2011 SCHOOLS CUP

[cjp]

Highlights from the RSA v RBAI and CCB v MCB matches:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/9402817.stm

[colinh]

Armagh vs Rbai game was hard to pick the winner but inst hit the upright with what seemed a pretty basic conversion as the last kick of the game. Armagh started off with two penalties in first 20min with impressive outhalf, slotting with ease RSA 6-0 RBAI. Inst then retained possession for a while in what was a scrappy 1st half, converted a penalty, with Armagh immedately responding with another RSA 9-6 RBAI. Both teams then had time to catch their breathes at halftime with Armagh leading, the 2nd half produced a much more competitive and exciting brand of rugby being played by both sides, with a few line breaks per side. Armagh then worked the blindside cleverly scoring in the corner with Armagh extending their lead to 14-6 with 6minutes to go it looked like the "graveyard" would have claimed the scalp of another big Belfast school! With great determination and some fresh legs off the bench inst managed to score 8 points in about 5 minutes! With a greatly struck penalty from wide out and after a good break by inst winger an attempted kick onward was charged by a Armagh player resulting in an Inst lineout on the 22. After several phases of picking and going Inst snuck over to level the scores. All eyes where then on Inst kicker who sadly hit the woodwork to send the match to a Replay on Wednesday 3pm C'MON INST! (thanks to armagh supporters who were in charge of the sausage and bacon butties, went down a treat.)

The Inst choir was very good natured and humorous. Although you just always had the feeling that the bigger Inst forwards would grind it out. The replay on Wed will be all about who can recover best and with the biggest heart.

[Bogbunny]

Glengrimley wrote:
I watched the BRA v Coleraine match this morning and whilst I am disappointed with the result all credit is due to the Coleraine defence, it was immense!
BRA had the majority of possession and territory but could not convert that into points. They really missed their two most influencial players. The No.8 due to an appendix operation 10 days ago and No.10 who suffered an ankle injury last week at training.

All the best to Coleraine for the semi, although I'm disappointed it is great to see an "unseeded" team who the Telegraph wrote off getting through to the later stages. Have a great day out at Ravenhill!


exciting but not a great quality game. BRA support was very vocal. Wouldn't see either team going all the way tbh.

Nonsense! Coleraine for the cup!

Would love it to happen. However I think that they need something more than an awesome defence and Paddy Farrell.

[Beattiespastie]

AndyB...have to agree with you mate in that I was of the impression that MCB would be making up the numbers at Fox's Field as CCB had nailed together a mythical all conquering side but I knew how well drilled the MCB lads would be and I reiterate the fact that I think Campbell are there for the taking. Having watched MCB from the start of the season in training as well as in game time I think they have a very young , very talented side who have arrived slightly under the radar. I fully admit that they 'hung on' slightly in the second half but their defending was superb and the two tries they scored in the first half to take a 10V 0 lead were clinical in their execution.
Campbell have a great 15 and he kicked a lot of monster ball and backed himself but if MCB close him down I think CCB are very containable.MCB have no stars in their ranks but rather they are a 'team' of great young indivduals who might just cause an upset at Pirrie on Wednesday...regardless of the eventual outcome there is two sets of hard working great young players and coaches on both sides who deseve enormous credit for producing a great standard of rugby for us all to enjoy...

[weejack48]

MCB 10-10 CCB
RBAI 19-13 RSA

[Ball Boy]

When's the semis?

[weejack48]

RBAI v CAI Monday 28/2
Ballyclare HS v ??? Wed 2/3

[Cap'n Grumpy]

MCB 10-10 CCB
RBAI 19-13 RSA

Methody were 10-5 down with the clock gone, but had possesion and kept on going through the phases before scoring under the posts deep into stoppage time to level at 10-10. Just the conversion from straight in front to win the match with the last kick of the match, but he set it too close and it was charged down!!!!!!!!

Campbell got out of jail with that one, but credit to them, they had defended resolutely against wave after wave of Methody pressure (some might say illegally, but hey, the ref let them off with it, so fair play to them)

All to play for again on Saturday morning at neutral venue - (I heard it said they would go to Osborne, but cannot confirm).

[Yoda]

MCB 10-10 CCB
RBAI 19-13 RSA

Methody were 10-5 down with the clock gone, but had possesion and kept on going through the phases before scoring under the posts deep into stoppage time to level at 10-10. Just the conversion from straight in front to win the match with the last kick of the match, but he set it too close and it was charged down!!!!!!!!

Campbell got out of jail with that one, but credit to them, they had defended resolutely against wave after wave of Methody pressure (some might say illegally, but hey, the ref let them off with it, so fair play to them)

All to play for again on Saturday morning at neutral venue - (I heard it said they would go to Osborne, but cannot confirm).

Thoughts on the ref Cap'n? On balance of possession a draw may well have been a fair result - good play and endeavour by both teams with some outstanding defence on show - but some of the decisions in the second half were shocking and appeared to all be one way. Serious doubts over the award of the try at the end too - he was in no position to see the grounding and gave it after a few players had moved out of the way - very odd!

Presumably the second replay is played to the death? There wouldn't be time for another one!

[Beattiespastie]

I assume the 'one way' decisions you are referring to are in favour of Campbell Yoda??...One sin binning for constant infringing at ruck time was getting off lightly in my books. I thought on balance the referee had a decent game but like most matches these days the breakdown area is the problem. This was an excellent game between two good sides and whoever wins the third encounter at Shaws Bridge on Monday will be right up there in the end.
What I found most exciting is the unearthing of some pretty promising talent in both teams that bodes well for the future of the province,in particular the CCB fullback who has everything..pace,power and a monster boot! Surely this young lad has a big future ahead of him? Ross Kane the MCB loosehead was fantastic, and at 17 stone plus in 5th year he really looks a bright prospect as he has solid scrummaging skill and hes good in open play.The CCB 10 had a great game as well and he distributed some great fast ball that put the MCB lads on the back foot for long spells in the game.
Regardless of the final outcome( and it SHOULD have been done and dusted but for a hurried conversion at the death) you have to applaud both sets of players and coaches for providing fantastic entertainment thus far.

[Yoda]

Actually agreed with the sin binning based on numerous penalties (even if some were questionable!!)

Was more referring to the constant free kicks etc and the awarding of the try - as I said draw was probably a fair result and I agree with a lot of what you said, but standing back and looking at that decision on its own, no way should he have been awarding it based on what he could see at the time. A lot of petty decision making that hindered a good game being even better

[cbusbyni]

There isn't any extra time at school boy rugby so it depends on the rules as to what would happen with another draw:

Penalty kicks
Toss of a coin
Replay and change the date of the semi?

Your guess is as good as mine

[cheese]

i think he gave the try because the MCB coaches ran onto the pitch and sreamed at him to award the try and basically looked like he was bullied into it. I am a long time MCB supporter but i felt that had they not been about the ref would have called a scrum as couldn't see it. I was very disappointed after when walking away hearing the abuse these coaches where shouting at CCB supporters/family. i had to move away.
Well done MCB for fighting to the end. No8 for them had a really strong game. makes for an exciting 3rd game. Just hopethe coaching staff keep control of themselves a bit better.

[Cap'n Grumpy]

Thoughts on the ref Cap'n? On balance of possession a draw may well have been a fair result - good play and endeavour by both teams with some outstanding defence on show - but some of the decisions in the second half were shocking and appeared to all be one way. Serious doubts over the award of the try at the end too - he was in no position to see the grounding and gave it after a few players had moved out of the way - very odd!

I'm reluctant to enter a debate on the referee (particularly at Schools level) as I don't want to give the impression that he was the difference between the sides (or not as the case may be). I cannot comment on whether a draw was fair on the balance of play, as I only arrived from the Ravens match part way into the second half. Based on what I saw, the balance of play was massively in Methody's favour, but Campbell were 10-5 up, and I can only assume that up to then they were good measure for their lead.

I thought a number of decisions by the ref were strange as Campbell were constantly off their feet at rucks still scrambling for the ball on the ground and frequently off-side but were rarely pinged for that. The penalty just before Methody scored at the death was only 5m out but two Campbell defenders were standing inside the pitch rather than behind the goal line, but were allowed to get away with it, and it was they who made the first tackle after the tap-and-go. For that reason alone, I think the try being scored after a number of phases then seemed a just reward to me. I don't know if on the few occasions Campbell were at the other end and Methody were defending, Methody got away with similar - if so, at least it was consistent - if not, ......

I don't watch much schools rugby these days and don't know what allowances are made (if any) for lower skills set etc so perhaps the ref is more lenient on these things these days? (I know there are limits on how far a scrum can move or rotate etc, but am not overly familiar with all the under-age rules/laws)

As for the try, I was standing directly behind the posts just a few metres away and I thought it was a fair try, but wondered if the ref could see enough from his angle (even though he was closer) to award it. Once the pile of bodies had settled, a couple of the Methody boys moved to give him a better view and I think he got the confirmation he wanted. I think it was a fair call - perhaps one that had a TMO been involved he would have asked the question "Is there any reason I CANNOT award the try?" rather than "May I award a try?" or "Has a try been scored?"

i think he gave the try because the MCB coaches ran onto the pitch and sreamed at him to award the try and basically looked like he was bullied into it. I am a long time MCB supporter but i felt that had they not been about the ref would have called a scrum as couldn't see it. I was very disappointed after when walking away hearing the abuse these coaches where shouting at CCB supporters/family. i had to move away.
Well done MCB for fighting to the end. No8 for them had a really strong game. makes for an exciting 3rd game. Just hopethe coaching staff keep control of themselves a bit better.

You obviously saw something I didn't Cheese, but I think your comment on the coaches bullying the ref are nonsense. There was a mini pitch invasion by some supporters, substitutes and possibly coaches AFTER the try was awarded, but there was no hint of interference by coaches or otherwise before he put the hand up.

I don't know what coaches you refer to "abusing" CCB supporters and family, but I was pretty close to Nicky Wells for some time after the final whistle, until most of the hubbub had died down and players had left the pitch, and he was very quiet and saying nothing to anyone (abusive or otherwise) - I think he was bemused by the final outcome and the missed conversion. I don't know the other coaching staff, but for the while I was there after the match, I saw and heard nothing that could have been construed as abusive. Maybe if it happened, it was limited and you had to be close, or maybe I'm just more deaf than I care to believe, but given the side of the pitch the CCB support was on and the way the crowd dissipated afterwards, I'm surprised by your comments, as any (what appeared to me) to be MCB support staff/coaches seemed to stop at the changing rooms, having come from the Methody side of the pitch and did not go past there to where the CCB support was.

[AndyB]

The only abuse I heard yesterday and on Saturday was the chanting of "MCB w*nk w*nk w*nk" from the Campbell supporters.