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Corinthians RFC VS
Galwegians RFC
Dexcom Stadium
21.12.25 - 17:30
C&C Finals
C&C Finals
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President's Welcome

On behalf of Connacht Rugby, it is my great pleasure to welcome you all to this afternoon’s Bank of Ireland Connacht Senior Cup Final and Reid Cup final.

There is a unique magic to an all-Galway city final, and seeing Galwegians RFC and Galway Corinthians RFC go head-to-head for both trophies, in a rare double header between both clubs, is a testament to the thriving rugby culture in the city.

Matches between these two storied 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 afternoon of rugby.

Robert Lahiff

President, Connacht Rugby

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Bank of Ireland
stadium

Match Preview

This Sunday, 21st December sees the Bank of Ireland Reid Cup and Senior Cup Finals in Dexcom Stadium. The Bank of Ireland Reid Cup Final will take place at 3:00 PM followed by the Bank of Ireland Senior Cup Final at 5:30 PM.

In the road to the Bank of Ireland Senior Cup Final, Corinthians and Galwegians met in Round 2 of the Senior League back in early September where Corinthians came away with a 27-19 win. Both teams have had very impressive starts to their respective AIL campaigns as well with Corinthians 5th in the 2A table and Galwegians top of the 2B table, so this Senior Cup Final was always going to be a great clash between the two sides. 

Last season saw Galwegians in the final against a strong Sligo Rugby side who just edged out the Galway team in the closing minutes of the match. Galwegians will surely be looking to take the trophy home to Crowley Park after last year's defeat and have not shown signs of slowing down in their matches. 

However, it won't be that easy with an impressive Corinthians side between them and the trophy. Corinthians had a few close losses in last year's Senior League with two narrow defeats to Sligo and Buccaneers but started the league campaign off with a 3 point win over Galwegians. While they may have missed out on a place in the Cup final last year, they will be rearing to take the pitch against their city rivals on Sunday, 21st December.

Sure to be an electric final not to be missed, the Bank of Ireland Senior Cup Final is at 5:30 PM on Sun, 21st December in Dexcom Stadium.

Clubs
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C&C Welcome

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.

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Club Management

 

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Corinthians

 

Corinthians RFC Management:

Head Coach/Forwards Coach
Ambrose Conboy 

Attack Coach
Tommy Ellard

Team Manager
Derek Murray

Team Manager
Kenneth Casburn

S&C Coach
Niall O'Toole 

Logistics and Kit manager
Derek Carlin

Social Media
Maggie Newell

 

 

 

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Galwegians

 

Galwegians RFC Management: 

Head Coach
Brendan Guilfoyle

Defence & Scrum Coach
Jarlath Naughton

Team Manager
Norman Deacy

Physio
Maeve Duffy

Team Assistant
Martin Kelly

Team Assistant
David Glynn

Team Assistant
Nicky Lawless

Team Assistant
James Keane

Team Assistant
Gavin Keane

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Refs

Bank of Ireland Reid Cup Final

Referee: 

Shane Tuohy 

AR1:

Cathal Roddy

AR2:

Jamie Coyle

4th Official: 

John Martin

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Starting Lineups

Corinthians RFC

15
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Joe Smyth
14
-
Sean Fox
13
-
Harry Rogers
12
-
Tom Waters
11
-
Ned Williams
10
-
Jack Conway
9
-
Joey Tierney
1
-
James Duffy
2
-
Adam Nash
3
-
Patrick Fahy
4
-
Rory Glynn
5
-
Matthew Roche-Nagle
6
-
Cormac Walsh
7
-
John Claffey
8
-
Mark Boyle
Captain

Galwegians RFC

15
-
Darragh Kennedy
14
-
Paul Sharkey
13
-
Rob Deacy
12
-
Steven Manion
11
-
Oisin McKey
10
-
Tiarnan Neville
9
-
Andrew Sherlock
Vice-Captain
1
-
Jack Winters
2
-
Ryan Smith
3
-
Tom Gormley
4
-
Rob Holian
5
-
Brian McHugo
6
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Ronan Connelly
7
-
Dylan Keane
Captain
8
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Liam Angermann

Corinthians RFC Substitutes

16
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Max Holmes
17
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Johnny Hughes
18
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Jack Boyan
19
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Diarmuid Kilcommins
20
-
Billy Cross

Galwegians RFC Substitutes

16
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Eoin Ferry
17
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Cormac McGrath
18
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Paddy Dolphin
19
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Luke Casserly
20
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Eoghan Fahey
View of a Rugby Ball at Creggs RFC
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Clubs

Corinthians Message of Support

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Corinthians

On behalf of Galway Corinthians RFC, we wish our two Senior teams the very best of luck in todays Connacht Senior Cup and Connacht Reid Cup Finals, against our close rivals Galwegians RFC.

We would like to thank all at Connacht Rugby for hosting the event in the new Dexcom Stadium and giving all the lads the chance to experience what their professional comrades do throughout the season. We wish all players from both squads, management teams from both squads along with match officials the best of luck and hope all come off the pitch safe and can then enjoy Christmas 2025 and all its festivities.

From All at Galway Corinthians RFC

Galwegians Message of Support

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Galwegians

Club President - Jody Green and the Galwegians Committee would like to extend our Best Wishes to the Wegians Men's - Senior Cup & Reid Cup players & teams management and congratulate them on making this historic double header - "Bank of Ireland Connacht Cup Finals Day". 

There have been many hard fought local city derby games in the past, finals and otherwise, between Wegians & Corinthians across all youth & adult teams. This occasion will be no different. Days like this reflect the strength, depth & tradition of club rugby in Connacht.

Sunday morning will see the revival of the Glynn Cup with both clubs' youth teams competing. The Glynn Cup will be presented in Dexcom Stadium after the Senior Final by a member of the Glynn family.

Special thank you to our extended panel members & injured players who could not make the final day line-ups.

Huge thank you to the players, parents and families for your on-going support now and in the past.

Finally, may I take this opportunity to wish all match officials the very best in their endeavours today.

Win, Lose or Draw - Please enjoy the occasion of this historic double header - "Bank of Ireland Connacht Cup Finals Day". 

All Wegians club supporters & extended community are behind you all the way. May the Best teams win on the day.

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Respect Our Game
C&C Finals