Club and Community Finals Programme April 21st

Bank of ireland boys u14, u16 & u18.5 cup finals
Sunday, 21st april
at dexcom stadium
Sponsored by Bank of Ireland

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

#NEVERSTOPCOMPETING
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.

oys’ u14 cup Final
Referees: mark callanan, christy o’sullivan (ar1), cristian talos fildan (Ar2)
ballinasloe rfc

oys’ u14 cup Final
Referees: mark callanan, christy o’sullivan (ar1), cristian talos fildan (Ar2)
creggs rfc

Ballinasloe RFC MANAGEMENT
Billy Reynolds
Head Coach
Ger Colleran
Backs Coach
Aidan Gallagher
Assistant Coach
Carlos Figueiredo
Assistant Coach
Cathal Duffy
Team Manager
David McKeigue
Physio

creggs RFC MANAGEMENT
Liam Callaghan
Head Coach
Paul Beckett
Manager & Coach
Alan Ward
Forwards Coach
Fergus Halligan
Coach
Fergal O’Gara
Backs Coach
Dennis Doyle
Coach

oys’ u16 cup Final
Referees: david andreu, jon hunt (ar1), cristian talos fildan (Ar2)
buccaneers rfc

oys’ u16 cup Final
Referees: david andreu, jon hunt (ar1), cristian talos fildan (Ar2)
sligo rfc

uccaneers RFC MANAGEMENT
Joe Cleary
Team Manager
Michael Nugent
Team Manager
Charlie Couper
Coach
Roy Glennon
Coach
Niall Moran
Coach
Johnny O’Sullivan
Coach

sligo rugby MANAGEMENT
Jonathan Fahey
Coach & Manager
Finn Bamber
Coach
hugh o’hehir
Manager

oys’ u18.5 cup Final
Referees: michael honan, peter gaughan (ar1), cristian talos fildan (Ar2)
buccaneers rfc

oys’ u18.5 cup Final
Referees: michael honan, peter gaughan (ar1), cristian talos fildan (Ar2)
sligo rfc

uccaneers RFC MANAGEMENT
Brian Tallon
Team Manager
Sam Fogarty
Coach
Dylan King
Coach
Derek Ryan
Coach
Cormac Bruton
Physio

sligo rugby MANAGEMENT
Ken Draper
Coach & Manager
Joe Walsh
Coach
Nancy Rooney
Manager
stanley hunter
Physio

finals preview
This Sunday, 21st April sees the next round
of Bank of Ireland Club and Schools finals in
Dexcom Stadium with the Youth Boys Cup
Finals. The U14 Boys’ Cup Final will take place
at 12:00 PM followed by the U16 Boys’ Cup
Final at 1:30 PM and the U18.5 Boys’ Cup Final
at 3:30 PM.
The first final of the day is the Bank of
Ireland U14 Boys’ Cup Final which will see
Ballinasloe RFC take on last year’s U13 Cup
runners-up, Creggs RFC. The two sides met
in early October in the U14 League where
Ballinasloe seized a decisive victory. However,
both teams finished top 3 in Division 1,
proving to both be extremely competitive
sides and they faced off again in the league
final in Dubarry Park. Ballinasloe once again
claimed the victory, but Creggs made it a lot
more difficult, keeping them within 5 points.
Creggs were drawn into Pool A for the Cup
while Ballinasloe were in Pool B, meaning the
sides have not faced off on the pitch since the
League final. Both teams were very impressive
in the cup with clean slates. Creggs saw a
strong Carrick on Shannon RFC side in their
away semi-final where they came out with
an impressive 29-17 win to see them into
the Cup final. Ballinasloe, meanwhile, faced
Corinthians RFC in their away semi-final where
they cemented their spot in the final with a
39-7 win. Sure to be an electric final, make sure
to get your ticket ahead of time. The Bank of
Ireland U14 Boys’ Cup Final is at 12:00 PM on
Sun, 21st April in Dexcom Stadium.

The second final of the day will see the first
of a Buccaneers RFC vs Sligo Rugby double
header in the Bank of Ireland U16 Boys’
Cup Final. Buccaneers, having had players
involved in both the U15 and U16 Cup
winning teams last year, will be veterans
in the workings of finals days in Dexcom
Stadium. Buccaneers fielded two teams in
the U16 league – Buccaneers Black finished
2nd in Division 1 and ended up winning the
Division 1 League final against an incredibly
strong Creggs White side after a semi-final
win against an impressive Galway Bay side.
Buccaneers Yellow finished 3rd in Division 2
Pool B. In an incredible Cup campaign across
the board, Buccaneers faced a talented
Carrick on Shannon RFC side in their away
semi-final with a thrilling 19-12 win. Sligo
just missed out on the Division 1 final after
an 8-7 loss to Creggs White. Coming back
even stronger in the Cup campaign, Sligo
only recorded 1 loss against Creggs and
went on to win their away semi-final against
Corinthians with an 18-14 victory. Two very
exciting young teams who are sure to show
amazing displays of rugby, Sunday’s final is a
game not to be missed. The Bank of Ireland
U16 Boys’ Cup Final is at 1:30 PM on Sun, 21st
April in Dexcom Stadium.
Cup Final. Both Buccaneers and Sligo finished
in the middle of the table with Buccaneers
just missing out on a league final with a 28-
23 away semi-final loss to Galwegians RFC.
Both teams turned their results around, both
keeping clean slates in the Cup campaign.
Buccaneers recorded wins over Tuam/
Dunmore RFC and Carrick on Shannon RFC
while Sligo overcame Westport RFC and
Loughrea RFC. Buccaneers faced Ballina RFC in
a thriller of a Cup semi-final which ended with
a scoreline of 13-13 after the final whistle with
the decider coming down to first try scorers.
Sligo saw Galwegians in their home semi-final
where they showed their skills, coming away
with a 19-15 win. No strangers to each other,
this is sure to be a fabulous game of rugby by
the two sides in what will be a hotly contested
final. The Bank of Ireland U18.5 Boys’ Cup Final
is at 3:30 PM on Sun, 21st 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
once again see Buccaneers RFC take on last
year’s U18 Cup winners Sligo Rugby in a
rematch of the Bank of Ireland U18.5 Boys’

Club Well-Wishes!
Ballinasloe rfc message
“Ballinasloe Rugby club would like to wish its U14 Boys
all the very best of luck in their Cup Final Vs Creggs. A Rematch
of the Division 1 League final. It is a possible League
and Cup Double for the boys, which would be an amazing
achievement for your season. We are very proud of you boys
for all your hard work and dedication through out the
season. It is a proud day for the club, your familes, your
schools and yourselves. Good luck, do your best and enjoy
the great privilege and amazing occasion of a cup final day
in Dexcom Stadium.“
buccaneers rfc message
“We at Buccaneers RFC are wishing our U16s and
U18.5 teams the best of luck in the Cup finals against
Sligo RFC! It is a great achievement for both teams to
progress to the finals.”
creggs MESSAGE
“All at Creggs RFC wish our U14 Boys teams the best of luck
in their Cup on Sunday Vs Ballinasloe RFC. We are all very
proud of your achievements regardless of the outcome on
Sunday, having already reached the league final this year
also. The club finals day in Dexcom Stadium is always a
great occasion and we wish all the teams participating on
the day the best of luck and hope they enjoy the occasion.“
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 their games, both against
Buccaneers RFC in the U16 and U18.5 boys finals, and also to
the esteemed team of officials taking charge of all finals.”
- Rory Raftery, sligo rugby president

Upcoming Finals
sponsored by bank of ireland
WEDNESDAY, 24th APRIL
11am: u14 Boys School a league Final
12:30pm: Junior Boys c school cup final
2:30pm: junior Boys b school cup final
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