Bank of Ireland U18 Girls' Cup Final

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Tuam/Oughterard RFC VS

Westport RFC

Dexcom Stadium

22.03.26 - 17:30

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 Sunday, 22nd March sees the Bank of Ireland U14, U16 and U18 Girl's Cup and Senior Women's Cup Finals in Dexcom Stadium. The Bank of Ireland U14 Girls' Cup Final will take place at 11:30 AM followed by the Bank of Ireland U16 Girls' Cup Final at 1:00 PM, the Senior Women's Cup Final at 3:00 PM and finally the Bank of Ireland U18 Girls' Cup Final at 5:30 PM.

The two sides entered this season into Division 1A of the Bank of Ireland U18 League.

Tuam/Oughterard began their league campaign out with a brilliant win against last year's Cup winners Creggs RFC. They went on to face Ballinasloe RFC in Round 2 who got the better of them on this occasion with a 39-24 scoreline. However, this didn't slow them down as they came out firing against Gort/Monivea RFC in their Round 4 league clash. It was then time to face off with their Cup Final opponents, Westport RFC in Round 5 of the league. This thrilling match ended in a 24-24 draw. They once again faced a strong Ballinasloe side in Round 7 which saw a win again for the Ballinasloe side.

Westport RFC, meanwhile, had a bye for Round 1 of the league, meaning they faced Creggs RFC in Round 2 which saw them come away with a win for their first league match. In Round 3, Westport travelled to Gort RFC to take on Gort/Monivea who didn't make the win an easy one for the Westport side, but it was Westport who came away with the win in the end with a 15-12 scoreline. Their Round 4 clash saw them fall to Ballinasloe RFC in a one try defeat. Their next matches were the draw against Tuam/Oughterard, another big win over Creggs RFC and then a Round 8 rematch with Gort/Monivea where it was the Galway side that came away with a 2-point win.

These two sides will be more than ready for a rematch after their draw. Sure to be an electric final not to be missed, the Bank of Ireland U18 Girls' Cup Final is at 5:30 PM on Sun, 22nd March 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/Oughterard RFC Management:

Coach
Norman Tierney

Team Manager
Martin Irons

Coach
Owen Lydon

Coach
Sean Higgins

Coach
Mark Worley

Coach
Andrew Attonio

Coach/Physio
Shane Collins

Tuam RFC Management:

Head Coach
David Conway

Backs Coach
Des Reidy

Team Manager
Biddy Hughes

Physio
Stephen Loftus

Bank of Ireland U18 Girls' Cup Final

Referee:

Abraham Griffin

AR1:

Tomas O Suilleabhain

AR2:

David Watkinson

Tuam/Oughterard RFC

15

-

Juno Hayes

14

-

Aoibh Morrow

13

-

Abbey Worley

12

-

Losalia Atonio

11

-

Niamh Gannon

10

-

Katie O'Toole

9

-

Emily Curley

1

-

Sharon Thornton

2

-

Nikita Ward

3

-

Kiera Dempsey

4

-

Aoife Conneely

5

-

Caitlin Higgins

6

-

Iesult O'Flaherty

7

-

Kaitlyn O'Malley

8

-

Louise Seoige

Captain

Westport RFC

15

-

Leah McNamara

14

-

Aoife Gannon

13

-

Tara Macken

12

-

Poppy Tunney-Ware

Captain

11

-

Annaleigh Kelly

10

-

Ruth Conway

Vice-Captain

9

-

Ceola Durkan

1

-

Ciara Sheridan

2

-

Holly Bourke

3

-

Holly Horkan

4

-

Evie Farrell

5

-

Saoirse Chambers

6

-

Maeve Sammon

7

-

Daya Kennedy

8

-

Orla Palasz

Westport RFC Substitutes

16

-

Siena Ruane Cooper

17

-

Chloe Hearty

18

-

Emily Cusack

19

-

Lauren Cusack

20

-

Clodagh McKenna

21

-

Aoibheann Loftus

22

-

Kitty Fin Sweeney

23

-

Aoibhinn Lyons

24

-

Flora Turck

Tuam/Oughterard RFC Substitutes

16

-

Roisin McGough

17

-

Emma Angel

18

-

Emily O'Flaherty

19

-

Alyssa Murphy

20

-

Róise Ní Scanláin

21

-

Maraya Raykova

22

-

Shona O'Toole

23

-

Meera O'Toole

24

-

Roisin O'Toole

Tuam/Oughterard Message of Support

We'd like to wish the Tuam/Oughterard under 18 girls the best of luck today in their cup final. What a brilliant achievement to get to the Dexcom Stadium on finals day. It's a competition they have never won so we wish them and all the management team the very best today.

- Martin Nally, Tuam Rugby Club Honorary Secretary

Westport Message of Support

On behalf of everyone in Westport Rugby Club, I want to wish our U18 girls the very best of luck in the Connacht Cup Final.

This is a fantastic achievement and a testament to their hard work, commitment and team spirit throughout the season. They represent the club with great pride and we are all incredibly proud of what you’ve accomplished so far. Enjoy the occasion, trust in yourselves and each other, and give it everything on the day. No matter the result, you’ve already done the club proud.

Best of luck to the players, coaches, parents and supporters, the whole club will be cheering you on!

- John Ryan, Club President, Westport RFC