Bank of Ireland Junior Cup Final

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Tuam RFC VS

Creggs RFC

Dexcom Stadium

06.04.26 - 18:00

On behalf of Connacht Rugby, it is my great pleasure to welcome you all to this afternoon’s Bank of Ireland Girls' and Women's Cup Finals.

Matches between all of these clubs are rarely just about the result; they are about pride, tradition, and the deep-rooted community ties that make Connacht Rugby so special.

I would like to extend our sincere gratitude to our title sponsors, Bank of Ireland, for their unwavering support of the game at every level in Connacht. Their commitment ensures that the pathways from minis right through to adult rugby remains strong.

A final like this doesn’t happen without the tireless work of volunteers. To the committees, coaches, and ground staff of both clubs, and to our own Connacht Rugby staff, thank you for your dedication to the sport.

Finally, to the players: enjoy every moment. Finals are rare and hard-earned. Play with the spirit and integrity that defines our game.

To all the families joining us today, and to every supporter in the stands, thank you for your continued passion. Let’s get behind the teams and enjoy a fantastic day of rugby.

Robert Lahiff

President, Connacht Rugby

Match Preview

This Monday, 6th April sees the Bank of Ireland Men's Junior Plate and Cup Finals in Dexcom Stadium. The Bank of Ireland Junior Plate Final will take place at 3:30 PM followed by the Bank of Ireland Junior Cup Final at 6:00 PM.

This Monday, 6th April will mark Tuam RFC's first Junior Cup Final since 1978 when they lost by just 3 points to Creggs RFC. Now, in 2026, they once again find themselves facing Creggs in the Bank of Ireland Junior Cup Final.

Last year, Creggs RFC won their first Bank of Ireland Junior Cup trophy in 32 years when they overcame a strong Dunmore RFC side, so both Creggs and Tuam understand the gravity of taking home the coveted Junior Cup trophy. Now, 48 years later, the two clubs will once again face off in the Bank of Ireland Junior Cup final. Both sides will be rearing to go in the match on Monday and will be looking to honour the historic occasion with a win.

Tuam RFC had a rocky start in the Bank of Ireland J1A League where they started off with a big 1-point win against J1A finalists Dunmore RFC. However, they found themselves slipping down the table with a few losses and a good few injuries. However, they were able to turn things around towards the latter half of the League where they recorded a few more wins to see them safely out of the relegation final. Knowing they would need to keep up their solid showings into the Junior Cup campaign and boosted by some injury returns, they started off with a massive Round of 16 win against Ballina RFC who had previously beaten them in the League. They went on to face Westport in the Quarterfinal and once again Dunmore RFC in the Semi-Final where they put up an impressive 17-11 scoreline to claim their spot in their first Bank of Ireland Junior Cup final in 48 years.

Creggs RFC perhaps also didn't start out their J1A League campaign the way they would've liked, recording 2 wins (one of which was against Tuam) and 2 losses in their opening 4 rounds. However, they were able to turn things around and secure a top 4 finish, seeing them face off against Ballina in the Semi-Final - familiar opponents from the Cawley Cup final when Ballina got the win. This time, it was Creggs who were able to overcome the Mayo side with an incredible performance and a 1-point win seeing them into the J1A League final in Dexcom Stadium against Dunmore RFC. It was Creggs who lifted the J1A League trophy after a 6-point win. Looking to retain the Junior Cup for a second year in a row, they came out firing against University of Galway in their Quarterfinal where they put up a 60-23 scoreline to see them into the Semi-Final. There, they welcomed Corinthians 2nds to Creggs and the home side once again made no mistake in ensuring they were once again in the Junior Cup final with a fantastic performance and a 31-12 win.

Sure to be a historic and amazing final not to be missed, the Bank of Ireland Men's Junior Cup Final is at 6:00 PM on Mon, 6th April in Dexcom Stadium.

A word from Head of Club and Community, Joe Gorham

Finals Days are 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.

On Finals Days, we must never forget the huge amount of work and personal sacrifice put in by all the 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.

Connacht Abú.

Tuam RFC Management:

Head Coach
James Maughan

Team Manager
John Coen

S&C Coach
Seamus Gannon

Physio
Catherine White

Creggs RFC Management:

Head Coach
Kolo Kiripati

Backs Coach
Shane Laydon

Forwards Coach
Michael Diffley

Contact Coach
Sean Óg Higgins

S&C Coach
David Mannion

Physio
Kaitlyn Gilleran

Team Manager
Kevin O'Rourke

Team Manager
Sean Brandon

Logistics Manager
John Joe Kennedy

Bank of Ireland Junior Cup Final

Referee:

Gerry Geraghty

AR1:

Michael Honan

AR2:

Mark Harrigan

4th Official:

Kieran Cooney

Tuam RFC

Creggs RFC

15

-

Shane Dowd

14

-

Cathal feely

13

-

Eoghan Coyle

Vice-Captain

12

-

Jack Fleming

11

-

Dean O'Reilly

10

-

Ronan Dowd

9

-

Cormac Dolan

1

-

Tom Farrell

2

-

Nato Kiripati

3

-

Tom O'Brien

4

-

Xavier Tavai

5

-

Eoin Kelly

6

-

Ciaran Purcell

7

-

James Brandon

Captain

8

-

Brian Diffley

Vice-Captain

Tuam RFC Substitutes

16

-

Andrew Antonio

17

-

Seamus Hurley

18

-

Owen Swan

19

-

Mitchell Adeyeye

20

-

Josh Giblin

21

-

Alan Tierney

22

-

Mj Fahy

23

-

Ciaran Gleeson

24

-

John Fahy

25

-

Ian Murphy

26

-

Jack Ward

27

-

Matthew Ward

Creggs RFC Substitutes

Tuam Message of Support

Tuam Rugby club would like to wish our men’s first team the very best of luck in the clubs first junior cup final appearance in 48 years. We are immensely proud of their performance on the pitch and the way they have put rugby on the sporting map in the Tuam area. The whole club from mini, youth and adult male and female groups are firmly behind you.

- Owen Lydon, Tuam RFC, Club President

Creggs Message of Support

Creggs would like to wish our squad the best of luck in the Junior Cup Final. The effort and dedication of the men's team squad has been immense over the past four years and we hope to retain the trophy today against a very strong Tuam side. May it be a game played with the values of rugby to the core.