Bank of Ireland U16 Boys' Cup Final

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Monivea RFC VS

Galwegians RFC

Dexcom Stadium

19.04.26 - 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, 19th April sees the Bank of Ireland Boys' U14, U16 and U18.5 Cup Finals in Dexcom Stadium. The Bank of Ireland U16 Cup Final will take place at 11:00 AM followed by the Bank of Ireland U14 Cup Final at 12:30 PM and the Bank of Ireland U18.5 Cup Final at 2:30 PM.

Two very strong Galway sides who have had impressive seasons this year, this match is sure to be a great contest.

Both Galwegians and Monivea topped the Bank of Ireland Division 1A U16 League table this year. Last year's U15 Cup winners Galwegians stormed through their league campaign with only 1 loss against Monivea RFC themselves, showing great resilience and eventually coming out clearly as winners in the league. They continued their impressive form with their Bank of Ireland Cup Quarter Final in march against Ballinasloe RFC where it was Galwegians that came out with a 38-27 win in a great game of rugby. They went on to face Sligo in their Semi-Final where it was again Galwegians who came out with a 22-10 win to secure their place in the Final in Dexcom Stadium.

Monivea have grown immensely over the years and will be looking to continue their run with a win this Sunday. They ended up 2nd in the U16 Division 1A League table behind Galwegians and were the only team in the league and Cup to beat the Galwegians side in Round 5 where it was Monivea that recorded a 35-33 win in Crowley Park. In their Cup Quarter Final, they faced a strong Dunmore RFC side but it was Monivea that eventually came out winners with an 11-5 win. This saw Monivea go on to face Corinthians RFC in their Cup Semi-Final where they put in another big performance to secure their spot in the Final with a 16-13 win.

Sure to be an amazing final not to be missed, the Bank of Ireland Boys' U16 Cup Final is at 11:00 AM on Sun, 19th 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.

Monivea RFC Management:

Head Coach
Simon McNamara

Assistant Coach
Pa Croxford

Assistant Coach
Keith Devaney

Assistant Coach
Ger Devane

Assistant Coach
Padraic Broderick

Skills Coach
Niall O'Brien

Galwegians RFC Management:

Coach
Abraham Griffin

Coach
Jason Keane

Coach
Philip Mullarkey

Medic/Team Manager
Gavin Keane

Physio
Maeve Duffy

Water/Kicking Tee
Marcus Keane

Bank of Ireland Boys' U16 Cup Final

Referee:

Ross Gallagher

AR1:

David Andreu

AR2:

Daire O'Loughlin

4th Official:

Mike Goode

Monivea RFC

15

-

Thomas Screene

14

-

Patrick Kennedy

13

-

Donnacha Mahony

12

-

Danny Croxford

Captain

11

-

Lory Tierney

10

-

Dylan Broderick

9

-

Eoin Biesty

1

-

Barry Glynn

2

-

Fionn McNamara

3

-

Gary Skehill

4

-

Conleth Dermody

5

-

Feidhlim Devane

6

-

Tadhg McNamara

7

-

Joseph Maloney

8

-

Cian Herbert

Galwegians RFC

15

-

Dara McGrath

14

-

Sean Deely

13

-

Siaosi Fiffita

12

-

Mark Allnutt

Captain

11

-

Harry Glynn

10

-

Conal Mullarkey

9

-

David Casserly

1

-

Dara Flanagan

Vice-Captain

2

-

Oisín Parker

3

-

Alex O'Malley

4

-

Rian Phillips

5

-

Bobby Glynn

6

-

Rory Burke

7

-

Ciaran Brady

8

-

Dylan McCullagh

Monivea RFC Substitutes

16

-

Daire Duggan

17

-

Eric Czibere

18

-

Alfie Burke

19

-

Cormac Feeney

20

-

Jamie Skehill

21

-

Leigh McMahon

22

-

Eddie Kennedy

23

-

Dylan Pyne

24

-

Rian McNamara

Galwegians RFC Substitutes

16

-

Callum Murphy

17

-

Cian O'Donoghue

18

-

James Keane

19

-

Cóilín O'Reilly

20

-

Joshua Smith

21

-

Nathan Fondja

22

-

Cormac Murphy

23

-

Conor O'Flaherty

24

-

Willem Cahill

25

-

Luke Kelly

26

-

Wyatt Post

27

-

Kyle Nestor

28

-

Sean O'Halloran

29

-

Tristan Ryan

30

-

Oisin Scanlon

Monivea Message of Support

Wishing our U16 team the very best of luck in the Cup Final at the Dexcom this Sunday. This incredible group of lads has been together since Minis, guided every step of the way by Simon McNamara and his dedicated background team. Reaching this final is a massive achievement and a testament to their hard work, commitment, and belief — they’ve truly beaten the odds to get here.

Everyone at Monivea RFC is immensely proud of you. Go out, give it everything, enjoy the game, and hopefully bring that cup back to the village on Sunday!

Yours in Sport,

Carmel Laheen, President Monivea RFC

Galwegians Message of Support

On behalf of Galwegians Committee & Members, I would like to extend our Best Wishes & Congratulations to Wegians U16's squad, their Coaches - Abraham Griffin, Jason Keane, Philip Mullarkey and Team Manager - Gavin Keane on reaching 2026 Connacht Cup Final against Monivea in the new Dexcom Stadium today. Wegians U16's squad are proud winners of last year's Connacht U15's Final in Creggs & are current 2026 U16's Connacht League Winners and have continued their excellent form in reaching the 2026 Connacht Cup Finals. As befitting a Cup Final, I expect today's game will be a very competitive, hard fought encounter. Give it your best & enjoy the Dexcom Stadium game day experience.

Special Thank You to our extended squad panel members & injured players who didn't / can't make the Finals line-up today.

Huge Thank you to Wegians U16s parents for your on-going support now & over the last couple of seasons.

Win, Loss or Draw - Please enjoy the occasion of a Connacht Cup Final in Dexcom Stadium. May the Best team Win on the day.

All Wegians club members, supporters & extended community are behind you all the way.

- Club President - Jody Green