There are eight Northern Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup Round 3 games scheduled to take place on Saturday 28th January.
Belfast High School looked impressive in their Round 2 victory against Larne Grammar School. This will give them great confidence when they play Bangor Grammar School at the Shore Road venue on Saturday. It was the Belfast High School pack that laid the foundations for the victory in the last round. Ryan McGonigle was impressive in all that he did in the course of that game. He received great support from fellow forwards Lewis Benson, Chris Taylor, Connor McDermott and Jonny Joffrey. The quality possession provided by the Belfast High School pack enabled their backs to attack at every opportunity. Guy Bell and Adam White kept the High School pack on the front foot while Jason Garford and Ryan Elliott were a hard running centre partnership.
The Bangor Grammar School team has had a mixed season in terms of results so far. They have beaten the High School team earlier in the season but will be aware they have much to do if they are to get a similar result on Saturday. Key players in the pack include Max Montgomery, who brings representative experience to his team, as well as Jonny Gordon, Ryan Wilson, Ross Kennedy and James Leary. If the Bangor Grammar School pack can get parity in terms of possession, they have backs who will ask questions of the Belfast High School defence. Daniel Kennedy, Phil Harper and Ross McCloskey have all been regular try scorers in the course of the season. The Bangor coaches, Paul Hancock, David Kennedy and Jason Morgan will hope these players will see a sufficient supply of ball on Saturday if they are to have any chance of repeating their early season win against Belfast High School and qualifying for the 4th Round of the Northern Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup. This game is scheduled to kick off at 10-30am.
Rainey Endowed will be delighted to have a home draw against Belfast Royal Academy in the 3rd Round of the Northern Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup.
The Magherafelt venue is a notoriously difficult place to play at the best of times, but particularly when it comes to the Ulster Schools’ Cup. The Rainey team had little difficulty in despatching a very spirited Carrickfergus Grammar School team in the previous round. The foundation for this victory was laid by the work of the Rainey backrow trio. Thomas Booth, the Rainey captain, received great support from Jonathan Lee and Michael Dawson who brings representative experience to his team. The Rainey Endowed half backs, Oisin Quinn and Aaron Murphy thrived as a result of their hard working backrow colleagues and created many opportunities for players such as Martin Connolly, Jamie Noble, Conor Murphy and Ryan Brown in the Rainey backline. Chris Campbell, the Rainey coach, will be hoping for more of the same against Belfast Royal Academy on Saturday.
The Belfast Royal Academy coaches, Chris McCarey and Connor Spence, will be aware of the strength of the Rainey backrow. They have a talented trio to work with on their squad. Daniel Dass, David Patterson and Stuart Martin form a hard working backrow who have displayed good skills in all aspects of their play in the course of the season. Daniel and David bring representative experience to their team and both players will be keen to match up to their opposite numbers on Saturday. The Belfast Royal Academy backs will look to players such as Mark Wylie, Richard Vance and Andrew McClements in their backline to ask questions of the Rainey Endowed defence. The Belfast Royal Academy full back, Jack Carlisle, is a first class kicker who will be only too pleased to punish any indiscretions made by the Rainey Endowed team. The Belfast Royal Academy team has had a mixed season in terms of results so far. However, a recent victory against Portadown College and a good performance against Belfast Inst in a recent tournament will see the Belfast Royal Academy team travel to Magherafelt secure in the knowledge they have the ability to pull off what would be seen as a shock result if they were to win this game. They will have to be at their best to do so! This game is scheduled to kick off at 10-30 am.
The Grosvenor Grammar School team will hope there will not be a hangover from their early season encounter against Sullivan Upper when the two teams meet in the Northern Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup 3rd Round game on Saturday.
On that occasion the Sullivan Upper team won by some fifty points and Kyle McCallan and his fellow coach, Gary Hunter, will be hoping for a different result on Saturday. The Grosvenor Grammar School team has developed into a unit that has proved hard to beat at the Cameronian Drive venue. There is a talented mixture of youth and experience available for selection. Stuart Smyth, whose father Michael, played in the Grosvenor Schools’ Cup winning team of 1983, forms part of a formidable front row unit alongside Nick Jones and Matthew Allen. Both Stuart and Nick played for the Ulster U19 team earlier in the season. Grosvenor Grammar School Number 8, Matthew Cahoon, played on the same team and these three players are vital members of the Grosvenor pack. The Grosvenor back division should not be ignored and have caused problems for opposition teams all season. Ben Coard and Paul Kennedy are a talented midfield combination while Peter Davison is a first class place kicker. They will hope to be busy on Saturday.
The Sullivan Upper coaching staff, Mike Rodgers and Adam Craig, will be returning to familiar territory on Saturday. Mike worked in the Physical Education Department while Adam attended Grosvenor Grammar School for six years. They will be well aware of the fervour the Schools’ Cup brings to the Grosvenor players as well as supporters. The Sullivan Upper coaches have a talented group of players from which to select their squad for this intriguing game. Owen Glenn and Oliver Matthews give great leadership to their young team mates. Ross Adair, in the Sullivan backline, brings representative experience to his team, having featured strongly for the Ulster Schools’ team earlier in the season. His performances have caught the attention of the Irish Schools’ Management team and the Grosvenor Grammar School defence will need to monitor him closely. Ryan Loughead, Chris Griffiths and Ross Todd are other Sullivan Upper players who have impressed in games this season. The Sullivan team is renowned for playing an expansive off-loading type of game. That is how they defeated the Grosvenor Grammar School team earlier in the season. They will be hoping for a similar performance and result on Saturday. This game is scheduled to kick off at 11-00 am.
The Portadown College team has made a few opposition sides sit up and pay attention with their performances this season.
They have won thirteen of their nineteen games this season and will hope to make this fourteen after their Northern Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup 3rd Round game against Royal School, Dungannon. Coaches, Andrew Symington and Stephen McDowell, have put together a team that is prepared to attack with the ball in hand. Alex Forbes, Scott Jamison and Matthew Robb form an impressive frontrow that gets great support from U17 RDS player, Ross Purvis. His brother, Ryan, is involved with the U16 RDS squad. Ben Matchett, the Portadown Collge scrum half, is a talented player who has caught the eye of the Ulster Rugby talent ID Department. The greatest threat to the Dungannon team will come from the Busby twins, Michael and David, in the Portadown backline. Michael is an exemplary place kicker while David was involved with the Irish Schools’ team in their recent game against the Ireland Clubs’ U18 team. Both these players will need to be monitored closely
Any Royal School, Dungannon teams have been renowned as difficult opponents to overcome over the years, but particularly at Schools’ Cup time. The current squad will be no different and in coach, Keith Patton, they have probably the most experienced Schools’ coach in Ireland! The RS Dungannon team has a number of talented players to call upon. Their hard working captain, Andrew Clingan, played for the Ulster U19 team. He was joined by Stephen Rogers who gives of his best in a talented RS Dungannon backrow, Jack Milligan is an emerging talented in the RS Dungannon backline and in Peter Cashel the Dungannon team has one of the best finishing wingers in the Province. David Davidson and Peter Gilkinson are other Dungannon players who have been performing well all season. The team has recorded some impressive results this season after a shaky start. Victories against teams such as Coleraine AI, Belfast Royal Academy and Crescent College in Limerick show how talented this team is. They will hope to replicate those performances on Saturday. The game is scheduled to kick off at 11-00 am at Portadown Rugby Club.
Down High School has beaten teams from Sullivan Upper, Bangor Grammar School, Regent House and Banbridge Academy in the course of the current season.
In many ways they could see themselves as the schoolboy rugby “Stars of the County Down”. They are a competent and confident side who see theselves to be clear favourites to beat Coleraine Academical Institution when the two sides clash at the Mount Crescent venue in the 3rd Round of the Northern Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup on Saturday. The team is justifiably proud of what has been achieved in terms of results in the season to date. They are a team that has managed to exceed the expectations of their coaches, Charlie Knox and John Gunson. Justin Rea and Kelvin Hamilton gained representative honours with the Ulster Schools’ U18’s and Ulster U19’s respectively earlier in the season. Thomas Donnan and Ricky Gill are members of the U17 RDS squad while Paddy Wright has been involved in U16 RDS squad sessions. Luc Bonnargent has found a new lease of life since coming into the school from Shimna Integrated College where he learnt the basics of the game. His strong midfield running has led to a number of tries for his team mates throughout the season. The Down High School captain, Jack Calvert, will be deeply disappointed if the name of his team does not go through to the draw for a place in the 4th Round of the Schools’ Cup after the final whistle on Saturday.
The Coleraine Academical Institution team is a very young team that has had difficulties against more experienced teams this season.
A higher than average injury list has not helped their cause but there are signs that a number of their injured players may be available for the Schools’ Cup match on Saturday. The Coleraine AI squad has won only six games so far this season but they have fourteen Year 12 boys in the squad. Josh Murdock captains the team and, along with his vice-captain, Mikey Poskitt brings some experience to the younger players. Peter Kidd and Connor Shields form a very talented half back combination that, if given a supply of quality ball, have the potential to exploit any defensive weakness in the opposition defence. The Coleraine AI coaching team of Richard Beggs, Stephen Ritchie and Mark Palmer, will want their young charges to do themselves justice and play to their potential. Phillip Linnegan and Adam Fullerton will need to bring their experience to their fellow forwards in the hope they can get sufficient ball for their backs. If so, players such as Jonny Crowe and Joel Stanbridge will be pleased to have the opportunity of testing the Down High School defence. This game is scheduled to kick off at 11-00 am.
The Dalriada School 1stxv has been battle hardened having played two 2nd Round games in the Northern Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup against Portora Royal School.
The first game ended in a 10-10 draw with the Dalriada team winning a very close replay by 20-18. Having survived many scares along the way, the Ballymoney boys will be in a confident mood when they face Regent House at the St James’s Road venue on Saturday. Matthew Glenn, Angus Jinks and Craig Anderson have all impressed with their performances in the Dalriada pack in the course of the Cup games so far. The quality ball they have produced has, at times, been well used by their experienced scrum half, Rhys McAuley. The Dalriada attack, when on song, can cause problems for any defence. Jonny Laughlin is a talented footballer who loves to run with the ball in hand. He is also a very accurate place kicker for his team. In Jack Magee, the Dalriada team has one of the fastest wingers playing schoolboy rugby in the Province. Coach, Benji Van Der Byl, will hope his pack can win enough quality possession so that Jack can get some ball in space. To have a realistic chance of progressing to the 4th Round of the Northern Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup, Jack’s team mates will hope so as well!
The Regent House team has had an indifferent season in terms of results but their coaches, Eric Sinnamon, Stephen Cole and Peter Lowry, feel their charges may be coming into a good run of form at just the right time.
Ross Campbell, Phillip Patton and the Regent House captain, Stephen Deering, form a formidable front row. Their backrow trio of Jamie McKnight, Jonny Baird and Stephen Adams win a lot of ball at the breakdown. They will need to do so on Saturday. Gary Wright and Alan Sinnamon form an astute half back pairing while Nathan Burns and Jonny Carmichael will always be willing to exploit any defensive errors in the Dalriada team. This should be a very close affair which could go down to a kicking shoot-out between Jonny Laughlin and Nathan Burns. This game is scheduled to kick off at 10-45am.
Foyle College will see themselves as clear favourites to win against a Banbridge Academy team that finds itself on the road once again.
Having defeated Omagh Academy in the 2nd Round of the Northern Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup, the Banbridge team now travels to the Maiden City for this interesting 3rd Round encounter. The Foyle College team has a number of talented players available for this game. Neil Burns has played with the Ulster Schools’ team for the past two seasons and was involved with an Ireland Schools’ U18 camp back in October. Kyle Henderson is an all action full back who has scored a lot of points in the course of the season. He has run in a number of tries as well as contributing to the success of his team with his accurate place kicking. Captained by Oisin Duffy, an all action backrow player, the Foyle team is capable of scoring tries from anywhere on the pitch. Steven Chi, Tobias Anderson and Jamie Adair are hard-working forwards who have been among the try scorers for the Foyle College team this season. The Foyle coaches, Gerald McCarter and Ray Menown, would love to see this team emulate their famous predecessors of the 1914-15 season but to do this they will have to start with a win against the Banbridge Academy team on Saturday.
The Banbridge Academy team surprised quite a few when they came away from Omagh Academy with a win in the 2nd Round of the Northern Bank Ulster School’ Cup.
They deserved their win in that game and had to work hard to achieve it. Their positive attitude throughout the game stood them in good stead. They will need more of the same if they are to achieve a similar result on Saturday. Captained by Colin McGregor, the Banbridge team should not be underestimated. Their coaches, Brian Leslie, Roy Stevenson and Andrew Craig, have moulded together a squad of players that is starting to play to their full potential. They are a good mix of a busy, industrious pack of forwards combined with a number of hard running backs. Key players include Alexander Thompson, Tom Carlisle and Calum Boardman all of whom bring U17 RDS experience to the Banbridge pack. The key player in the back division is Aaron Kennedy, an all-action scrum half who is also a very talented place kicker. This game is scheduled to kick off at the City of Derry Rugby Club venue at Judges Road, Enagh Road, Londonderry at 12-15pm.
The Cambridge House team had to work hard to come away from their 2nd Round fixture against Lurgan College with a victory.
They had to rely on the experience of players such as Timmy Small and Andrew Cundell, both of whom played on the Ulster U19 team earlier in the season, to ensure they were in the draw for a place in the 3rd Round of the Northern Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup. They did go into that game minus a number of front line players who were on the injury list. Players such as Philip Kitson, Ryan Uprichard, Corry Millar and Andrew Hood bring experience to the Cambridge House pack while Warren Beattie, Stewart Gilmore and Matthew Irvine will be expected to assist Timmy Small in using any ball they get wisely. Cambridge House coaches, Rab Gregg and John Nicholl, will have worked hard with their players in an effort to eradicate the simple errors that could have cost them the game against Lurgan College. Wellington College might not be so forgiving.
The Wellington College team came away from Antrim Grammar School and Friends’ School with well-deserved wins in their previous Northern Bank Ulster Schools’ games.
This has been a positive experience for the squad of players that worked hard for their previous cup games. David Marshall is a key player for the Wellington College team and much of what they do revolves around him. He gets great support from players such as Danny Mowbray, Sam Bridge and Kyle Walker in the Wellington College pack. In the Wellington back division, Kier Patterson, Owen Jarvie and Josh Garnham are players the Cambridge House defence will need to monitor closely. If the Wellington College team can stick to the game plan produced for them by their coach, Peter Chambers, a man with a first class pedigree as a schoolboy player, there could be a shock name in the draw for the 4th Round of the Northern Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup. This game is scheduled to kick off at 10-30am at the Cambridge Avenue venue in Ballymena.
There are three games in the Northern Bank Ulster Schools’ Trophy Quarter-Final scheduled for Saturday 28th January.
Lurgan College will play Omagh Academy at 10-30 with the East Antrim Derby game between Larne Grammar School and Carrickfergus Grammar School scheduled for the same time. Portora Royal School will begin their defence of the Northern Bank Ulster Schools’ Trophy when they host Antrim Grammar School with a game scheduled to kick off at 11-000am.
The draw for the Northern Bank Ulster Schools’ Medallion Trophy Quarter-Finals has been made:-
Larne Grammar School v Antrim Grammar School
Grosvenor Grammar School v Omagh Academy
High School, Ballynahinch/Strabane Academy v Craigavon Senior High
Cambridge House/Bangor Grammar School v Wellington College
These games are scheduled to be played on Saturday 4th February. Results should be returned to Neal Kennedy at Carrickfergus Grammar School as soon as the games have finished.
