There are six games in the 2nd Round of the Northern Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup scheduled to take place on Saturday 14th January.
Belfast High School will host Larne Grammar School in a game where the home team will hope for a repeat of their success earlier in the season against the visitors.
Both teams are in a period of transition due to extensive changes in personnel as well as a number of injuries. Both have struggled to find consistency in their performances in the course of the season so far and will hope for big performances on Saturday. There are talented players in both squads and the teams will be looking to these players to provide leadership and example in the course of the game. Belfast High School coaches, Derek Wilson, David Scott and Ross Ewart, will hope to gain the upper hand in the forward exchanges with RDS players, Connor McDermott and Lewis Benson expected to work closely with team captain, Ryan McGonigle, in providing the platform for quality possession. Jason Garford and Adam White, in the High School back division, displayed good skills in their most recent outing and will be hoping for more of the same on Saturday. The squad had a very successful tour to Abu Dhabi and Dubai back in November. They played winning rugby against good opposition and built up a tremendous team spirit. All of these qualities will be needed against the Larne Grammar School team. The Larne Grammar School players feel they have not done themselves justice in their performances this season. It took a long time for their first win to come along but eventually it did, against a talented Bangor Grammar School team. Team coaches, 
Jonny Lowe and Barry Fitzpatrick, will be hoping that result could provide the catalyst for their Larne Grammar School charges to pull off what would be a shock result on Saturday. The Larne Grammar School front row of Ryan McAllister, Sam McWhirter and team captain, Marc Robinson, has not been outplayed all season. They bring a degree of experience to the team and Ryan has scored a lot of tries in the course of the season so far. Calum Paton is part of a hard working back row and in Nathan McCullough and Robert McKinley the Larne Grammar School team has a half back combination that attempts to keep the ball in front of their pack. Houston Saunderson is a very experienced player who has been plagued by injury. It will be a major bonus for his team to have Houston fully fit for the Schools’ Cup match. The Larne team is aware they will enter the match as underdogs but will be going all out to ensure they come away with what would be a surprise win! This game is scheduled to kick off at the Shore Road venue at 10-30 am.
Lurgan College started the season in tremendous fashion winning a number of their earlier games in a very accomplished manner. They are a very young team that is encouraged to attack with the ball in hand. They are looking forward to hosting Cambridge House on Saturday but realise they will have to be at their best to overcome a fast improving team.
The Lurgan College team is captained by Aaron Carson, a player who provides a considerable presence in the Lurgan College pack. Dean Wilson is an experienced campaigner in the backrow and a player who brings representative honours to his team. Graeme Bell is in an U17 RDS squad member and his ball carrying capability will be vital to the team on Saturday. He is ably assisted by his backrow partner, Ryan McCann, who works hard at the breakdown. Lurgan College coaches, Geoff Caldwell and Neil Ross, are excited by the potential they feel this team has. The McIlwaine brothers, Mark and Ben, in the back division, are raw talents who have scored a lot of points for their team this season. They are well assisted by Chris Claque who thrives on any opportunity he gets to show his pace. The Lurgan College team has worked hard in the run up to the Cup and, despite losing their last game; the team feels they have enough to record a win on Saturday against Cambridge House.
The Cambridge House team will probably see themselves as favourites to win this Northern Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup Round 2 game against Lurgan College. They have the psychological advantage of a win earlier in the season against the same opposition. They have a good mixture of youth and experience in the squad with quite a few players having taken part in previous cup campaigns. Timmy Small and Aaron Cundell bring representative experience to the team having played Ulster U19 rugby earlier in the season. Despite being a small team the Cambridge House players are capable of playing a dynamic brand of rugby. They have clever half backs in Philip Smyth and Timmy Small who like to get the ball wide to their pacey wingers, Matthew Irvine and Stephen Rankin. The backrow of Aaron Cundell, Corey Millar and Ryan Uprichard is expected to produce fast ruck ball for their backline to use effectively. Team coaches, John Nicholl and Rab Gregg, have high expectations of their squad. If they can overcome some injury concerns this squad should be able to deliver on Saturday. This game is scheduled to kick off at 10-30 am at Pollock Park, Toberhewny Lane, home of Lurgan Rugby Club. The game has been switched from the Lurgan College grounds and will kick off at 10-30 am.
Wellington College will see themselves as clear favourites as they prepare to travel to play Friends’ School in Lisburn.
The Wellington team has had the advantage of travelling to Antrim Grammar School and winning in the 1st Round of the Northern Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup in December. Team captain and No 8, David Marshall, played in all three Ulster Schools’ Interprovincial games in September. He sets very high standards for himself and his team mates. David is a force to be reckoned with when he carries the ball and is a very accurate place kicker. The Wellington College team has a good mixture of youth and experience in the ranks. Team coach, Peter Chambers, assisted by Matthew McCormick and Matt Sunnerton, had the Wellington College squad well prepared for the 1st Round game and Saturday will no different. Sam Bridge, Kyle Walker, Danny Mowbray and Matthew Gowan provide considerable power in the Wellington College pack. Owen Jarvie, Matthew Hamilton, Josh Garnham and winger, Keir Patterson, all impressed in the Wellington backline with the ball in their hands against Antrim Grammar School. Keir can also produce the goods at scrum half, if required. The Wellington College team has won eight out of fifteen games this season. The experience gained in winning their first round tie should see the squad feel they can achieve their ninth win of the season on Saturday. The Friends’ School team has only two survivors from their Northern Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup squad last season.
Jonny Ravey is facing a race against time to recover from injury while Dean Howes has just returned to the fray after a long lay-off. The Friends’ team is captained by Matthew Patterson who has established a good working relationship with his colleagues in the Friends’ backrow. Matthew, Daniel Bell and Dean Howes will have to win the battle of the breakdown on Saturday if they are to negate the Wellington College threat. Ross Robinson, Paddy Ferguson and Steven Marley form an effective midfield trio for the Friends’ School team. They played well in a recent narrow loss against a very good Portadown College team. Friends’ School coaches, Stephen Robinson and Norman Gamble, will be hoping for another good performance from this trio on Saturday if the team is to progress into the draw for the 3rd Round of the Northern Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup. This game is scheduled to kick off at 10-30 am.
Portora Royal School, current holders of the Northern Bank Ulster Schools’ Trophy, are hoping they will not be in a position to defend the Trophy when they finish their 2nd Round Northern Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup game against Dalriada School on Saturday.
The Portora team will see themselves as clear favourites to progress into the next round of the Northern Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup due to their impressive home form in the course of the season so far. Very few teams this season have travelled to play Portora at the Castle Lane grounds and come away with a win. Players such as Jonny Magwood, Ben Forbes, Patrick McCleery, and Connor Donaldson have ensured the Portora team should not be underestimated. Coach, Adrian Walker, will be keen to ensure that the Portora Royal School players do not disrespect their opponents on Saturday but approach the game in a positive manner. If they do, the Enniskillen team should be in the draw for a place in the 3rd Round of the Schools’ Cup.
The Dalriada School team travels to Enniskillen more in hope than expectation of a win. The team has lost a large number of their very successful squad that achieved so much in the previous two seasons. Rhys McAuley is one of the few survivors from those squads and he brings representative experience to the occasion. Mattie Glenn, the Dalriada captain, has led his team well in the season so far. He has had good support from his fellow forwards and will need players such as Andy McWilliams, Stuart Mulholland and Chris Emerson to step up to the mark on Saturday. In the Dalriada backline, Jonny Allen, Stuart Fallows and Jack McGee will hope for a supply of quality possession if they are to get an opportunity to show their skills. Dalriada coach, Benji Van Der Byl, will be hoping that his team will not be overawed by the occasion if they are to give a good account of themselves. This game is scheduled to kick off at 11-00 am at the Portora Royal School grounds.
Rainey Endowed School coach, Chris Campbell, will find himself in the strange situation of having a major input into the development of not only the Rainey Endowed School team, but also the Carrickfergus Grammar School team, when the two sides clash in the 2nd Round of the Northern Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup game in Magherafelt on Saturday.
Chris was Head of Physical Education as well as M-i-C Rugby in Carrickfergus Grammar School before returning to his roots in Magherafelt and taking on similar positions in the Rainey Endowed School two seasons ago. The Rainey Endowed team has had a mixed season in terms of results but will see themselves as favourites to progress in the Schools’ Cup. There are fewer more unsettling venues to visit for a cup match than the Rainey School, a rural school with a proud tradition in the competition. The Rainey team has a 50/50 success rate this season but always manage to find something extra for the cup games. Thomas Booth is a hard working captain who receives great support from his team mates. Martin Connolly will publish any indiscretions committed by the visitors with his deadly accurate boot while Michael Dawson brings representative experience to the game. Conal Murphy is an emerging talent and an U16 RDS player. The Carrickfergus team will need to monitor him closely if they are to cause an upset. Chris Campbell, and his assistant coach Charlie Simpson, will be reminding the Rainey players of the proud tradition their predecessors have created for their school in this competition. The Rainey players will respond accordingly!
Carrickfergus Grammar School coaches, Gareth McClintock and Stephen Martin, will bring their own personal experiences of Ulster Schools’ Cup matches to their young charges as they set about planning the downfall of the Rainey Endowed team on Saturday. Their team has had a tough season so far having suffered some heavy defeats as well as running other teams very close. They will expect their pack to front up to the Rainey pack and Michael Smylie, Rhys McConnell and Joel Bell will have a massive responsibility in this respect. The experience of Andrew Fulton and Jonathan Moore, the team captain, will be crucial to the Carrickfergus Grammar School team if they are to progress any further in the competition. On their day, the team is capable of competing with most teams they play. There will be no better day to show this ability when they play the Rainey Endowed team on Saturday 14th January. This game is scheduled to kick off at 10-30 am.
The Omagh Academy playing fields at Campsie have witnessed many famous Schools’ Cup matches over the years. The home team has won a lot of these games at Campsie and will see themselves as favourites to add to these successes when they host Banbridge Academy on Saturday.
The “Alma Mater” of some famous rugby personalities such as former Ireland captain, Willie Anderson, the school motto is “Veritas Vincet” which translates as “Truth Conquers” The truth is that the current Omagh Academy players will be aware of the expectations of their passionate supporters and will be reluctant to accept second best. Having already defeated the Banbridge Academy earlier in the season, the home team seems to have a psychological advantage in the lead up to the game. Omagh Academy coach, Ross Hunter, has injury concerns before he can finalise his Schools’ Cup squad. If RDS player, Adam Longwell, and his fellow forwards such as Michael Gibson, Darren Clarke and James Kelso can provide a good supply of quality possession, the Omagh Academy backs would seem to have the edge. Greg Deazley and Ashley McIlwaine are an experienced combination at half back while Scott Hemphill and Ryan Mitchell, who is team captain, bring RDS experience to the outside backs.
The Banbridge Academy team has experienced difficulties in getting positive results in the course of the season so far. They have won five of their seventeen matches to date. However, the feeling held by team coach, Brian Leslie, and his assistants Roy Stevenson and Andrew Craig, is that their young charges are starting to display good form just at the right time. Colin McGregor provides inspirational leadership on the field of play. Colin receives good support from RDS players, Aaron Kennedy, Tom Carlisle, Calum Boardman and the impressive Alexander Thompson in the second row. They have an industrious pack of forwards and a back division that is capable of causing problems for the opposition. All but one of the Banbridge Academy players will be making their starting debut in a Northern Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup match. Fourteen of the players in the previous Schools’ Cup squad were in their final year. The only survivor is the Banbridge Academy prop, Harry Russell. This game is scheduled to kick off at 11-00 am.
