Club and Community Finals Programme March 24th

Bank of ireland junior plate & cup Finals
Sunday, 24th march
at dexcom stadium
Sponsored by Bank of Ireland

fáilte go dtí
dexcom stadium
Connacht Rugby and Dexcom
announce historic naming
rights partnership

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Bank of Ireland is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.

2022/23 Snapshots

Club and Community
A word from Head of Club and
Community, Joe Gorham
Finals Day at the mecca that is
Dexcom Stadium is the pinnacle
of our Club and School players’
ambitions. It is a day of celebration for
the whole of Connacht Rugby.
It is truly a memorable occasion for all
concerned which, undoubtedly, will
be a source of conversation with your
teammates in the many years ahead.
The sport of rugby allows for all our
players to realise the limits of their
ambitions, it allows us to create lifelong
memories, however, most importantly,
it is the maker of lifelong friendships.
There is no better feeling than to lift
a Cup, Plate or Bowl alongside your
teammates while representing your
club or school. It is all about People and
Place.
Sport also reflects life, in that, with
every cup final there must be a winner

and a loser. Regardless of winning
or losing, the hope is that everyone
involved on Finals Days will have a
quality experience on their big day.
The advent of the new pitch at
Dexcom Stadium has allowed Club
and Community the opportunity to
host additional Cup and League Finals
(male and female/Club & school)
this season. In fact, we are hugely
excited to host over 40 Club & School
finals over the course of the next few
months.
Volunteers, Coaches and Managers
to get you to this day. Volunteers
are the life-blood of our sport and it
would be remiss of me, on this day of
celebration, not to say a huge thank
you to each and every Club & School
Volunteer for the magical work you
put in day in and day out for the cause
that is rugby in Connacht.
Finally, we at Club & Community
rugby wish all our finalists and their
loyal supporters the very best of luck
on the day.
On Finals Days, we must never
forget the huge amount of work and
personal sacrifice put in by all the
Connacht Abú.

Junior plate Final
Referees: keith haverty, christian short (ar1), joe gleeson (Ar2)
Sligo rugby

Junior plate Final
Referees: keith haverty, christian short (ar1), joe gleeson (Ar2)
tuam rfc

sligo rugby MANAGEMENT
Enda Gavin
Head Coach
Taylor Anderson
Coach
Archie MacLean
Coach
Jimmy Gavin
Team Manager
Hagan McQuaid
Team Manager
Ciaran O’Connor
S&C
Warner Wilders
Physio
Elite Sports Video
Video Analysis

tuam RFC MANAGEMENT
barry ruane
Head Coach
sean le leivre
Backs Coach
john donnellan
Assistant Coach
seamus gannon
Assistant Coach
sarah jane fox
Team Manager
owen lydon
Team Manager
stuart barrows
Physio

Junior cup Final
Referees: shane tuohy, christian short (ar1), joe o’donnell (ar2)
Connemara RFC

Junior cup Final
Referees: shane tuohy, christian short (ar1), joe o’donnell (ar2)
dunmore RFC

Connemara rfc MANAGEMENT
Ambrose Conboy
Head Coach
Mike O’Toole
Backs Coach
Joe O’Connell
Team Manager
Rory O’Toole
Team Administrator
Gerard Faherty
Kit Manager
Alan daly
Physio (Back in Motion)

Dunmore RFC MANAGEMENT
Gerry Kelly
Coach
martin cummins
Coach
Jimmy Coen
Coach
Michael Corless
Coach
Mark Coen
Kicking Coach
Donal Raftery
Manager/Coach
Tery Conway
Physio

finals preview
This Sunday, 24 th March sees the next round
of Bank of Ireland Club and Schools finals in
Dexcom Stadium. The Junior Plate Final will
take place at 1:00 PM followed by the Junior
Cup Final at 3:30 PM.
The first final of the day is the Bank of Ireland
Junior Plate Final which will see Tuam RFC take
on Sligo Rugby. These two teams have yet to
face each other this season. Tuam narrowly
missed out on a Junior Cup qualifying place
with a 19-14 loss against Castlebar RFC in
the Round of 16. This loss meant they drew
Galwegians RFC 2nds at home in their
Plate Quarterfinal where they took their
learnings from their Cup loss and came away
with a definitive 20-0 win to see them into
the Junior Plate Semi-Finals. Their Semi-Final
saw them face Westport RFC in a rematch from
the J1A League where Tuam narrowly won
28-26. Tuam once again came away with a
hotly ontested win against Westport where a
19-15 win sealed their place in the Junior Plate
final at Dexcom Stadium. Sligo Rugby 2nds
faced Buccaneers RFC 2nds in their Junior Cup
Round of 16 match where they fell just short
with a 17-6 defeat to the away side. Their Junior
Plate Quarterfinal saw Loughrea RFC travel to
Hamilton Park to face the Sligo Rugby side in a
thriller of a match where Sligo eventually came
away with a 19-15 win. Sligo then went on to
face a strong Monivea RFC side in their home
Junior Plate Semi-Final where they claimed
the victory with a 23-17 win seeing them into
the Junior Plate Final at Dexcom Stadium this
Sunday. Sure to be an electric atmosphere, this

match is not to be missed. The Bank of Ireland
Junior Plate Final is at 1:00 PM on Sun, 24 th
March in Dexcom Stadium.
The second, and last, final of the day will see
Connemara RFC take on first time finalists
Dunmore RFC in the Bank of Ireland Junior
Cup Final. Connemara RFC have had a strong
season up until now, topping the Bank of
Ireland J1A League table and only loosing
the final in Dexcom against Creggs RFC by 3
points. An impressive side, it was no surprise
to see the All-Blacks name in the Junior Cup
final. In their Junior Cup campaign, they beat
Galwegians 2nds convincingly before facing
their season rivals Creggs RFC where they
came away with a 28-18 win at home in their
Cup Quarter-Final. This drew them Castlebar
RFC in their home Semi-Final which was sure
to be a good contest. Connemara claimed
the victory 31-17 to see them through to the
Junior Cup Final and second finals appearance
in Dexcom Stadium this season. Dunmore
RFC will be greatly up for the challenge of
facing the Connemara side and will be sure
to bring the energy within the team and their
supporters on this momentous occasion. Their
first ever Junior Cup Final, Dunmore RFC have
impressed this season, especially in the Junior
Cup. Having come 4th in the J1A League after
wins against University of Galway RFC and
Castlebar RFC in the 4 th place playoff. Their
losses in the league were close, and Dunmore
have only strengthened themselves since. In
the Junior Cup, Dunmore faced Westport RFC
in their Round of 16, winning 33-18 and then
drew old rivals University of Galway in their
Quarterfinal where Dunmore took the 19-7 win
at home. Their Cup Semi-Final was away to J1B
League winners Buccaneers 2nds, but this didn’t
deter the Dunmore side as they took the 36-5
win. Dunmore and Connemara met in the 7 th
Round of the J1A League where Connemara
sealed the win 36-20, and this Sunday’s final is
sure to be closely contested as Dunmore have
only improved as a team since. The Bank of
Ireland Junior Cup Final is at 3:30 PM on Sun,
24 th March in Dexcom Stadium. The Junior
Cup will be live streamed by StreamSport with
commentary by Galway Bay FM.
Find more information and purchase the stream
here.
Fans are encouraged to buy their tickets in
advance as all 2024 finals will be cashless. Tickets
can be purchased here.

Junior plate final
sligo rugby message
“On behalf of Sligo Rugby Club, I would like to extend a
very warm welcome to everyone at Dexcom Stadium on the
occasion of the Connacht Junior Cup and Plate finals. We
hope for enjoyable, competitive games and most of all ones
that are injury-free.
I wish the very best to our players, coaches and management
of Sligo Rugby in their game against Tuam RFC in the Junior
Plate final, and also to the esteemed team of officials.
Best wishes also to both teams competing in the Junior Cup
final.“ - Rory Raftery, President Sligo Rugby 2023/24
tuam rfc message
“On behalf of Tuam RFC I would like to wish the lads all
the best in today’s Junior Plate final. The whole club is
behind the team and Management and we are all looking
forward to a good game. Do us proud lads for all in
Tuam RFC!”
Junior cup final
connemara rfc MESSAGE
“We at Connemara RFC are Wishing our Junior Team
and Management the best of luck in their cup Final
against dunmore RFC!“
dunmore rfc MESSAGE
“Dunmore RFC commitee, coaches, players, youths
and Minis would like to wish our J1A team the best
of luck in the Connacht Junior Cup final this
Sunday. The entire club and wider community are
behind you all the way.”

Upcoming Finals
SUNDAY, 7th APRIL
11am: bank of ireland Women’s Plate Final
1:30pm: bank of ireland Women’s cup final
SUNDAY, 14th APRIL
11am: Bank of Ireland u14 girls cup final
12:30pm: Bank of Ireland u16 girls cup final
2:30pm: Bank of Ireland u18 girls cup final
SUNDAY, 21st APRIL
11am: bank of ireland U14 Boys Cup FINAL
12:30pm: bank of ireland U16 Boys Cup FINAL
2:30PM: bank of ireland U18.5 Boys Cup FINAL