Bank of Ireland U17 Boys' Cup Final

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Corinthians RFC VS

Creggs RFC

Dexcom Stadium

26.04.26 - 12:30

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.

This Galway Corinthians team has gone from strength to strength, having won the Bank of Ireland U13 Cup in the 2021/22 season, and continued on to win the U14 Cup in 2022/23, the U15 Cup in 2023/24 and last year they won the Bank of Ireland U16 Cup. An incredible feat, they will be looking to continue their streak to add the Bank of Ireland U17 Cup to their collection. And they're looking good for accomplishing that task having not lost a game this whole season. They topped their group in the Bank of Ireland Division 1A U17 League with 8 convincing wins out of 8 on the table. This set them up well going into their Cup campaign with home Quarterfinal against Ballina RFC where they decisively got a 45-17 win. In their Semi-Final, they welcomed Buccaneers RFC who they had faced in the league. Once again, it was the Corinthians side who took the win with a 47-7 scoreline and secured their place in the final. However, they haven't faced Creggs RFC this season, so anything is possible in this thriller of a final clash.

Creggs RFC are certainly up for the challenge having won the Bank of Ireland U15 Plate in 2023/24 and then the U16 Bowl in 2024/25 so their team are no strangers to finals days. They ended up 2nd on the Bank of Ireland U17 Division 1B table with wins over Ballinrobe RFC, Ballinasloe RFC and Ballina RFC as well as draws against Westport RFC and Ballinrobe in Round 7. A few tight losses saw them finish behind Westport. However, they proved their place in the Cup with a 27-19 win over Dunmore RFC in their away Quarterfinal to see them face Sligo Rugby at home in their Semi-Final. After a great match, it was Creggs who came out on top with a 28-22 win and a place in this year's Bank of Ireland U17 Cup Final.

Sure to be an amazing final not to be missed, the Bank of Ireland Boys' U17 Cup Final is at 12:30 PM 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
John Dilleen

Coach/Assistant Manager
Paul Gill

Coaches
Johnny McDonagh
Cian Begley
Sean Gerrity

Coaches/Medics
Dave Watterson
Sean Duignan

Squad Ambassador
John Roche

Creggs RFC Management:

Manager
Jimmy O’ Connor

Head Coach
Ray Richardson

Coach
Niall Connolly

Forwards Coach
Brian Diffley

Backs Coach
Mark Dowd

Bank of Ireland Boys' U17 Cup Final

Referee:

Mark Fitzgerald

AR1:

Mark Callanan

AR2:

Paul Fogerty

4th Official:

Kieran Cooney

Galway Corinthians RFC

15

-

Josh Thomas Keane

14

-

Colin Roche

13

-

Eoin Gannon

12

-

David Walsh

11

-

James Clarke

10

-

Luke Dilleen

9

-

Liam Gillard

1

-

Jack Hernon

2

-

Ríon Gill

3

-

Aengus Langan

4

-

Julien Flynn

5

-

Jeaic Fahy

6

-

Fionnán Ó Neachtain

7

-

Eoin Healy

Captain

8

-

Enda Colleran

Creggs RFC

15

-

Brian O’Connor

14

-

Matthew Walsh

13

-

Conor Muldoon

12

-

Conor Flynn

Captain

11

-

Cillian Donohoe

10

-

Harry Waldron

Vice-Captain

9

-

Sean Richardson

1

-

Robbie McArdle

2

-

Matthew Donnelly

3

-

Cathal Mulry

4

-

Oisin Connolly

5

-

James Murray

6

-

Patrick Zwierczyk

7

-

Kian Hughes

8

-

Andrej Anic

Galway Corinthians RFC Substitutes

16

-

Cian Madden

17

-

Tadhg Cronin

18

-

Louis Cocollos

19

-

Charlie Garvey

20

-

Alex Bane

21

-

Iustin Ababei

22

-

Ronan Ó Neachtain

23

-

Harry Watterson

24

-

Luke Carr

25

-

Evan McDonagh

26

-

Sean Hogan

27

-

James Houlihan

28

-

Cian De Burca

Creggs RFC Substitutes

16

-

David Fetherstone

17

-

Callum Clarke

18

-

Patrick Conneally

19

-

Patrick Murray

20

-

Ciaran Cunnane

21

-

Aydin Odemis

22

-

Austin Smith

23

-

Luke Hayes

24

-

Sam Walsh

25

-

Joseph McSharry

26

-

Connor Hannon

27

-

Jamie Finneran

28

-

Darragh Killeen

29

-

Evan Kelly

30

-

Dominik Mrozek

31

-

AJ Tully

32

-

Cian Mulry

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.

Creggs Message of Support

Creggs Rugby Club want to wish our u17 lads the very best of luck today in the Cup Final. It is a great achievement to reach a provincial final and this group of lads and management deserve our full support today. They have been loyal to our club since they started playing mini rugby for us almost 10 years ago. Thanks lads and the best of luck.