Bank of Ireland U13 Boys' Cup Final

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Corinthians RFC VS

Loughrea RFC

Dexcom Stadium

26.04.26 - 11:00

On behalf of Connacht Rugby, it is my great pleasure to welcome you all to this afternoon’s Bank of Ireland Boys' 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 Sunday, 26th April sees the Bank of Ireland Boys' U13, U15 and U17 Cup Finals in Dexcom Stadium. The Bank of Ireland U13 Cup Final will take place at 11:00 AM followed by the Bank of Ireland U17 Cup Final at 12:30 PM and the Bank of Ireland U15 Cup Final at 2:30 PM.

Galway Corinthians saw two teams entered into the U13 Leagues, but it was Corinthians Blue in Division 1B who stormed into the Bank of Ireland U13 final this Sunday. Corinthians saw themselves facing their neighbours Galwegians in Round 1 of the League where it was Corinthians who got the better of the scoreline with a 36-5 win. They went on to best Ballina at home before losing out to a strong Carrick-on-Shannon RFC side by only a single point in a thrilling Round 3 match. In their Cup campaign, Corinthians faced Ballinasloe RFC in their Round of 16 game where they came away with a 26-12 win to see them into the Quarterfinal against Monivea RFC. Monivea didn't make the win easy for Corinthians, but they eventually got over the line and into the Semi-Finals with a 19-10 win. The only thing standing in the way of a place in the final was a Semi-Final against Sligo Rugby. both sides put on a brilliant display, but Corinthians made no mistake in sealing their place in the final with a 29-22 win.

In another historic day for the club, Loughrea are in their first Bank of Ireland U13 Cup final in Dexcom Stadium. After having made their first ever U15 Cup final in 2023 on what was a momentous occasion, the young side will be extremely excited for Sunday. Loughrea U13s have had a great year, starting off by topping their League in Division 1A with a clean run of wins against Sligo Rugby, Galway Bay RFC, Monivea RFC and Westport RFC. This impressive performance saw them into the Cup U13 Quarterfinal, where they faced Galwegians RFC and once again it was Loughrea who came out with a 32-17 win. Continuing their winning streak, they had a home rematch against a strong Galway Bay RFC side in their Semi-Final where Loughrea sealed their spot in the Final with a 29-12 win.

Sure to be an amazing final not to be missed, the Bank of Ireland Boys' U13 Cup Final is at 11:00 AM on Sun, 26th 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.

Corinthians RFC Management:

Manager
Ronan Lanigan

Coach/Assistant Manager
Ronnie Ferguson

Coaches
Paul Flanagan
Brian McKeown
Cian Baines

Coach/Medic
TJ Lowry

Coach/Medic
Joe Burke

Loughrea RFC Management:

Coach/Manager
Danny Barrett

Coach/Manager
Aidan Duane

Coach/Manager
Mark Foenander

Medic/Physio
Kevin Quinn

Bank of Ireland Boys' U13 Cup Final

Referee:

Daire O'Louglin

AR1:

David Watkinson

AR2:

Norman Tierney

4th Official:

Kieran Cooney

Galway Corinthians RFC

15

-

Wesley Garrett

14

-

Patrick Fitzmaurice

13

-

Noah McKeon

12

-

Oisin Dooher

11

-

John O'Connell

10

-

Jude Lambe

Vice-Captain

9

-

Oisin Flanagan

1

-

Jake Murphy

Captain

2

-

Nathan Morris

3

-

Timmy Maloney

4

-

Mason Hanniffy

5

-

Finn Ferguson

6

-

Ross Coleman

7

-

Tristan Burke

8

-

Charlie Looby

Loughrea RFC

15

-

Andrew O’Reilly

14

-

Gavin Dempsey

13

-

Aaron Duane

12

-

Oisín Brady

Captain

11

-

Eanna Lowry

10

-

Eanna Mahony

9

-

Peter Dolan

1

-

Kailen Barrett

2

-

Shane Casey

3

-

Patrick O’Donnell

4

-

Finian Glennon

5

-

Ewan Foenander

6

-

Tiernan Loughrey

7

-

Ryan Kennedy

8

-

Cillian Riordan

Vice-Captain

Galway Corinthians RFC Substitutes

16

-

Patrick Ganley

17

-

Oisin Flynn

18

-

Cillian Lowry

19

-

Brian O'Neill

20

-

Rian Clohessy

21

-

Sam Myles

22

-

Oran Egan

23

-

Dara Houlihan

24

-

Jack Lanigan

25

-

Conall Galvin

26

-

Emmett Murphy

Loughrea RFC Substitutes

16

-

Jay Jordan

17

-

Fionn McLaughlin

18

-

Darren Burns

19

-

Joseph Dervan

20

-

Michael O’Halloran

21

-

Tiarnán Connolly

22

-

Luke Neenan

23

-

Donnacha Coone

24

-

Lorcan Meagher

25

-

Alfie Reid

26

-

Jack Egan

Galway Corinthians Message of Support

Galway Corinthians RFC would like to wish both our U13 & U17 boys squads all the best in their respective finals. For the U13 squad who have just started their journey in youth rugby, this is their first visit to Dexcom Stadium and we wish them all the best in their match vs. Loughrea RFC. While the U17 squad, who won the cup at U16 level now look to defend their title against a strong Creggs RFC side. We thank the managers, coaches, parents, supporters and medics for their support and assistance throughout the season. However, these finals are about the players themselves and our hope would be that the Corinthians U13s & U17 squads perform on the day and leave nothing behind on the field of play. In both finals, may the best team on the day win.

Loughrea Message of Support

As the young players of Loughrea RFC step onto the pitch at the Dexcom stadium today they will do so in full knowledge that their proud families, our entire club, young and old, past and present, stand firmly behind them cheering them on.

What an opportunity for these young men to walk in the footsteps of their Connacht heroes and to experience the excitement of a cup final at such a young age. This experience will help to unify them further as a squad as they move forward together in their rugby careers.

Many of us within Loughrea RFC have followed the progress of this young team during their first season in youth rugby. Extremely impressed by their skills levels, communication and determination but most of all impressed by how at such an early age they understand and uphold the values of our game, integrity, passion, fun, hard work, discipline and respect.

Best of luck to our opponents Corinthians RFC, match officials, all of the players, coaches, Danny, Mark & Aidan, from everyone at Loughrea RFC.

Yours in Rugby,

Cathal Spellman, President, Loughrea RFC