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 fourth final of a thrilling four match day is the Senior A Boys' Schools Cup Final which will see two familiar sides take the pitch - Sligo Grammar School and last year's Cup winners Marist College Athlone.
A clash that everyone has been waiting for, the two sides have been in flying form and going from strength to strength, both topping their respective Pool groups in the Senior A League. This saw them both into the League Semi-Finals and both with home advantage. Sligo Grammar faced St. Muredach's College where they put a scoreline of 47-22 to book their spot in the League final and Marist College faced CBS Roscommon where Marist decisively marched their way into the League final to face their familiar opponents. In what was always going to be a close and hard-fought League Final, it was Sligo Grammar who took the trophy with a 22-13 win over Marist College.
Going into the Cup campaign, the two sides remained, unsurprisingly, neck-in-neck with Marist College topping Pool A with no losses while Sligo Grammar also topped Pool B with a similar clean slate fashion. The only hurdles between both sides and a place in the final in Dexcom Stadium were their Semi-Finals. Marist College once more faced CBS Roscommon where they once again took the win with a 40-3 scoreline. However, Sligo Grammar had to wait to see if they would once again be facing Marist in a Senior A Cup Final as a tragedy in St. Muredach's pushed out their Semi-Final. But Sligo Grammar made no mistake in ensuring they would once again be in the running to take back the Senior A trophy after beating St. Muredach's 38-10.
No strangers to each other and plenty of history, this is a final not to be missed. The Senior A Boys' Schools Cup Final is at 4:00 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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Sligo Grammar School Management: Director of Rugby Head Coach Physio
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Marist College Athlone Management: Team Manager/Coach Coach Sports Therapist Videography Photography |
Senior Development Boys Schools Cup Final
Referee: Shane Tuohy | AR1: Jamie Coyle | AR2: Cian Hough | 4th Official: Johnny Quinn |
Sligo Grammar School
Marist College Athlone
Sligo Grammar School Substitutes
Marist College Athlone Substitutes
Sligo Grammar School Message of Support
Everyone at Sligo Grammar School is incredibly proud of our senior rugby team for reaching the cup final. This achievement is a testament to their dedication, teamwork and resilience throughout the season. Their hard work on and off the field has brought them to this moment, and we have no doubt they will give their all in the final match. As a school community, we are proud of each one of them.
To the players and coaches please know that your school, past pupils, friends and families stand behind you. Play with heart, play with pride, play with confidence and sportsmanship, and enjoy every moment of it.
- Jimmy Staunton, Deputy Principal & Director of Rugby, Sligo Grammar School
Marist College Athlone Message of Support
Final days of the Senior Schools season are among the most historic on the Connacht Rugby calendar. The players involved in today’s game will carry these memories for the rest of their lives. For some, this season will be their last time representing their school as they prepare for the Leaving Cert.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank our Coaches, Volunteers, School Management and Staff, the Connacht Schools Committee and Branch Staff, and the Referees Association for their time, effort, and commitment to Schools Rugby throughout the season.
We would like to thank our sponsors Sheraton Athlone Hotel an association of over twenty years and Promedicare for their fantastic support throughout the season.
A special thank you to Dexcom stadium management for hosting the finals at this fantastic venue, and we wish today’s match officials of Shane Tuohy, Jamie Coyle and Cian Hough all the very best.
- Mick Loftus, Marist College
