With the All Ireland league clubs taking a well earned break the focus for the Domestic followers in Ulster is on one rearranged game in the SONI Ulster Rugby Premiership involving Rainey OB and Malone at Hatrick Park and league programmes in Div 1, 2 and 3 of the Kukri Ulster Rugby Championship. Such is the competition in these three divisions that in Div 1 we have four points separating the top five sides Portadown, Instonians, Omagh, Ballyclare and Enniskillen with Instonians meeting league leaders Portadown at Shaws bridge and Enniskillen playing Ballyclare at Mullaghmeen this weekend. In the bottom half of this Division we have three teams Cooke, Carrickfergus and Dromore sitting on 14 points with 9th place Clogher Valley on 10 points. Ards remain in 10th place without a win. Both Carrick and Cooke meet at the Tom Simms Memorial Park on Sat.

In Div 2 we have four teams CIYMS, Limavady, Coleraine and Academy separated by one point with Grosvenor a further five points behind the leaders. Two of these teams CIYMS and Coleraine meet at Belmont in East Belfast in a game that is expected to attract one of the biggest crowds to this venue in recent seasons. In the bottom half of this league Lisburn secured their first league win in defeating fellow strugglers UUC 31 - 0 at the Blaris last week. 10th place Donaghadee remain without a win and entertain Lisburn at Donaldson Park this week.

In Div 3 Ballymoney remain undefeated after 11 games and are being closely pursued by the PSNI and Lurgan to finish in the top two.

I was disappointed to see Clogher Valley miss out on making the Final of the Ulster Bank All Ireland Junior Cup after going down 20 - 19 in a fiercely contested game at Ashbourne last week. Clogher Valley felt they did not get the 'rub of the green' from the match officials with several incidents involving foul play by the home side being overlooked. The opposite was the case for the Fivemiletown side who received three yellow cards resulting in their most influential player, number 8 Ryan Wilson being red carded for two yellow card offences. Despite playing the match with 14 and 13 players it was a heroic effort by the Tyrone side. It was interesting to note the IRFU disciplinary committee have taken no further action against Ryan Wilson this week.

Ashbourne will play current holders Enniscorthy in an all Leinster Final on the 28th January.

Reading the IRFU website it is welcome news that 'World Rugby' is taking further action to impose sanctions on tackles above the chest. All too often we have witnessed brutal head high collisions in the professional game that unfortunately are copied in the amateur game. It is crucial to player welfare that match officials are intolerant to such behaviour whether it occurs in the first minute of a match or later in a game. Rugby players have always stretched the tolerance levels in the opening minutes of a match to see what a match official will allow players to get away with. This attitude has to change. Coaches and players along with club officials have a duty to eradicate foul play from the game of rugby. This starts at Mini level through Schools and Club Youth structures. As the Rugby World directive states players have to learn to bend from the waist to tackle not literally stick out an arm and grab a player around the neck region, therefore exposing that player to serious injury. We all know rugby is a physical game and carries a high risk of injury, but we all have a duty to minimise that risk. Current club injury lists are a testimony to the physicality in the game at present.

Have to congratulate Ballynahinch seconds on their 17 - 3 win over Omagh in the Final of the Millar McCall Wylie Junior Cup at the Kingspan stadium on Tuesday night. They confirmed their favourites tag with a professional performance that denied Omagh the opportunity to get a foot hole in the game. It appeared Omagh had played their final two weeks ago in defeating Coleraine in a titanic semi final at the Thomas Mellon playing fields. The Hinch second xv will have the opportunity to lift another title. A win at Ards in the Conference league this week with a bonus point will secure the team the Div 1 Conference league title. Not a bad first half to the season for the men from Ballymacarn Park.

Tonight Ballynahinch 1st xv will attempt to make it a Cup double for the County Down club this week as they play Dungannon in the Final of the First Trust Senior Cup at the Kingspan stadium with a 7.30PM kick off. We had a healthy crowd in attendance at the Kingspan stadium on Tuesday night and once again we will see supporters of the Domestic game turn out in large numbers with both teams deserving your support. Ballynahinch under Head coach Derek Suffern will start as firm favourites. Can Dungannon Head coach Andy Hughes and his players cause an upset. We will see.

Just a note of interest. Why are we seeing clubs like City of Derry, Belfast Harlequins, Ards, Donaghadee and Ophir struggling this season to be competitive. We have a large population in the Ards/North Down area. The same applies to Londonderry/ Derry City. Bangor have shown what can be achieved by setting out a five year plan to return to the All Ireland League. Is enough being done within the Schools and Club Youth structures to bring more players into the Adult game. Where are all the players going from RBAI, Methody and Campbell College to support the Belfast clubs. We have the pathway into the professional game but where is that pathway to support the amateur game. Is there not an opportunity to create rugby hubs involving clubs and schools to share facilities and resources to support the amateur game. I worry that the current structures are used to focus on supporting the professional structure to the exclusion of the Domestic game.

Readers will have noticed the report in the Irish Times into the decline and numbers participating in playing rugby in Australia last week. Are we in Europe sure our present structures will ensure an amateur game continues to exist in its present format. Have we become complacent in securing the future of the game.

SONI ULSTER RUGBY PREMIERSHIP DIV 2
Rainey OB v Malone
Head coach John Andrews is resting several of his Rainey squad this week with Tommy O'Hagan and John McCusker involved with the Ulster A squad in their British and Irish Cup match away to Cardiff this weekend. Other notables missing will be second row Tim Barker and scrum half Michael Wilson.

The coach is giving 1st xv starts to former Youth props Aiden McSwiggan and Fintan Quinn with a fourth McCusker, Philip joining his brothers Ronan and Michael in the Rainey pack. When will see all four McCusker brothers in the Rainey 1st xv pack. Can anyone tell me if we ever had four brothers playing on a club 1st xv in Ulster. Philip McCusker is described by John Andrew's as a big powerful runner with the ball in hand. He has come through the clubs Youth setup and has made the transition from Gaelic over the summer and the first half of the season to making his debut for the 1st xv this weekend.

Malone Head coach Paddy Armstrong like his Rainey counterpart is using the opportunity this week to rest players and give several of his fringe players the opportunity to play for the 1st xv. Both Peter Ireland and Josh Davidson come into the second row with max porter starting in the back row. Injury rules out Mark O'Connor who has found his form again at Malone this season with former Sullivan scrum half Callum Jeffrey coming on to the bench.

Rainey OB (3) v Malone (1)

KUKRI ULSTER RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP DIV 1
Carrickfergus v Cooke
Massive game for both sides at the Tom Simms Memorial Park this week. Like Dromore these three teams are aware of the pressure Clogher Valley are applying as they seek to avoid finishing in 9th place and the play offs. Carrick coaches Davy Scott and Michael Rainey are fully aware of how competitive this league is after securing promotion. Narrow home defeats to Omagh 14 - 13 and Instonians 10 - 3 show how valuable every league point is in the fight to stay in Div 1. With back to back games coming up against inform neighbours Ballyclare on Boxing Day and the 7th January both the coaches and the players will have little or no time to relax. Any complacency by coaches and players in this league will see teams caught up in a relegation battle.

Cooke under Head coach Colin Atkinson may have a small playing squad, but they have shown in their games against Ballyclare lost 23 - 18 and an impressive 24 - 9 win over newly promoted Enniskillen they will be no pushovers. The coach was forced to play scrum half Matty Elliott in the back row against Enniskillen with the player turning in an outstanding performance. Captain Toby Mannus has been an inspirational leader on the pitch this season. Once again the Gourlay brothers have been key points contributors for Cooke. Alan kicking 4 x pens and 1 x con with Alex scoring a try along with winger Jonathan Backus against Enniskillen. The coach is aware there are no easy games in Div 1. He will finalise his squad for Carrick after training on Thursday night. Injury rules out Curtis Montgomery with Scott McClelland taking his place.

Dromore v Omagh
Interesting game this one. For Dromore Head coach Jonny Cullen it has been an up and down season as the coach tries to build consistency into his teams performances. Back to back defeats against Ballyclare 32 - 7 and Clogher Valley 3 - 0 has added to the pressure on the coaches and players. It is difficult to see where the points are coming for Dromore with games coming up against Clogher Valley, Omagh and Ballyclare. This is a home game his players need to win. Like Carrick they have suffered narrow home defeats to Instonians and Clogher Valley. Small margins decide games and it is all about taking your chances.

How will the Omagh coaches Philip Marshall, Ashley Blair and their players respond to their poor performance in their 17 - 3 defeat to Ballynahinch seconds in the Junior Cup Final on Tuesday night. Dromore are in urgent need of league points and the Omagh players will have to pick themselves up if they want to maintain their challenge for league honours.

Omagh Head coach Philip Marshall was gutted by the performance of his team on Tuesday night in the Junior Cup Final. The squad had prepared really well and froze in the first half. He was bitterly disappointed by the performance. As he said you don't mind losing if you have played your 'A' game but that performance was far from it.

The coach is looking for a reaction from his players at Dromore this Saturday. Injury rules out second row Jamie Sproule and full back Alastair Beckett from Tuesday night with a lot of tired bodies in the squad from their efforts. Both Mervyn Edgar and Lee Murphy come in as their replacements.

He is looking nothing less than a win if the team are to maintain their momentum in the league.

Enniskillen v Ballyclare
Two teams with the ambition to win Div 1 this season. Enniskillen had their title hopes seriously dented when their much vaunted pack were outplayed in their surprise 24 - 9 defeat at Cooke. That makes it two losses in a row after losing at home to Ballynahinch seconds in the Conference league. Head coach Willy Balfour and his players will not want to make it three defeats in a row. Mullaghmeen is never an easy venue for any visiting teams. With a large crowd in attendance the Ballyclare side will have to be at their best to pick up the league points.

The Skins coach is looking forward to the next few weeks as his players get used to playing rugby every week after a lengthy break where they only played two matches. With back to back games coming up with Ballyclare and Omagh we will see whether this Enniskillen squad have the heart and desire to push for league honours.
For this week the coach welcomes back Ryan Cathcart at hooker and Patrick McCleery at scrum half.

Ballyclare have been the form team in recent weeks picking up wins against Cooke 23 - 18 and Dromore 32 - 7. They face near neighbours Carrick in back to back games and a return visit by Enniskillen to the Cloughan.

Head coach Mike McKeever has been delighted by the reponse of his players in achieving the goals they set for themselves this season. Dromore gave his team a very challenging game. They are no easy side to play against. In Div 1 every team is capable of beating each other on the day. In this league the coach is expecting there to be a close finish this season for the top five places.

The team have a realistic new target for the next three games that they will aim to go for. He acknowledges Enniskillen are having a very good season and he is looking forward to the game with them at the weekend.

Selection this week will see Robert Smith coming into contention after returning from injury. Both Robert Boyd and Michael Rainey are added to the pack.

The coach would like to say a big well done and congratulations to all involved in coaching and supporting the 'Clare Hares'. He was fortunate to get to observe and provide a helping hand on Friday night to the team . It was fantastic to see the rugby that was on offer to this group. Superb stuff and well done to all involved. The team are now on their Winter break.

Instonians v Portadown
Pre season title favourites Instonians may have slipped off the radar following a difficult period where they exited the All Ireland Junior Cup and the Millar McCall Wylie Junior Cup. They have shown their resolve by winning a tight game at Carrick two weeks ago 10 - 3 to place them 2nd in Div 1, four points behind league leaders Portadown. Inst coaches William Leacock and Mark McDowell have back to back games coming up with Portadown and neighbours Cooke that will tell us a lot about the title ambitions of this young Inst squad. The return of the Whitten brothers Robert and Alan along with Ryan McCurry at Carrick had a big impact in their 10 - 3 win. With any one of five teams challenging for the league this season we have the most open contest for the league title in recent years. This weekend Instonians welcome back influential centre Davy Scott to a team that is getting stronger by the week. As Director of Rugby William Leacock acknowledges Div 1 is a tight league this season.

Portadown Head coach Richard Hedley and his assistant Ciaran O'Kane have the task to lift their playing squad after watching their team eliminated from the AIL Junior Cup and the heavy 45 - 10 semi final defeat in the Junor Cup at Ballynahinch. This was followed up by a 17 -14 home defeat to Clogher Valley in the league two weeks ago. Portadown can still resurrect their season against a team they defeated 25 - 17 in the Junior Cup on the 5th November. Their last win was a 40 - 7 win over struggling Ards at Chambers Park four weeks ago.

The Portadown coach is expecting another tough game away this week. He agrees his team have been struggling with the number of matches they played during October and November. He welcomed the break last Saturday for the players and hopes it will have a positive impact this week. Injury rules out Lee Bicker and Ryan Calvert with both being replaced by Danny Alexander and Niall Davison.

Carrickfergus (7) v Cooke (6)
Dromore (8) v Omagh (3)
Enniskillen (5) v Ballyclare (4)
Instonians (2) v Portadown (1)

KUKRI ULSTER RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP DIV 1
Carrickfergus v Ballyclare. Played Monday 26.12.16. Kick off 2.30PM

KUKRI ULSTER RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP/CONFERENCE DIV 1
Clogher Valley v Ballymena seconds
There was disappointment for the Clogher Valley team and supporters when they came up just short against Ashbourne in the All Ireland Junior Cup semi final last week. The focus for coaches Glen Kyle and Davy Black is keeping this proud club in Div 1 this season. Results in recent weeks have shown that the team and players will fight for every league point. This weekend the coaches will be without the injured Michael Treanor, Nathan Orr, David Sharkey and Philip Moore with both Matty Robinson and Clive Donaldson unavailable. Toby McAlpine, Neil Henderson, Matthew Keyes, Ian Mulligan and Mills are expected to be included in the starting lineup.

Ards (12) v Ballynahinch seconds (1)
Clogher Valley (11) v Ballymena seconds (10)

KUKRI RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP DIV 2
Academy v Randalstown
We all thought it was a two horse race in Div 2 between CIYMS and Coleraine. The performances of Academy and Limavady have now turned the promotion chase into a race involving four teams. Academy Head coach Gareth Lynn knows his players have to step up to another level if they are to challenge CI and Coleraine. The work put in on the training paddock over Xmas and the New Year will determine the ambition of the team. As the Head coach points out every game at the minute is a difficult one. His players had turn around a deficit at Larne last week to win 42 - 27.

For the game this week the coach has to make a few changes. Out half Jordan Buchanan is unavailable with New Zealand centre Tate Harte returning home after his gap year. Injury rules out second row Clarke Cooper. The coach is confident he has the depth in the squad to replace him. He is hoping to add number 8 Stewart Martin and Stuart Henderson to the second row to give more physicality. He and the players are not thinking about a top two finish. It is all about winning the next game on Saturday. The goal is to finish the first half of the season having only lost to CI and Coleraine. As the coach puts it, it is the old cliché of taking one game at a time and not thinking too far ahead of ourselves.

Randalstown came up just short against Limavady losing 28 - 24 at Nelisbrook last Sat. The North West side had built up an early 28 - 0 with Randalstown fighting back and forcing Limavady to hang on for the win. Having lost their last two league games against CI and Limavady they now travel to play an inform Academy side that have joined the promotion race. Randalstown Head coach Gary Longwell and his young squad were expected to be involved in the top four this season. Results have not favoured them in narrow losses. Can they upset the form book at Roughfort this weekend.

CIYMS v Coleraine
This is the game everyone is talking about. With Instonians playing Portadown at Shawsbridge for many neutral supporters the place to be in Belfast on Sat will be Belmont in East Belfast. Why such interest in this match. You have two young and exciting coaches in Gareth Fry of CIYMS and Richard Boyd at Coleraine with two talented playing squads at their disposal. Early season focus was all on the role former Ulster player James McKinney would have in directing CI's promotion challenge. His recent departure to Jersey in the championship has left a void in the team. Another pre season addition at CI went slightly under the radar. It was the inclusion of former Gloucester player Callum Irvine to their backline. He hasn't failed to disappoint and has become a key player in the CI backline. When CI lost their talented scrum half Cameron Stewart to injury there were concerns who would replace him and McKinney. In stepped Cameron Jinks from Coleraine and former Regent House scrum half/Out half Alan Sinnamon to solve the mini crisis.

CI Head coach Gareth Fry is looking forward to the meeting with Coleraine. He was disappointed his side lost 40 - 12 to a strong Armagh seconds team at the Palace grounds last weekend. He is looking an immediate response from his players this week. He agrees Coleraine are a very strong team from 1 - 15. He will be looking his players to match the physicality of the North coast side. Coleraine have recruited well over the summer and he describes it as hard to see any team live with them over the course of the season. He is expecting a big crowd at Belmont with everybody looking forward to the match.

The squad is on similar lines to recent games with the coach hoping a few players carrying knocks will come through. Key second row forward David Cobain is away on holidays in Australia. As the coach said it is difficult to control the availability of players in the amateur game.

Coleraine Head coach Richard Boyd and his players are looking forward to the match on Saturday. The team bounced back well from their narrow Junior Cup semi final defeat at Omagh two weeks ago to defeat a strengthened Malone seconds team 27 - 7 in the Conference league last week. On this occasion the coach was able to rotate the squad and rest a number of regular players to keep them fresh and give some of the younger players an opportunity to play on the 1st xv. He was pleased how the young team stepped up against Malone and worked hard to secure the bonus point on the road.

For the match at CIYMS this week. Coleraine are pretty much at full strength with Kyle McAuley ruled out after picking up a concussion injury at Malone. Chris Nash, Michael Ferguson, Roger Bonnar, Stephen Dickey, Brian Hughes, Rhys McAuley and Niall Irwin all return to the starting line up from the side that played at Malone.

He knows CIYMS are a very big and physical side and will fancy themselves at home to win this match. He also knows his players will have to be at their best to match CIYMS at the set piece and contain their fast backline who like to move the ball. This is one of the biggest games in the province this weekend and it is a real testament to the hard work put in by both clubs over the past few months. His Coleraine team have played some excellent rugby this year and the players have shown a great attitude and spirit at training. They will be well prepared and travel with confidence and be ready for the challenge that awaits them at Belmont this weekend.

Donaghadee v Lisburn
What can you say about Donaghadee at present. They suffered a 70 - 0 defeat at Grosvenor last Sat. You have to admire coaches Paul Blewitt and Chris Good for the work they are putting in at training and their efforts to fulfil their fixtures this season.

Lisburn under new Head coach Andy Postlethwaite put in a convincing performance to secure a bonus point win against UUC 31 - 0 last Sat. On paper you would expect Lisburn to pick up the maximum five points this week.

With both Lisburn and UUC sitting on five points there is a real opportunity for Donaghadee to salvage something from their season with a win this weekend.

Academy (4) v Randalstown (7)
CIYMS (1) v Coleraine (3)
Donaghadee (10) v Lisburn (9)

KUKRI ULSTER RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP/CONFERENCE DIV 2
Armagh seconds (4) v Grosvenor (6)
Larne (7) v Banbridge seconds (8)
Limavady (3) v Malone seconds (9)
UUC (12) v Belfast Harlequins seconds (14)

KUKRI ULSTER RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP DIV 3
BHSFP (8) v Monaghan (11)
Letterkenny (9) v Newry (6)
Lurgan (3) v Holywood (5)
PSNI (2) v Cavan (10)
Strabane (4) v Ophir (12)
Virginia (7) v Ballymoney (11)

Final note is thank you all for your support and wish everybody a Happy Christmas.
To help me complete the final preview of 2016 for the fixtures on the 31st December could coaches assist me by forwarding their previews to me by Wednesday 28th December.

Once again enjoy your Christmas. Please encourage rugby supporters and their friends to come out and support the Domestic games being played over the next two weeks.

Cheers,
George