With no All Ireland League rugby the focus during the three week break has been on the provincial tournaments. Last week we had four exciting ties in the First Trust Senior Cup with holders Ballynahinch, Ballymena, Malone and City of Armagh progressing through to the semi final draw. This weekend we have four quarter finals in the Millar McCall Wylie Junior cup. What makes this weekend interesting is that we have four UBL second xv teams competing for a place in the semi finals. They include holders Ballynahinch, Banbridge, Malone and City of Armagh along with Kukri Ulster rugby championship teams Portadown, Enniskillen, Coleraine and Ballymoney.

We also have one Ulster Bank All Ireland league game involving Sunday’s Well and Belfast Harlequins in Cork with this game being brought forward from the 4th November due to Munster fixtures at Irish Independent Park.

In the Kukri Ulster Rugby Championship we had several surprise results in Div1 with Instonians and Carrick losing at Dromore and Cooke. CIYMS staged a comeback to defeat Enniskillen with Portadown winning a crucial game at Clogher Valley. Ballyclare have now opened up a five point lead on 2nd place Instonians with Dromore moving up into 3rd place ahead of Carrick in 4th place. Cooke have joined the race for a top four finish on the back of their win over Carrick. Eleven points separated the top five teams with Cooke having a game in hand. Enniskillen and Clogher Valley occupy the bottom two places in 9th and 10th.

In Div 2 Grosvenor maintained their lead with a win at Larne with nearest challengers Ballymoney winning at home to Ards followed by Randalstown who lost to a last minute drop goal at Academy with the Roughfort side consolidating their position in 4th place. Limavady remain without a win with five points separating the bottom six teams in this league. They include Larne, Lisburn, Ards, PSNI, UUC and Limavady.

In Div 3 there is no change. Lurgan have a maximum 30 points from their opening five games with Donaghadee in 2nd place on 27 points.

There is so much to play for the teams in these leagues. In Div 1 the top four teams qualify to play in the All Ireland League Junior Cup. If the league winners are promoted via the playoffs to the All Ireland League the 5th place team will qualify. The team that finishes 10th will be automatically relegated with the 9th place team involved in a playoff match against the team finishing 2nd in Div 2. This format will continue down through Div 2 and Div 3. With no Ulster teams relegated from the UBL last season and Omagh returning to the UBL the top two teams in Div 2 and 3 were both promoted. For teams outside the UBL the competitions in Ulster have created so many opportunities for teams to be successful with the Millar McCall Wylie Junior Cup, River Rock Towns Cup, McCrea Cup and the Gordon West Cup. Can the Kukri Ulster Rugby Championship teams challenge teams like Ballynahinch and Armagh seconds who remain undefeated this season. Ballynahinch seconds dominated last season winning Conference league 1, Junior Cup and the Towns Cup.

Have to say I was disappointed to hear that Coleraine 2nds and 3rds were unable to fulfil their cup and league fixtures last weekend. With the decision to rest several of their 1st xv squad it begged the question is it better that only 17 players enjoyed a game of rugby at the weekend rather than potentially 51 players if the three Coleraine teams had played. There are also their opponents who were deprived of the opportunity to play a game off rugby. This is not the first game Coleraine 2nds have conceded this season.

I remember Neil Hanna when he was coaching at Carrickfergus with Jonny Cullen. He emphasised how important it was for a club to build from the bottom up to be successful. His approach worked as Carrick 1st xv and several of their lower teams secured promotion. As Neil pointed out it is important to build strength in depth to support and sustain your 1st xv.

Jonny Cullen has carried on this approach after being appointed Head coach at Dromore last season. They are now 3rd in Div 1 of the Kukri Ulster Rugby Championship.

It was also disappointing to note that both Donegal 1st and 2nd xv sides conceded their matches at the weekend. We all recognise for some clubs they don’t have problems with playing resources. For others we need to be mindful what help and assistance can be provided by the Ulster Branch to assist and sustain rugby at the clubs who are not so fortunate.

Just a note on referees. I was present at the CIYMS v Enniskillen game last Sat when referee Vincent Hughes awarded 27 penalties during the game. I know with changes this season referees are focusing on high tackles and players infringing at the breakdown. I could not argue with any of his decisions. What it told me was that coaches and players need to be more mindful of the consequences of their actions on a rugby pitch. If you tackle above the chest with your arms or your forearm you are going to be penalised and possibly face the sanction of a yellow card or even worse a red card. Several coaches had mentioned to me about lazy players at the breakdown. Those who don’t come through the gate or just don’t roll away after making a tackle as they attempt to slow play down. There are consequences for you and your team if you infringe in these areas. Is it any wonder coaches get frustrated when players give away a needless penalty in a good attacking position.

I read last week about Robbie Henshaw talking about the importance of teams keeping players on their feet during a game. He said it was an area Leinster worked very hard at in training. During the week Armagh coach Chris Parker talked about the Banbridge defence in their match against Armagh. He described how Daniel Soper places a great emphasis on players staying on their feet during a game. That is why Armagh found it so difficult to break down the Banbridge defence during the game.

One area that concerns me is the clearing out of players without the ball by opponents lifting and driving players back at the breakdown. It reminds me of American football. Is there such a place for these type of clear outs in rugby. In the English premiership we see this happening all time. It was also noticeable how many clear outs were carried out by Wasps in the Ulster match. Remember what our young players watch in the professional game will be copied into the amateur game. I just can’t understand why this is allowed. You see players being driven back and held down to take them out of the game. Is this what rugby is all about. Spectators will vote with their feet if action is not taken.

FIRST TRUST SENIOR CUP
Last weekend in the First Trust Senior Cup Ballynahinch retained their grip on the trophy with a convincing 33 – 5 win at Upritchard Park. Their try scorers were Ollie Loughead, Conor Piper, Conal Boomer, Tom Rock and Stuart Morrow with Richard Reaney converting two. Bangor scored a penalty try.

Bangor 1st Manager Ricky Armstrong was pleased with how his young team played despite the score line. Coaches Jason Morgan and Lewis Stevenson had made a number of changes with the players coming in doing very well. One example was former Bangor Grammar 2nd row Martin Withers playing his first ever 80 mins of rugby after benching for Bangor in the UBL. He found the experience ‘knackering’.

Ballynahinch were good on the day and Bangor as a club aspire to follow the Ballynahinch model with work ongoing in developing the playing strength at the club. After four tough UBL games several players needed a break including forwards Andrew Shaw, James Leary, Louis Stevenson and James Henley along with backs Rob Gamble and Desi Fusco. The priority for Bangor is managing the players through the next two UBL blocks of three games before the Xmas break.

What has been particularly pleasing is the work put in by scrum coach Ale Alatise with replacement front row players Charlie Clegg and Andrew Jackson winning a penalty try off a set scrum. Jack Cooke made his debut at number 8 and will be a real asset for the pack with Jamie Clegg and Ryan Latimer expected to be available after injuries to add competition in the back row with David Bradford, James Henley and James Stewart holding down their starting positions. Competition in the backs has increased with 13/14 players fighting it out for 1st xv places. Two early season injuries, Jules Storey and Chris Jordan are close to returning and will be pushing the more experienced players like Mark Widdowson, David Charles, Rob Gamble and Adam McCusker for starting places.

With the strength in depth at the club , players know if they don’t train they won’t be selected for the 1st xv with injured players returning via the seconds. The feeling is good around the club with all the players buying into this ethos. As Ricky himself observed, this hasn’t happened before in his lifetime as a player and manager at the club. In the past players may have refused to play for the 2nd xv. This isn’t happening any more and has provided a real honesty and feel good factor at training. The focus for the players is the next UBL game away to Malahide on the 28th October.

City of Armagh entertained neighbours Banbridge at the Palace grounds winning a tight game 16 – 6. Armagh fielded a strong team with Chris Cousens and John Faloon coming into the backs along with Robert Whitten, James Morton, Philip Fletcher and Philip Matthews taking their place in the forwards.

Banbridge coach Daniel Soper was keen to rotate his squad and give game time to his squad players. He made seven changes to his starting line up with Andrew Kirkwood, Ben Carson and Jason Gribbon coming into the backs and Richard Graham, Matthew Laird, Tim Savage and Stuart Cromie starting in the forwards.

Armagh scorers Ali Birch (Captain) 1 x try. Cormac Fox 3 x pens and 1 x con. Banbridge scorers Adam Doherty 2 x pens.

Armagh Backs coach Chris Parker was pleased with the win. There was little to choose between the two teams with it being a very even contest. Banbridge are a well organised and efficient team and are difficult to break down. Their objective on the pitch is to keep as many bodies on their feet to deny space and opportunities to their opponents. In the last 20 mins they brought on experienced players such as Ian Porter and Stephen Irvine with the result in the balance.

For the Armagh club it is the friendships and relationships between the players that has strengthened and improved performances. Players want to play with their mates and work hard at training in encouraging each other, such is the competition for places on the 1st and 2nd xv.
Chris Parker is also of the view that clubs are driving their standards in the club game. Those clubs who don’t maintain those standards will be left behind. There is a lot of good rugby being played by club teams with people coming out to watch. Rugby is in a good place with Schools and Youth players buying into playing for their local club.

Banbridge coach Daniel Soper was disappointed to lose the match but his focus is on developing strength in depth to allow the team to be competitive in the UBL.

Malone ran out convincing winners 32 – 24 at home to Dungannon despite trailing 10 – 5 at halftime. A purple patch mid way through the second half resulted in the Red Sox scoring 27 unanswered points despite two late tries from the visitors. Both coaches made changes with squad players getting game time.
Malone scorers: Mark O’Connor, Michael Shiels, David McMaster 1 x try each + penalty try with O’Connor kicking 2 x pens and 2 x cons.
Dungannon scorers: Seamus Mallon, Andrew McGregor, Duran Krummeck 1 x try each with Chris Swash kicking 1 x pen and 3 x cons.

The one game that caught the imagination of club supporters was the tie at Eaton Park between Ballymena and newly promoted Omagh. Spectators were not disappointed with the two teams serving up 10 tries with Ballymena coming out on top 6 tries to 4 to win 37 – 27.

Ballymena scorers: Dean Reynolds, James Boville, David Whann, Dominic Gallagher, Joe Thompson and David O’Hara 1 x try each with Glenn Baillie kicking 1 x pen and 2 x cons.
Omagh scorers: Ali Beckett, Neil Brown, Adam Pollock and Andrew Ferguson 1 x try each with Lee Murphy kicking 1 x pen and 2 x cons.

Ballymena Head coach Andy Graham will be relieved to get the win and see his unfamiliar team score six tries. With 16/17 players unavailable for selection this was an opportunity for the coach to continue his work at developing strength in depth at the club.

Omagh do not surprise us any more. Their free flowing, running rugby continues to entertain supporters wherever they play. Now it is time to rest up before they resume their UBL programme. We wish them well.

The draw was made for the semi finals of the First Trust Senior Cup on Tuesday.
City of Armagh v Malone
Ballymena v Ballynahinch.
Ties to be played on Saturday the 18th November with the Final to be staged at the Kingspan stadium on Tuesday 19th December.

KUKRI ULSTER RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP
Div 1 threw up several surprising results with Dromore defeating Instonians 21 – 19 at Barban Hill. Visitors Instonians had built up a commanding 19 – 0 lead after 52 mins with tries from Conor Gallagher, Penalty try, Fraser Wright 1 x try each with Wright converting two. Dromore had other ideas and score three tries through Mike Allen, Brian McClearn and Adam McGregor with scrum half Lee Steenson converting three to win a titanic contest that will further strengthen the ambitions of this Dromore team to finish in the top four.

Dromore Director of Rugby Jeremy Ogle was delighted with the teams start against an aggressive Instonians defence. After going down to an early try Dromore felt decisions went against them with the touch judge and the referee yellow carding two of the Dromore players and awarding a penalty try against his side which was particularly baffling. It was when the players found themselves 19 – 0 down with 30 minutes to play they kept calm and trusted their game plan. Tries by Mike Allen and Brian McClearn both converted by Lee Steenson set up a grandstand finish. When Dromore secured a lineout five metres from the Inst line, the pack drove over for Adam McGregor to level the scores . Lee Steenson kept his nerve to kick the winning conversion.

A lot of work has been done on player fitness and its starting to show with strong finishes in tight games. The Dromore players will take a lot of confidence from their first win against a very good Inst side. Confidence is high, but with two weeks before our next game the squad will regroup and focus on entertaining CIYMS at Barban Hill on the 4th November.

Dromore team 1. Clarkson McCleod, 2. Stuart Sloan, 3. Mark Hylands, 4. Ross Bingham, 5. Stuart Russell, 6. Blair McDonald, 7. Jonny Maguire, 8. Adam McGregor, 9. Lee Steenson, 10. Ryan Cobb, 11. Mike Allen, 12. Sam Russell, 13. Aaron Stewart, 14. Brian McClearn, 15. Ben Russell, 16. Aaron Steenson, 17. A McKinstry.

Shawsbridge was another venue where visitors Carrickfergus led Cooke 15 – 6 at halftime through tries from Conor Cambridge, Bradley Luney, and Captain Andy McKeen with Rob Mitchell kicking two penalties for the home side. The Cooke response in the second half saw them score a try through winger Jonathan Backus with Mitchell converting and adding two further penalties with Fionn McCormick adding a penalty to leave Cooke winners by the narrow margin of 19 – 18.

In the bottom half of the table CIYMS met Enniskillen at Belmont in their first home game of the season. The Fermanagh side dominated the first half with only three penalties from out half Adam Lendrum to show for their efforts to lead 9 – 0 at halftime. The third quarter of this match was dominated by CI with scrum half Cameron Stewart converting an early penalty. Further pressure led to a set scrum in the opposition twenty two. In a training ground move left winger Craig Devlin showed his pace and footwork to score a fine individual try with Stewart adding the points to give his team the lead by 10 – 9. Lendrum then added a lengthy penalty to restore the visitors lead to 12 – 10. With influential Enniskillen back rower Gareth McCoy in the sin bin CI forced two further penalties with Stewart converting one to restore the CI lead to 13 – 12. Lendrum did have another late penalty opportunity from the halfway that fell short to leave the Belmont winners in a crucial game for both teams. Referee Vincent Hughes awarded 27 penalties in the match with 17 against Enniskillen. Many were for needless infringements at the breakdown and high tackles. Much for both players and coaches to ponder on.

CIYMS team: 1. Ali Coulson, 2. Scott McNarry, 3. Timmy Acheson, 4. Cory Tipping, 5. David Cobain, 6. Scott Dowle, 7. Jason Gilliland, 8. Mark McConkey, 9. Cameron Stewart, 10. Rob Haldane, 11. Craig Devlin, 12. Callum Irvine (Captain), 13. Nathan Burns, 14. Matty Butler, 15. Peter Raine, 16. Josh Newell, 17. Simon Baillie.

Enniskillen team: 1. Alan Ferguson, 2. Ryan Cathcart (Captain), 3. Jamie McKane, 4. Grayson Donnelly, 5. Gavin Parke, 6. Jamie Johnston, 7. Gareth McCoy, 8. Kaine Holden, 9. Matthew Dane, 10. Adam Lendrum, 11. Zach Charlton, 12. Michael Law, 13. James Ferguson, 14.Tyler Millar, 15. Matthew Balmer, 16. David Taylor, 17. Jamie Kelly.

At the Cran in Fivemiletown, Portadown picked up four valuable league points against Clogher Valley. Points scorers for Portadown were Aaron Morton, Willie Graham 1 x try each with Craig Woods converting both.
Clogher Valley remain without a win in five games and are firmly rooted to the bottom of Div 1.

In Div 2 league leaders Grosvenor were made to work hard for their narrow 17 – 14 win at the Glynn with tries from Stuart Smyth, Matt Johnston and Jack Kennedy with Peter Davison converting one. Ryan Garrett was amongst the try scorers for Larne.

Ballymoney returned to winning ways after their 38 -13 loss at Randalstown. They secured the bonus point in their 31 – 6 win at home against Ards with tries from Peter Irvine, Andrew Stevenson, Thomas Hunter and Matthew Steele with full back James Cleland converting four and kicking one penalty. The score line would indicate this was a one sided match. It was a case of the bounce of the ball favouring Ballymoney in the second half to score 21 points against an Ards side that never gave up.

Roughfort was the venue for another nail biting finish to a match. Academy securing a 23 – 22 win over undefeated Randalstown with centre Chris Cooper kicking a dropped goal with the last play to deny Randalstown a fourth straight league win.

Academy team: 1. Peter Jackson, 2. Lee Moody, 3. Adam Martin, 4. Keith Dobbin, 5. Kyle Gregg, 6. Richard Henderson, 7. Brian Cahill, 8 Stuart Martin, 9. Dave Kenny, 10. Simon Beattie, 11. Ben Cave, 12. Chris Cooper, 13. Mark Wylie, 14. David McCullough, 15. Josh Lennox, 16. Stevie Ferguson, 17. Ross Bryans.

Points scorers for Academy: Richard Henderson, Ben Cave 1 x try each with Chris Cooper kicking 2 x pens, 2 x cons and that all important drop goal.
Randalstown points scorers: David Smith 2 x tries and David Millar 1 x try with out half Martin Connolly converting two and kicking one penalty.

How would Lisburn respond to their 85 – 3 defeat at leaders Grosvenor the previous week. The result was a convincing 44 – 0 win over PSNI at Blaris.
The home side score seven tries: Andy Barron x 2, Epi Ratu, Peter Graham and Yaba Lemeki 1 x each with scrum half Ernest Caseta scoring 2 x tries, and kicking four conversions and one pen to finish with 20 points.

Lisburn team: 1. Willi Li Ltee, 2. Peter Graham, 3. Matthew Millar, 4. Alan hughes, 5. Andy Barron, 6. Andy Hamilton, 7. Chris Cummings, 8. Matt Edgar (Captain), 9. Ernest Caseta, 10. Adam Heaps, 11. Chris Nimmons, 12. Yaba Lemeki, 13. Dylan Posthewaite. 14. Epi Ratu, 15. Craig Walsh, 16.Uate Caquea, 17. Rick Henning.

Lisburn now have a crucial game coming up with Limavady on the 28th October as the coaches and players target further league points. As Michael Knowles put it they will know by Xmas where they stand. It has been a frustrating start to their season with the team having a better backline than they did last season. Problem has been getting the ball to the backs. The club are hoping the experienced Tom Frazer will be available for selection from the end of October.

Had opportunity to catch up with Lisburn Director of Rugby Michael Knowles this week. The question every ones asks is why are Lisburn not one of the top rugby clubs in Ulster with the playing population they have. Consider top Grammar Schools Wallace High and Friends. Where is it going wrong. As Michael put it, it is difficult to attract players to the club with neighbouring Ballynahinch, and Banbridge targeting the best players. Director of Rugby at Wallace is Derek Suffern who previously coached at Ballynahinch and is now part of the coaching team at Queens Uni.

Lisburn have three adult teams and are keen to assemble an under 20 side. The club has built a reputation for its work at Mini and Youth level. As Director of Rugby, Michael Knowles and the club have been looking at an overall plan to develop its own players and encourage more schools players to play for the club.

It was an interesting point Michael raised about relationships between schools players and their local rugby club. The Schools have no concept of establishing a relationship with their local rugby club. It is an area that Lisburn will have to work hard on to reverse. I don’t believe they are on their own in this respect. In recent weeks I have been hearing of the work going on between clubs and schools to improve their working relationships to provide rugby for young players. Too often we keep hearing of examples where players are denied the opportunity to play rugby because of the regulations in place for Schools and Youth Rugby in Ulster. Is it not time the two committees that oversee Schools and Youth Rugby are merged and the current regulations are reviewed. We have to work together to sustain the future of the game at all levels in Ulster.

The Lisburn club have a CCRO in Wayne Hughes who is working closely with mini coordinator Neil Lucas in targeting the non playing schools in the Lisburn area. The problem is that 70 % of the Minis coming through Lisburn go to Grammar Schools and don’t return to the club.

Talking to Michael several of the players on the 1st xv have come from the local Grammar schools with the rest coming through the club Youth structure. Their most consistent player on the 1st xv is full back Craig Walsh who played at Wallace but didn’t make it on to the 1st xv. Captain Matt Edgar is a former Methody pupil with several Friends pupils including Alan Hughes, Peter Graham, Andy Hamilton and Phil Jefferson all playing on the 1st xv.

The club brought in Neil Hinds from Wallace High School as Head coach. Sadly Neil was not able to make that break through and stepped back from his role in the club.

In addition Michael has broken down the players involved with the 1st and 2nd xv teams.
Coming through from Youth are: Jamie Dickson, Chris Stewart, Chris Magill, Luke Ballard, Fabio Manso, Dylan Posthlewaite, Richard Armstrong.
Wallace High School: Matthew Millar, Adam Heaps, Chris O’Brian, Ben Mewash, Chris Nimmons, Simon Gilmore.
Friends School: Scott Colligan, Hayden Walsh and Peter Graham.

I keep hearing from clubs that players want to play with their mates at their local rugby club. Despite the rugby population in Lisburn there is much work to be done by Lisburn rugby club to reverse that trend of players playing for neighbouring clubs outside Lisburn. We wish Michael and his team well at Lisburn in their endeavours to re establish Lisburn rugby club as a force in Ulster rugby.

YOUR CLUB, YOUR COUNTRY GRAND PRIZE DRAW
This draw provides a great opportunity for the clubs who have registered to raise money for their club. We hear sometimes from clubs they don’t have the volunteers etc to run a draw. With this draw all the hard work is done by the IRFU. All the clubs have to do is sell tickets. Whatever money they raise will go back to the individual club. We should all be making that extra effort to maximise the money we can raise for our club. Notice that the unsold tickets have to be returned to the IRFU by 5PM on Wednesday 29th November with the draw taking place on Monday the 11th December.
Further details are available if you go to the Community/Club link on the IRFU Home page. 10 Super prizes up for grab. One could be yours. Don’t miss out.

IRFU AND UNIVERSITY OF LIMERICK UNDERTAKE RUGBY INJURY STUDY
Injury Rugby Surveillance commenced September 2016 and will run for two seasons starting 2017/18 terminating at the end of 2018/19. 17 x UBL clubs along with 5 x Womens UBL teams are participating with 500 players registered to take part. If you are looking further information go to the Club/Community Link on IRFU Homepage.

SPORTS LOMO/SPORTS MANAGER
We are all aware that ‘Sports Manager’ provide official results sites in the four provinces of Ulster, Leinster, Munster and Connacht if you want to follow what is happening in the Domestic Game in each of these provinces. Sports Lomo and Sports Manager have a web design team that may be able to help your club.

CLUB WEBSITES
Still find it disappointing that many club websites are still not kept up to date. (In fact several appear abandoned) Others are very proactive in promoting their clubs. Clubs tell me they don’t have volunteers with skills to manage their websites and deliver a Social media platform to engage with the wider community. When we look at other Sports there is room for improvement.

ULSTER BANK ALL IRELAND LEAGUE
DIV 2B
Sunday’s Well (8) v Belfast Harlequins (10)
When you look at the league table for the Ulster teams in Division 2B all you can see are Dungannon, City of Derry and Belfast Harlequins along with Sunday’s Well in the bottom four with eight points separating the four teams. Sunday’s Well did pick up their first win and four valuable league points when they defeated City of Derry 36 – 19 in Cork two weeks ago. A win for Sundays Well could see them leap frog into 5th place in this division where nine points separate the teams in 5th – 10th place if you add in Navan and MU Barnhall. For Quins Head coach Nicky Wells and his absent Captain Danny Annett it is crucial that his team start picking up league points. They showed in their 28 – 14 defeat away to 2nd place Skerries that the team have the ability to compete with any team in this league.

MILLAR McCALL WYLIE JUNIOR CUP QUARTER FINALS
City of Armagh seconds v Coleraine
Portadown v Malone seconds
Ballymoney v Banbridge seconds
Ballynahinch seconds v Enniskillen

City of Armagh seconds v Coleraine
We had a dress rehearsal for this match last Saturday on the North coast when Armagh seconds won 20 – 7 at Rugby Avenue in the Conference league. Admittedly Coleraine rested several key 1st xv players but Armagh retained their undefeated record this season as they challenge Ballynahinch seconds to become the top second xv team in Ulster. Star for the Armagh team was out half Harvey Young who scored all his teams 20 points from 2 x tries, 2 x cons and 2 x penalties. Armagh defeated Div 1 league leaders Ballyclare at the Cloughan in the 2nd Rd 40 – 34 in a very entertaining game. Their try scorers were James Hanna 2 x tries, Barry Finn, Misi Bogitini and Evin Crummie with Chris Cousens kicking 15 points. In their 1st Rd match Armagh defeated PSNI 45 -0.

Coleraine were 74 – 10 winners at Clogher Valley in the last round scoring 10 tries with centre Mikey Poskitt contributing 28 points. Other try scorers included Stevie Callaghan, Peter Wisener, Mark Woods 2 x tries, Steven Dickey, Bokkie Carstens, Chris Nash, Paddy McGowan and Brian Cochrane.
All the ingredients are there for a highly entertaining match at the Palace Grounds on Saturday.

Talking to Armagh coach Chris Parker, Armagh are expected to add Jonny Pollock who was unavailable last week along with James Hanna. Michael Hoey and Paul Mullan to their squad this week. With large numbers turning out at training there are so many players putting their hands up for a place such is the competition for a starting place between the 1st and 2nd xv.

One player the coaches at Armagh have been very impressed by this season is prop/hooker Michael Hoey who has returned to the club after completing his studies at Uni. He previously played for the Ulster under 18/19 teams before he went to Uni. As Chris described him he throws ‘good darts’ for the lineout jumpers. The other plus side with Michael is that he is described as a very skilful player who is comfortable at playing tight/loose or hooker in the front row. Players like that in Ulster rugby are a rare commodity.

Coleraine Head coach Richard Boyd will welcome back Chris Nash, Josh Christie, Paddy McGowan, Steven Dickey, Cameron Fulton and Mikey Poskitt after these players were rested last week. The coach agrees it is a very tough draw for his team. They won at Armagh in the Conference league last season and are looking to build momentum to take into the next round of league matches.

Portadown v Malone seconds
Suddenly all is starting to look rosy at Chambers Park with the 1st xv winning their last three games. Two in the league and a 20 – 0 win over Ards in the 2nd Rd of the Junior Cup with full back Jack Orr scoring 2 x tries, Nick Holt 1 x try and out half Michael Orr kicking 1 x pen and 1 x con that started this winning run. The return of Captain Craig Woods was timely with the centre contributing 15 points in their surprise 23 – 21 home win over Coleraine in the league two weeks ago. You also have to acknowledge their 14 – 5 win at Clogher Valley despite the home teams struggles. The Cran is never an easy venue to win a game of rugby. What it tells you is that this Portadown team will believe they can reach the semi finals of the Junior Cup this weekend. Their pack has found their form with the back row of James Wright, Gary Hall and Stuart Douglas a match for any back row in Junior rugby. There is a balance of experience and youthful enthusiasm in their backline that will test the Malone defence.

Portadown coaches Richard Hedley and Mark Neilly have successfully managed a difficult start to the season for the team. The games from the opening weekend have been difficult with no easy games. Playing every Saturday in either the league or cup makes it hard for the players, hoping you can avoid injuries. For Richard Hedley it has been a case of starting the season without several key players. As he put it, it shows the small margins between winning and losing. You just have to hope you don’t have the same players in certain positions unavailable or injured at the same time.
For this Saturday the coaches make two changes to the squad with Ryan Muldrew and Robert Greenlee returning.

Malone second xv have only lost only one match this season. That was their opening Conference league match at Larne with the points being awarded to Malone. They are level on points with 2nd place Ballymoney and are one point behind leaders Grosvenor with both Ballymoney and Grosvenor having played one more match. Malone seconds Conference league game at Limavady last Saturday was postponed due to a water logged pitch.

In their 2nd Rd Junior Cup match Malone defeated Div 2 leaders Grosvenor 24 – 19 to progress to the quarter finals with tries from David Irvine, Jonny Ogilby and Mark O’Connor who also kicked 3 x cons and 1 x pen. Manager Davy Heron will not finalise his selection until training on Thursday night.

Ballymoney v Banbridge seconds
Two seasons ago Ballymoney were playing their rugby in Div 3. Last season after securing promotion they find themselves in 2nd place in Div 2 and in the quarter finals of the Junior Cup. What a turnaround for a club that was relegated in consecutive seasons from Div 1 to Div 3. The coaching team at Ballymoney of Jonny Hanna, James Cleland, Martin Irwin and Jason Taggart deserve great credit for what they have achieved in the last two seasons. Not only that but if you look at the teams Ballymoney were selecting over the last 3/4 seasons you will see a number of young players who stayed loyal to the club along with a nucleus of experienced players that are driving this team forward this season.

Ballymoney overcame a difficult 2nd Rd game at Limavady winning 36 – 17 scoring five tries through Daniel Ramage, John McFetridge, Ian Moxon, Thomas Hunter and Michael Allan with full back James Cleland kicking 11 points. After losing their first game of the season at Randalstown 38 – 13 the team bounced back with a bonus point 31 – 6 win over Ards. In their 1st Rd match Ballymoney defeated Academy 34 – 0.

Jonny Hanna was flattered by the score line against Ards. It was a much tighter game. Ards are a good physical side who do the basics well and have experience so they know how to play rugby. He is expecting a tough game when his side have to visit Hamilton Park in the reverse fixture.

His players are looking forward to the Cup this week without the pressure of the league. For the team it is all about securing enough league points to guarantee their place in Div 2 next season. But with the prospect of home Cup quarter final the players can’t help but think of the possibilities.
Banbridge RFC have been going great at all levels so it will be a big ask , but home advantage with the large support the team have been getting will help get the players up for the match on Saturday.
A number of players are carrying knocks from last week with selection being finalised on Thursday after training. Michael Allan who has been one of the star performers on the team is unavailable this week in the forwards with loose forward Daniel Ramage returning to the squad.

Banbridge seconds have only lost once this season losing their opening Conference league game at Ards 35 – 7. As player coach Colin Bickerstaff put it to me they were struggling to field a team that day with it being the last Saturday parades in August. Banbridge were surprise winners at Cooke in the 2nd Rd winning 27 – 15. They scored tries through Colin Bickerstaff, Jamie Ewing and Conor Field with out half McCauley Little kicking 12 points.
Colin Bickerstaff has stepped down from playing on the 1stxv after 17 seasons to concentrate on developing the 2nd xv along with Geoff Dodds. When asked at the end of last season he had no hesitation in stepping in to help out. Having helped with the coaching of the under 18s for 2/3 seasons he is now enjoying his time with the seconds. They are a young squad who have made progress this season. They remain undefeated in their last five matches and are hoping to extend that record at Ballymoney. Unfortunately the team has picked up injuries from the game at Armagh and training on Tuesday night that will rule out Andrew Kirkwood, Ben Thompson, James McCrum and Jessy Lee.

Banbridge Head coach Daniel Soper was disappointed with this news as the the team were developing some good continuity of selection. He is confident the team will travel full of optimism following a good run of form. Young players like Ross Cartmill, Josh Agnew and Ben Carson have developed good combinations in the backs. In the forwards Robin Hewitt has the experience of Paul Ross and Tim Savage to support him in his first year at this level in the forwards. He is expecting the game to be a great challenge for his players.

Colin Bickerstaff has the experience of McCauley Little and Robin Thompson in the backs in addition to his experience alongside Matthew Laird and Richard Graham in the forwards.

The player coach says his team have nothing to lose. The players are looking forward to the match. For several seasons the 2nd xv have under performed at Banbridge, this season they are proving they are not scared of any of their opponents. Everybody is relishing the opportunity on Saturday to see if the seconds can make the semi final of the Junior Cup.

The touchlines will be packed at Kilraughts Road on Saturday as the home supporters come out in large numbers to get behind their team.

Ballynahinch seconds v Enniskillen
Two teams who entertained us in a thrilling Towns Cup Final at the Kingspan stadium in April. It all came down to the last play with Ballynahinch winger Chris Orr dashing the hopes of the Fermanagh team by scoring a try in the corner for Ballynahinch seconds to win 17 – 13. Looking at the Enniskillen team that played last Saturday at CIYMS players including Ashley Finlay, Robert Balacoune, Paddy McCleery, Jack Harte, Captain David Buchanan, James Carleton, Gareth Beatty, Steven Fox, Ricky Lee and Mark O’Shea were all missing from the 20 players involved in the final. One win from five league games has Enniskillen in 9th place in Div 1 four points ahead of 10th place Clogher Valley. They did win their 2nd Rd match against Carrickfergus 14 – 8 with Matthew Balmer 1 x try and Chris McVitty 3 x pens scoring the Enniskillen points.

Ballynahinch on the other hand remain undefeated this season. They have come through tight cup games at Larne 32 – 28 and Instonians 22 – 19.
Points corers v Larne: Rhys O’Donnell 2 x tries, Conal Boomer, Aaron Ferris and Joe Bingham 1 x try each with Justin Rea 2 x cons and 1 x pen.
Points scorers v Instonians: Aaron Ferris 1 x try. Paddy Wright 4 x pens and 1 x con with full back James McBriar kicking the all important drop goal to win the match after the sides drew level at 19 – 19.

They warmed up last Saturday for this Cup tie defeating Ballyclare 1st xv 19 – 9 in the conference league with Rhys O’Donnell 2 x tries and the customary Aaron Ferris try ensuring the team made up for their only defeat last season against Ballyclare. Manager Ian Dornan was delighted with the win. It was the fitness levels of the Ballynahinch players that won them the game against Ballyclare. Ballyclare out half Bobby Smith was the best Ballyclare player on the pitch. The Hinch defence was very good throughout the game in which Ballyclare never looked like scoring a try. Ian Dornan was disappointed that his team maybe should have scored another 1/2 tries.

Just looking at the Ballynahinch team that played against Enniskillen in Towns Cup Final. Nine did not start in the 2nd Rd win over Instonians. They included Chris Orr, Jonathan Murdock, Kenny Morton, Andrew Weir, Ben Pentland, Brian Howard, David Harris, Keith Dickson and Ben Cullen who was on the bench. Yes injuries, work and studies are preventing a number form playing but we can all see how the influx of new players has had an impact on both the 1st and 2nd xv sides at Ballynahinch. Even Davy Nicholson who was a regular on the 1st xv last season is now playing his rugby on the 3rd xv such is the strength of the Ballynahinch teams competing in the Ulster Rugby provincial leagues.

KUKRI ULSTER RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP DIV 3
Donaghadee (2) v Civil Service (11)
Donegal Town (12) v Newry (6)
Letterkenny (10) v Cavan (9)
Lurgan (1) v Strabane (3)
Monaghan (4) v Holywood (7)
Virginia (5) v BHSFP (8)

Cheers
George