not only was his work in the scrums good but his ability to carry the ball effectively as well as turn over opposition ball earned plaudits from both sets of coaches. Michael Kirk, Paddy Reid and team captain, Jonny Darling, all got through a lot of work in the course of the game. The Ballyclare High School team will hope that James Beattie recovers from an injury sustained against Sullivan and that Matthew McDowell, a player who saved the day with a late game winning tackle against Sullivan, can get more opportunities to display his skills with the ball in hand. Andrew Eastop and Jack Irvine will have a huge responsibility to ensure any hard won possession produced by their pack is used effectively.
The Royal Belfast Academical Institution teams have been no strangers to participating in Schools’ Cup Semi-Finals and Finals over the years. They lost in a home Quarter-Final encounter against Ballyclare High School last season and the Inst coaches, Richard Hedley and Gavin Monteith, will be keen to ensure their charges avenge that situation by winning the Semi-Final clash this season. The Belfast Inst team has come strongly through their Schools’ Cup encounters this season. They were comfortable in their 4th Round win against Regent House and devastating in their Quarter-Final victory against Limavady Grammar School. The power of their forwards was clear for all to see while their talented back division displayed some of the skills that has seen quite a few of them gain representative honours with Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ teams. It has been difficult for the Inst staff to get their strongest team on the pitch for large parts of the season. Indeed, if they can manage to do so in the Semi-Final, it will only be the third time this season. The team scored seven tries against Limavady Grammar School with their pacey backs and powerful forwards sharing the spoils. The Ballyclare High School defence will have to be mindful of the pace of players such as Rory Bell and Rory Campbell as well as the deft creative skills of players such as John McClure and Nathan Brown. Nathan is also a first rate place kicker so the Ballyclare High School team will have to be disciplined anywhere inside their own half. The Royal Belfast Academical Institution backrow contains players of the calibre of Paddy Anderson, who scored in the Schools’ Cup Final in 2011, Andrew McGrath and team captain, Josh Atkinson. Their battle against their Ballyclare High School counterparts could be key to the outcome of this game.
There will be an equally intriguing clash when perennial Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup favourites, Methodist College, meet the Royal School, Armagh team on Wednesday 6th March at Ravenhill.
Both teams have come through somewhat difficult clashes in their earlier round games and both teams have yet to concede as point in the Schools’ Cup this season. Something will have to give on Wednesday! The Methodist College team displayed great character to defeat a strong Campbell College team in the 4th Round of the Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup. Their attacking instincts were richly rewarded in the first half of that game while their defensive organisation was tested severely in the second half and came through with flying colours. Team coaches, Nick Wells and Stephen Lindsay, know they have a talented group of players available to them, quite a number of whom tasted success when they won the Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup last season. Team captain, Ross Kane, will be keen to remind his team of the proud tradition many Methody teams have established in the Ulster Schools’ Cup over the years. Team mates such as Michael Lagan, Mark Campbell, James Gallagher, Paddy Colhoun and Conor McKee will have benefitted from the experience gained in last season’s campaign. They will assist greatly in helping Ross explain the younger players such as Alex Thompson, Conor Kelly and Josh Bingham exactly what it is to play in a Schools’ Cup Semi-Final. The Methodist College pack laid the foundation for their Quarter-Final success against Wallace High School. Their ability to control the set pieces as well as produce quality possession from rucks and mauls put pressure on the Wallace High School team and enabled the Methody team to rack up twenty two unanswered points by the interval. They will be hoping for more of the same on Wednesday.
The Royal School, Armagh players have gone quietly about their business in recent weeks. They defeated Coleraine Academical Institution in a comprehensive manner in the 4th Round and overcame a potential hazard in the Quarter-Final when they travelled to Bangor Grammar School and recorded another impressive victory. Team coaches, Kenny Hooks and Dave Eakin, have not been afraid to experiment with positional changes in their pack and, so far, these changes appear to be adding to the success of the team, particularly in the front row. Captain, Michael Hoey, has impressed with his on field leadership and has received good support from experienced colleagues such as Darryl Morton and John Dunne. This trio, along with fellow forwards such as James Johnston, Jonny Morton and Michael Rolston, ensured the Armagh pack put in a disciplined performance against Bangor Grammar School. They were more effective at the breakdown and kept their backs supplied with quality possession throughout the game. Conor and Ali Wright form an experienced RS Armagh half back partnership while players such as Toby McAlpine, Daniel Ewart and John McDonagh all contributed a great deal in both attack and defence throughout that game. Recent RS Armagh teams have come close to getting to Ravenhill for the Ulster Schools’ Cup final but it will take an extra special effort from this talented group of Royal School, Armagh players if they are to repeat the success of the team of 2004. This will be an interesting game to watch but a great challenge for the players of both teams to play in.
