Club and Community Schools Finals Programme 24th April

U14 A, junior c and b boys schools
cup finals
wednesday, 24th april
at dexcom stadium

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

Chair of schools
On behalf of the Connacht Schools committee
it is my great pleasure to welcome everyone
to Dexcom Stadium today for the 2023/24
Connacht Schools’ Cup and League finals.
Dexcom Stadium will play host to11 Connacht
Schools’ Cup and League finals this year. The
number of schools playing rugby in Connacht
continues to grow with 80 boys schools teams
and 41 girls schools teams participating across
18 competitions.
I wish to express my appreciation to all the
principals, teachers, coaches, and staff in
our schools for their continued support of
the game. Your hard work has not gone
unrecognised. I also wish to thank the
members of the Connacht Rugby Schools
Committee for their work and help over the
past year.
If I may, a brief word to those who will be
proudly donning their school jersey for
the final time: this is only the start of a new
journey. Join a local club or university team
next year. The camaraderie and friendships
forged through rugby will endure long after
you have hung up your boots.
in providing referees and other officials,
without whom, we would not have any games.
Therefore, I urge anyone who loves rugby to
consider further contributing to the game by
taking up the whistle.
I know that today’s finals will provide an
exciting conclusion to the season, and
regardless of the results, I hope everyone
thoroughly enjoys the day, creating magic
memories to last a lifetime in the home of
Connacht Rugby.
Ádh mór oraibh go léir,
Jean Mc Connell
Connacht Rugby Chair of Schools
I would like to thank the Association of
Referees Connacht Branch for their dedication

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.

u14 a boys schools cup Final
Referees: peter gaughan, darragh hopkins (ar1), ciarán harkin (Ar2)
st. joseph’s College (The Bish)

u14 a boys schools cup Final
Referees: peter gaughan, darragh hopkins (ar1), ciarán harkin (Ar2)
summerhill college

MANAGEMENT teams
Ambrose Conboy
Coach
Derek Murray
Coach
micheál Liam McInery glennon
Coach
micheál Eoin Tarmey glennon
Coach
Declan Brennan
Coach
Finn Bamber
Coach
Andrew Hall
Coach
micheál Tara Jayne glennon Wade
Coach
Julian micheál Leszczynski
glennon
Coach

school Well-wishes!
st. joseph‘s (The Bish) MESSAGE
“Best of luck our Under 14 Rugby Team on the occasion of
the U14 A final on Wednesday 24th April against Summerhill
College. It has been a long time since the Bish’s last appearance
in an A final, and we in the school are all looking forward
to cheering Nathan Forde and his team on. We are very proud
of this team. It is a wonderful achievement for this group to
reach the A final and a testament to the great work being put
in by the players and coaches, Ambrose Conboy, Derek Murray,
Liam McInerny and Eoin Tarmey“
Le dea ghuí,
John Madden
Summerhill college MESSAGE
“Summerhill College would like to wish our u14
team the best of luck in today’s final!”

Junior C boys schools cup Final
Referees: gerry geraghty, cian hough (ar1), darragh hopkins (Ar2)
Calasanctius College oranmore

Junior C boys schools cup Final
Referees: gerry geraghty, cian hough (ar1), darragh hopkins (Ar2)
Coláiste Mhuire Ballygar

management teams
Frank Shortt
Coach
Rory Wilson
Coach
Bernie Huxford
Coach
David Watterson
Medic/First Aid
owen curran
Coach
kian hughes
Coach
adam naughton
Coach

school Well-wishes!
Calasanctius college MESSAGE
“the very best of luck to our Junior Rugby Team in
their cup final!“
- from Cora Ni Loinsigh and the whole staff of
Calasanctius College
Coláiste Mhuire Ballygar MESSAGE
“Everyone in the whole school is so proud of
this squad of players. They have represented the
school and their families so well this season. We
all wish them the very best in the Junior Cup final
on Wednesday against Calasanctius, Oranmore in
Dexcom Stadium. Go Colaiste Mhuire!”

Junior b boys schools cup Final
Referees: Diarmuid Morrissey, cian hough (ar1), peter mccarthy (Ar2)
Coláiste Bhaile Chláir

Junior b boys schools cup Final
Referees: Diarmuid Morrissey, cian hough (ar1), peter mccarthy (Ar2)
presentation college athenry

management teams
Shane Lynam
Coach
Michael Connolly
Coach
Maeve Hackett
Team Manager
Aoibhe O’Boyle
Team Physio
Claude Geoghegan
Coach
James Greaney
Coach
Oisín Meehan
Coach
Adam Laffey
Ball Boy
Colm McCarthy
Water Boy
Vincent Gannon
Water Boy
Caolean Caulfield
PR Team
Alex Ryan
PR Team
Mike O’Rourke
Kit Manager

school Well-wishes!
Coláiste Bhaile Chláir MESSAGE
“Wishing Coláiste Bhaile Chláirthe best of luck
against presentation college athenry in the junior
b schools final!“
Presentation College Athenry MESSAGE
“Rugby in PCA has continued to flourish this year and this junior panel of players
has helped to achieve this. We are proud of them in the way in which they have
approached this season. They epitomise all that is great about the Pres. They have
spent long hours on the training field and always produced their best on matchday
with tremendous leadership under the captaincy of Shane Lally. A special thanks to
our teachers Ms Hackett, Mr Geoghegan and Mr Lavelle for all their efforts with the
students. The junior squad has also benefited from the support and mentorships of
our TY senior squad members; James Greaney, Oisísn Meehan, Adam Laffey and Vincent
Gannon. A special thanks also to Connacht Rugby for helping with coaching and
making their flagship ground available for the finals. The Board of Management,
staff and students would like to wish our rugby panel and the management team the
very best in their attempt to win both the Senior B and Junior B Connacht Cups.
Ar aghaidh linn!”
Mr. Cathal Moore, Principal, Presentation College, Athenry

finals preview
This Wednesday, 24th April sees the
next round of Bank of Ireland Club and
Schools finals in Dexcom Stadium with the
remaining Boys Schools Cup Finals. The U14
A Boys’ Schools Final will take place at 11:00
AM followed by the Junior C Boys’ Schools
Cup Final at 12:30 PM and the Junior B Boys’
Schools Cup Final at 2:30 PM.
The first final of the day is the U14 A Boys’
Schools Cup Final which will see St. Joseph’s
College (The Bish) take on Summerhill
College in what will be a thriller of a finals
contest. The two sides met in Round 3 of
the U14 A League where The Bish came
out with a 2 point win over the Sligo
side, proving to be one of the toughest
competitors for the Galway City school.
The Bish went on to maintain a clean record,
winning all of their pool games and seeing
them face Sligo Grammar in their Semi-Final
in mid-April. Not making it easy for The Bish
to make the final, Sligo Grammar put up a
fight but eventually The Bish clenched the
win with a 26-24 scoreline to see them into
the final. Summerhill finished 2nd on the
table, only recording losses to The Bish and
Marist College in Round 6 of the competition.
A month later, Summerhill once again faced
Marist in their home Semi-Final but this
time, they made sure to put away the win,
coming out on top with an impressive 48-12
scoreline meaning they would take the pitch
Wednesday, 24th April against The Bish. Sure
to be an electric final, make sure to get your
ticket ahead of time. The U14 A Boys’ Schools

Final is at 11:00 AM on Wed, 24th April in
Dexcom Stadium.
The second final of the day will see
Calasanctius College take on Coláiste
Mhuire Ballygar in the Junior C Boys’
Schools Cup Final. Calasanctius saw a
successful League campaign continue
into their Cup campaign where they went
unbeaten, recording wins over Portumna
CS, St. Geralds Castlebar, and Merlin
College. This saw them with a home Semi-
Final against Sancta Maria College where
the strong Calasanctius side came away
with a 37-14 win meaning they would be
playing in the final in Dexcom Stadium in
the hopes of adding one more win to their
tally. However, Coláiste Mhuire Ballygar
will prove to be formidable opponents in
the final. Having also topped their pool in
the campaign with wins over Jesus and
Mary Enniscrone and Abbey CC, Coláiste
Mhuire Ballygar will excitedly await the
opportunity to claim the trophy. Two very
exciting young teams who are sure to show
amazing displays of rugby, Wednesday’s
final is a game not to be missed. The Junior
C Boys’ Schools Cup Final is at 12:30 PM on
Wed, 24th April in Dexcom Stadium.
strangers to each other, having faced off in
Round 4 of the League where Coláiste Bhaile
Chláir eventually clinched the win over the
Pres Athenry side with a 1 point win. The
two teams then faced each other in Round
1 of the Cup campaign where Pres Athenry
returned the favour with a 13-12 win of their
own. Coláiste Bhaile Chláir overcame last
year’s Cup winners St. Jarlath’s College in
their Semi-Final with a 3 point victory while
Pres Athenry confidently put away a 38-14
Semi-Final win against Athlone CC. With both
teams more than ready for a rematch, this is
sure to be a fabulous game of rugby by the
two sides in what will be a hotly contested
final. The Junior B Boys’ Schools Cup Final
is at 2:30 PM on Wed, 24th April in Dexcom
Stadium.
Fans are encouraged to buy their tickets in
advance as all 2024 finals will be cashless.
Tickets can be purchased here.
The third, and last, final of the day will see
Coláiste Bhaile Chláir take on Presentation
College Athenry in the Junior B Boys’
Schools Cup Final. These two clubs are no

Upcoming Finals
sponsored by bank of ireland
SUNDAY, 28th APRIL
12pm: Bank of Ireland u13 boys cup final
1:30pm: Bank of Ireland u15 boys cup final
3:30pm: Bank of Ireland u17 boys cup final