On behalf of the Connacht Schools committee it is my great pleasure to welcome everyone to Dexcom Stadium today for the 2025/26 Connacht Schools’ Cup finals. The number of Boys' and Girls' schools teams playing rugby in Connacht continues to grow each year.
I wish to express my appreciation to all the principals, teachers, coaches, and staff in our schools for their continued support of the game. Your hard work has not gone unrecognised. I also wish to thank the members of the Connacht Rugby Schools Committee for their work and help over the past year.
If I may, a brief word to those who will be proudly donning their school jersey for the final during this season: this is only the start of a new journey. Join a local club or university team next year. The camaraderie and friendships forged through rugby will endure long after you have hung up your boots.
I would like to thank the Association of Referees Connacht Branch for their dedication in providing referees and other officials, without whom, we would not have any games. Therefore, I urge anyone who loves rugby to consider further contributing to the game by taking up the whistle.
I know that today’s finals will provide an exciting conclusion to the league and, regardless of the results, I hope everyone thoroughly enjoys the day, creating magic memories to last a lifetime.
Ádh mór oraibh go léir,
Jean McConnell
Connacht Rugby Chair of Schools
Match Preview
This Wednesday, 18th March sees the third day of Finals back in Dexcom Stadium post-holidays with the Boys' Junior Development, Junior B, Senior B and Senior A Schools Cup Finals. The Junior Development Schools Cup Final will take place at 11:00 AM followed by the Junior B Boys’ Schools Cup Final at 12:30 PM, the Senior B Boys’ Schools Cup Final at 2:00 PM and the Senior A Boys’ Schools Cup Final at 4:00 PM.
The third final of a thrilling four match day is the Senior B Boys' Schools Cup Final which will see last year's Junior B winners Rice College Westport take on an exciting St. Raphael's Loughrea side.
The Senior B Boys' Schools League kicked off earlier in the season with Rice College in Pool A and St. Raphael's in Pool B. Rice College, having come off a Junior B Cup win last season, continued their winning streak by coming top of the league table with 3 wins against Clifden CS, St. Jarlath's College, and Gortnor Abbey. This clean run meant they were straight into a home League Semi-Final where they would have to face St. Raphael's themselves.
St. Raphael's saw themselves in a group of 5 teams in Pool B, but managed to beat Calasanctius College, Gort CS and Athlone CC. However, they fell just short against Pres Athenry who got the better of the Loughrea side with a 31-12 pool match win. This didn't deter St. Raphael's as they went into their away Semi-Final against Rice College with the goal of making the final in mind. They were able to capitalise on this drive and won 15-7.
Going into the Cup campaign, the two sides remained neck-in-neck with Rice College topping Pool A with no losses while St. Raphael's similarly topped Pool B in a similar clean slate fashion. The only hurdles between both sides and a place in the final in Dexcom Stadium were their Semi-Finals. Rice College showed that this was an easy task, putting a 48-5 scoreline on Dunmore CS while St. Raphael's faced more of a challenge, once again facing Pres Athenry who they had lost to in the League. This time, they made no mistake of showcasing their skill and it was St. Raphael's that took the second place in the final with a 27-19 win.
Sure to be an electric final not to be missed, the Senior B Boys' Schools Cup Final is at 2:00 PM on Wed, 18th 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.
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Rice College Westport Management: Team Manager Coach Coach
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St. Raphael's College Loughrea Management: Teacher Teacher Head Coach First Aid Coach |
Senior Development Boys Schools Cup Final
Referee: Brian Kelly | AR1: Johnny Quinn | AR2: Kieran Cooney | 4th Official: George Enraght-Moony |
Rice College Westport
St. Raphael's College
Rice College Westport Substitutes
St. Raphael's College Substitutes
Rice College Westport Message of Support
On behalf of the school community in Rice College Westport, I would like to wish our Senior Rugby team the very best of luck in the Connacht B Final against St. Raphaels, Loughrea. Reaching a provincial final is a fantastic achievement and a testament to the hard work, dedication and teamwork shown by the players and their coaches throughout the season.
Best wishes to both teams for an exciting and sporting final.
-Mr. Michael Rabbette, Principal, Rice College
St. Raphael's College Loughrea Message of Support
We are delighted that our senior rugby team have reached the Connacht Schools Final. We are so proud of this entire squad. Best wishes to them all in the final. We hope to have lots of support there on the day. Sincere thanks to Ms Naughton, Mr Clancy, the coaching team of Greg Glynn, Kevin Quinn and Cathal Spellman and to all in Loughrea RFC for your tremendous support and generosity throughout the year. St Raphael’s Abú!
- Paul Cafferkey, Principal, St Raphael’s College
