Club and Community Finals Programme 28th April

Bank of ireland boys u13, u15 & u17 cup finals
Sunday, 28th april
at dexcom stadium
Sponsored by Bank of Ireland

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dexcom stadium
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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.

oys’ u13 cup Final
Referees: peter mccarthy, john martin (ar1), mark callanan (Ar2)
buccaneers rfc

oys’ u13 Cup Final
Referees: peter mccarthy, john martin (ar1), mark callanan (Ar2)
carrick-on-shannon rfc

Buccaneers RFC MANAGEMENT
Peter Mcguirk
Team Manager
Andy Moran
Backs Coach
Eimhin Griffith
Forwards Coach/Physio
Sarán Griffith
Captain

carrick-on-shannon RFC
MANAGEMENT
Nato Zondagh
Head Coach
Deon Joubert
Coach
Matthew Lawlor
Coach

oys’ u15 Cup Final
Referees: siobhán daly, jon hunt (ar1), cristian talos fildan (Ar2)
corinthians rfc

oys’ u15 Cup Final
Referees: siobhán daly, jon hunt (ar1), cristian talos fildan (Ar2)
sligo rugby

corinthians RFC MANAGEMENT
John Dilleen
Team Manager
Johnny McDonagh
Head Coach
John Roche
Backs Coach
Sean Duignan
Defence Coach
Paul Gill
Forwards Coach
Dave watterson
Forwards Coach
Max Holmes
Forwards Coach
Brian Clarke
Coach
Cian Baynes
Coach
Donal Murphy
S&C

sligo rugby MANAGEMENT
Phelim O’Connor
Team Manager/Coach
Mark Boland
Coach
Rob Martin
Coach
Bryan Whelan
Physio

oys’ u17 Cup Final
Referees: shane Gaughan, mark harrigan (ar1), David Watkinson (Ar2)
corinthians rfc

oys’ u17 Cup Final
Referees: shane Gaughan, mark harrigan (ar1), David Watkinson (Ar2)
sligo rugby

corinthians RFC MANAGEMENT
Rob Dolan
Team Manager
Tony Canavan
Assistant Coach/Manager
Tomás Farthing
Head Backs Coach
Paddy Madden
Backs Coach
Ger Kirwan
Backs Coach
Patrick Flannery
Head Forwards Coach
Hubert Costello
Forwards Coach

sligo rugby MANAGEMENT
Gavin Laws
Team Manager
Jason East
Coach
Ken O’Neil
Coach
Carl Van Rensburg
Coach
Roger Burrows
Physio

finals preview
This Sunday, 28th April sees the next, and last, round
of Bank of Ireland Club and Schools finals in Dexcom
Stadium with the remaining Boys Cup Finals. The U13
Boys’ Cup Final will take place at 12:00 PM followed by
the U15 Boys’ Cup Final at 1:30 PM and the U17 Boys’
Cup Final at 3:30 PM.
was needed. This time, Buccaneers made no mistake
on seizing the win over the Loughrea side with a 24-5
win. However, making the final wasn’t a breeze as once
again their Semi-Final match against Gort RFC ended in a
draw! The replay saw Buccaneers claim the victory with a
15-13 win over Gort. Carrick-on-Shannon hit the ground
running immediately in their Cup campaign, coming
The first final of the day is the U13 Boys’ Cup Final
which will see Buccaneers RFC take on first-time U13
finalists Carrick-on-Shannon RFC in what will be a
thriller of a contest. Both teams got a great warm-up
in the U13 Non-Competitive fixtures at the start of the
season, seeing both sides face a multitude of different
opponents and build on their game for the Cup.
Buccaneers started their Cup campaign with a win on
the board against Ballinasloe RFC and then went on
out victorious against Connemara/Oughterard RFC and
going on to also best Ballina Green, and then Sligo Rugby
in their Cup Quarterfinal. This put them at the top of the
table, meaning they faced Galway Bay RFC in their home
Semi-Final. Galway Bay were worthy opponents, but
Carrick were able to solidify their place in the final with
a 15-12 win. Sure to be an electric final, make sure to get
your ticket ahead of time. The U13 Boys’ Cup Final is at
12:00 PM on Sun, 28th April in Dexcom Stadium.
to face Loughrea RFC in a thriller of a Cup Quarterfinal
seeing the game ending in a draw, meaning a replay
The second final of the day will see the first of a

Corinthians RFC vs Sligo Rugby double-header
at Dexcom Stadium with the U15 Boys’ Cup Final.
Corinthians have seen an impressive season, fielding
two teams in both the League and the Cup, both of
whom topped their pool tables to begin the year.
Corinthians Black went on to face Sligo in the Division
1 League Final where they came out victorious with
a 22-5 win. In their Cup Campaign, Corinthians Black
maintained a clean record with wins over Westport RFC,
Connemara/Oughterard RFC, Corinthians Blue, and
a 34-5 win over Ballina RFC in their away Semi-Final,
making sure they would be the team once again facing
Sligo in a Final, this time in Dexcom Stadium. Sligo also
had an impressive League with wins over Ballina RFC,
Westport RFC, Creggs RFC, Galway Bay/Galwegians
RFC, and only recording losses to Buccaneers RFC and
Corinthians Black. In their Cup Campaign, Sligo also
kept a clean sheet, building on their league successes
with wins over Creggs, Loughrea, Ballinasloe, and then
Ballinrobe RFC in their away Semi-Final where they won
faced Sligo in their Semi-Final where they were able
to put away a decisive win, meaning they would face
Buccaneers again in their League Final. Unfortunately,
they fell just short losing 15-10 to the Buccaneers side.
This only drove them on in their Cup campaign where
they stormed through their pool games, winning all of
them meaning the only thing standing between them
and the Final was Buccaneers. This time, the Corinthians
side made no mistake and came away with a 22-11 win to
see them into the final. Sligo also showed a strong start
in the League, only recording two tight losses against
Buccaneers and Corinthians. Falling to Corinthians in their
Semi-Final, Sligo picked themselves up and hit another
gear in the Cup competition, winning all of their pool
games and their home Semi-Final against a strong Carrick
RFC side. 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 U17
Boys’ Cup Final is at 3:30 PM on Sun, 28th April in Dexcom
Stadium.
22-12 meaning they booked their place in the Final
against Corinthians Black. As Sligo was in Pool A in the
Cup campaign, this will be the first time the two teams
have faced off since their League Final. Sure to be an
Fans are encouraged to buy their tickets in advance as
all 2024 finals will be cashless. Tickets can be purchased
here.
electric final, make sure to get your ticket ahead of time.
The U15 Boys’ Cup Final is at 1:30 PM on Sun, 28th April
in Dexcom Stadium.
The third, and last, final of the day will once again
see Corinthians RFC face off against Sligo Rugby. As
runners-up in last year’s U17s final, Corinthians will
be looking to take home the trophy this year. With an
impressive League showing and only one loss against
last year’s U17s winners Buccaneers RFC, Corinthians

Club Well-Wishes!
Buccaneers rfc message
“We would like to wish the buccaneers u13s team all the best
and we are delighted that they are in the final!“
Carrick-on-Shannon rfc message
“Everyone from Carrick-on-Shannon RFC are proudly
wishing Carrick-on-Shannon RFC’s Under 13 Boys the
very best of luck in their Bank of Ireland Connacht Cup
Final against Buccaneers RFC!”
Corinthians RFC MESSAGE
“We at Corinthians RFC wish our U15 and U17 teams the very
best of luck in their respective finals, which are both
against Sligo RFC. Both of these Sligo teams are tough
competitors and we look forward to the challenge in
Dexcom Stadium this Sunday. May the best teams on the day
win!“
sligo rfc 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 Youth Cup 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 the U15’s and U17’s boys finals,
and also to the esteemed team of officials taking charge of
all finals.”
- Rory Raftery, sligo rugby president

Go raibh maith agaibh
sponsored by bank of ireland
Thank you to every person, and
every club, involved in what was a
wonderful finals season at
Dexcom Stadium!