Ulster School's Cup Final

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 // Chairman Ulster Schools’ Committee

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