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Bank of irel<strong>and</strong> <strong>Senior</strong> cup <strong>Final</strong><br />
Saturday, 9th march<br />
at sligo rugby<br />
Sponsored by Bank of Irel<strong>and</strong>
fáilte go dtí<br />
dexcom stadium<br />
Connacht Rugby <strong>and</strong> Dexcom<br />
announce historic naming<br />
rights partnership
#NEVERSTOPCOMPETING<br />
Bank of Irel<strong>and</strong> is regulated by the Central Bank of Irel<strong>and</strong>.
2022/23 Snapshots
<strong>Club</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Community</strong><br />
A word from Head of <strong>Club</strong> <strong>and</strong><br />
<strong>Community</strong>, Joe Gorham<br />
<strong>Final</strong>s Day at the mecca that is<br />
Dexcom Stadium is the pinnacle<br />
of our <strong>Club</strong> <strong>and</strong> School players’<br />
ambitions. It is a day of celebration for<br />
the whole of Connacht Rugby.<br />
It is truly a memorable occasion for all<br />
concerned which, undoubtedly, will<br />
be a source of conversation with your<br />
teammates in the many years ahead.<br />
The sport of rugby allows for all our<br />
players to realise the limits of their<br />
ambitions, it allows us to create lifelong<br />
memories, however, most importantly,<br />
it is the maker of lifelong friendships.<br />
There is no better feeling than to lift<br />
a <strong>Cup</strong>, Plate or Bowl alongside your<br />
teammates while representing your<br />
club or school. It is all about People <strong>and</strong><br />
Place.<br />
Sport also reflects life, in that, with<br />
every cup final there must be a winner
<strong>and</strong> a loser. Regardless of winning<br />
or losing, the hope is that everyone<br />
involved on <strong>Final</strong>s Days will have a<br />
quality experience on their big day.<br />
The advent of the new pitch at<br />
Dexcom Stadium has allowed <strong>Club</strong><br />
<strong>and</strong> <strong>Community</strong> the opportunity to<br />
host additional <strong>Cup</strong> <strong>and</strong> League <strong>Final</strong>s<br />
(male <strong>and</strong> female/<strong>Club</strong> & school)<br />
this season. In fact, we are hugely<br />
excited to host over 40 <strong>Club</strong> & School<br />
finals over the course of the next few<br />
months.<br />
Volunteers, Coaches <strong>and</strong> Managers<br />
to get you to this day. Volunteers<br />
are the life-blood of our sport <strong>and</strong> it<br />
would be remiss of me, on this day of<br />
celebration, not to say a huge thank<br />
you to each <strong>and</strong> every <strong>Club</strong> & School<br />
Volunteer for the magical work you<br />
put in day in <strong>and</strong> day out for the cause<br />
that is rugby in Connacht.<br />
<strong>Final</strong>ly, we at <strong>Club</strong> & <strong>Community</strong><br />
rugby wish all our finalists <strong>and</strong> their<br />
loyal supporters the very best of luck<br />
on the day.<br />
On <strong>Final</strong>s Days, we must never<br />
forget the huge amount of work <strong>and</strong><br />
personal sacrifice put in by all the<br />
Connacht Abú.
senior cup <strong>Final</strong><br />
Referees: <strong>and</strong>rew fogarty, kenneth loughrey (Ar1), daire o’loughlin (ar2)<br />
Buccaneers rfc
senior cup <strong>Final</strong><br />
Referees: <strong>and</strong>rew fogarty, kenneth loughrey (Ar1), daire o’loughlin (ar2)<br />
sligo rugby
Buccaneers rfc MANAGEMENT<br />
Paul Byrne<br />
Head Coach<br />
Craig Milling<br />
Team Manager<br />
David Henshaw<br />
Assistant Coach<br />
Benny Gilligan<br />
Assistant Coach<br />
Martin Webster<br />
Kit Manager<br />
Alan Fitzpatrick<br />
Strength & Conditioning<br />
Joe Smyth<br />
Physio<br />
Jack Mannion<br />
Assistant Physio
sligo Rugby MANAGEMENT<br />
Sheila Orla Paddy Fox-Colleran<br />
Goldsworthy<br />
Pearson<br />
Team Coordinator<br />
Head Manager Coach<br />
Ja Naughton<br />
Coach<br />
Jason East<br />
Coach<br />
Ross O’ Boyle<br />
Management<br />
John Kane<br />
Management<br />
Frankie Feeney<br />
Management<br />
Jimmy Gavin<br />
Management<br />
Warner Wilders<br />
Physio<br />
Ciaran O’Connor<br />
Strength & Conditioning
<strong>Club</strong> messages!<br />
buccaneers rfc MESSAGE<br />
“Wishing Buccaneers RFC <strong>Senior</strong> Team <strong>and</strong> Management all<br />
the best in the <strong>Senior</strong> <strong>Cup</strong> final.“<br />
sligo rugby MESSAGE<br />
“On behalf of Sligo Rugby <strong>Club</strong>, I would like to extend a very warm welcome to<br />
everyone at Hamilton Park, Str<strong>and</strong>hill.<br />
Today we celebrate International Womens Day (8th) <strong>and</strong> women in rugby with our<br />
Mnásome pre-match lunch on the occasion of the Connacht <strong>Senior</strong> <strong>Cup</strong> <strong>Final</strong>.<br />
We extend a very warm Sligo welcome to our visitors who have made the trip<br />
from Athlone, the players, management, <strong>and</strong> supporters of Buccaneers RFC <strong>and</strong><br />
to their <strong>Club</strong> President Brendan Wilkins.<br />
We also welcome the President of Connacht Rugby, Michael O’Hehir.<br />
We hope for an enjoyable, competitive game <strong>and</strong> most of all one that is injuryfree.<br />
I wish the very best to our players, coaches, management, <strong>and</strong> the esteemed team<br />
of officials.<br />
I hope you will all join us after the match to cheer on Irel<strong>and</strong> against Engl<strong>and</strong>,<br />
live from Twickenham.”<br />
Rory Raftery<br />
President Sligo Rugby 2023/24
finals preview<br />
The Bank of Irel<strong>and</strong> <strong>Senior</strong> <strong>Cup</strong> <strong>Final</strong> between<br />
Buccaneers RFC <strong>and</strong> Sligo Rugby is taking place<br />
Saturday, 9th March at 2:00 PM in Hamilton Park<br />
(Sligo Rugby).<br />
Buccaneers RFC will travel to Hamilton Park in<br />
Sligo to take on rivals Sligo Rugby in the Bank<br />
of Irel<strong>and</strong> <strong>Senior</strong> <strong>Cup</strong> <strong>Final</strong> this Saturday. These<br />
teams are no strangers, having faced each other<br />
in the <strong>Senior</strong> <strong>Cup</strong> <strong>Final</strong> in the 2022/23 season.<br />
On that occasion, Buccaneers took the win with<br />
a 15-8 scoreline in what was an incredible match<br />
that kept spectators on their seats until the final<br />
whistle.<br />
In the 2023/24 season up to now, the two sides<br />
met back in September in Round 5 of the Bank<br />
of Irel<strong>and</strong> <strong>Senior</strong> League in preparation for the<br />
<strong>Senior</strong> <strong>Cup</strong> where Sligo came away with a decisive<br />
49-17 win against Buccaneers at Hamilton Park.<br />
Buccaneers had a clean run in the <strong>Senior</strong> League<br />
up until this match, beating Corinthians RFC<br />
(home), Galwegians RFC (away), <strong>and</strong> Ballina RFC<br />
(home) before falling to a strong Sligo side. They<br />
they went on to beat Corinthians 27-15 in their<br />
Bank of Irel<strong>and</strong> <strong>Senior</strong> <strong>Cup</strong> semi-final at home on<br />
the 6th January.<br />
Sligo managed four out of four wins to top the<br />
table in the <strong>Senior</strong> League, beating Ballina RFC<br />
at home <strong>and</strong> Galwegians <strong>and</strong> Corinthians away,<br />
meaning they were straight into the <strong>Senior</strong> <strong>Cup</strong><br />
final.<br />
Both teams then headed into the AIL season with<br />
their seconds teams playing in the J1B League. They<br />
haven’t faced each other since their Round 5 <strong>Senior</strong><br />
League game, <strong>and</strong> it’s inevitable that both teams<br />
will be ready for a rematch. Buccaneers have the<br />
tough task of beating Sligo at Hamilton Park ahead<br />
of them, but they will be more than up for the<br />
challenge.
Upcoming <strong>Final</strong>s<br />
WEDNESDAY, SUNDAY, 28TH 13th JANUARY MARCH<br />
11am: Junior U18 Girls boys Div a 2 schools League <strong>Final</strong> cup FINAL<br />
1:00pm: U18 senior Girls boys Div 1 C League schools <strong>Final</strong> cup FINAL<br />
3:30pm: U18 senior Boys boys Div 1 b League schools <strong>Final</strong> cup FINAl<br />
6pm: senior boys a schools cup FINAl<br />
SUNDAY, 25TH FEBRUARY<br />
SUNDAY,<br />
Women's League<br />
24th MARCH<br />
<strong>Final</strong><br />
J1C <strong>Cup</strong> <strong>Final</strong><br />
11am: bank of irel<strong>and</strong> Men’s Junior Plate FINAL<br />
1:30pm: bank of irel<strong>and</strong> MEN’S Junior <strong>Cup</strong> <strong>Final</strong><br />
SUNDAY, 3RD MARCH<br />
Men’s J1A LeaGuE FINAL<br />
SUNDAY, 7th April<br />
MEN’S J1B LeaGuE FINAL<br />
11am: bank MEN’S of irel<strong>and</strong> J1C League Women’s <strong>Final</strong> Plate <strong>Final</strong><br />
1:30pm: bank of irel<strong>and</strong> Women’s cup final<br />
Sponsored by Bank of Irel<strong>and</strong>
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