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WELCOME FROM
STEPHEN BLACK
On behalf of the Schools’ Committee, it is a great pleasure to
welcome everyone to Kingspan Stadium this afternoon for what
promises to be an intriguing Danske Bank Schools’ Cup Final.
This, of course, is the first final since the full
redevelopment of the stadium and we look
forward to the prospect of two well respected
teams marking that occasion with an enjoyable,
and high quality game.
In addition to the success of their 1st XV sides
this season, RBAI and Wallace High School
also contested last Monday’s Danske Bank
Medallion Shield Final, with the Belfast school
retaining the Shield with a 13-5 victory in a
tightly fought game. It remains to be seen if
that result will provide any pointers for today’s
outcome but it highlights clearly the current
rugby-playing strength of both schools whilst
paying tribute to the influence of their coaches
at all levels.
Both schools have displayed impressive
form throughout the season and, in their only
previous meeting, fought out a 17-17 draw
in December. This is the only blemish on an
otherwise flawless win record for Wallace
High School against Ulster opposition, while
the only reverse for RBAI, against an Ulster
school, came in a narrow defeat by Ballymena
Academy back in November. While there is
significant similarity in this season’s form,
there could not be a much greater contrast in
terms of previous Schools’ Cup success with
RBAI seeking their 34th win in the competition
and Wallace HS striving to have the school’s
name engraved on the famous trophy for the
first time, in their fifth final appearance. Indeed
the Schools’ Cup Finals of 2003 and 2007
were repeats of today’s game with the latter
providing RBAI’s most recent cup win.
The sides have also had contrasting routes
to the final. The Lisburn school gained away
victories at Portora Royal School and Ballyclare
High School before overcoming a Methodist
College side, aiming for their fourth successive
cup win, in the semi-final at Kingspan Stadium.
On the other hand, RBAI had home wins over
Regent House and Royal School Armagh prior
to defeating Coleraine Academical Institution.
This was a particularly historic occasion as it
represented the last Schools’ Cup game played
by Coleraine AI prior to the establishment of
Coleraine Grammar School in September 2015.
The rivalry between the two ‘Institutions’ goes
back a long way with Coleraine AI providing the
opposition for RBAI’s first Schools’ Cup victory
in 1888, two years after they had been defeated
in the final by the same rivals.
For Danske Bank, today represents their
10th Schools’ Cup Final as our sponsors
and we are delighted to welcome their Chief
Executive, Gerry Mallon, here to celebrate
that landmark. The Schools’ Committee,
and indeed all our schools, are indebted to
Danske Bank for their continued support and
generosity without which we would struggle
to meet the demands of all our competitions,
never mind our representative sides and our
player development programmes. One need
look no further than the current Ulster squad
for the benefits which this is bringing to Ulster
and Irish rugby, with the significant majority of
Ulster’s professional players coming from our
schools. This includes Roger Wilson and Chris
Henry, past pupils of today’s opponents, and
players who have appeared in this showpiece
occasion. It would seem safe to assume that
today’s teams will also have individuals who will
end up making it into the professional game.
There are many people behind the scenes who
contribute to the success of schools’ rugby
and the development of schools’ players in the
province and I thank them all: Principals for
their support for schools’ rugby; the Schools’
Committee for their dedication to develop
rugby in schools and their administration of
all our competitions; the administrative staff at
Ulster Rugby, particularly Jill and Lesley; our
PRO, “Barney” McGonigle, who ensures that
schools’ rugby gets unrivalled coverage in the
local press; the Ulster Rugby professional staff,
initially under the guidance of Allen Clarke but
now under Kieran Campbell’s direction, who
are supporting the development of players
and coaches both in schools and within
representative squads and, of course, all those
coaches and assistants who are working with
young players in our schools. Without your
contribution, Ulster Schools’ rugby would be in
a much poorer place.
It would be inappropriate not to commend the
Ulster Society of Rugby Football Referees for all
their help throughout the year and I offer best
wishes to today’s officials, led by referee Mark
Patton. I hope they have an enjoyable game
free from controversy.
Finally, I am confident that the game will be a
great advertisement for schools’ rugby. I wish
coaches and players from both schools all the
best for today - may the better side win...
Stephen Black
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Chairman
Ulster Schools’ Committee