The UAFC

So where is the smart money going for the medallion shield semi finals? Campbell vs RBAI looks like the pick of the semis, but Coleraine vs Wallace could be entertaining

CCB v Wallace final

Wallace HS 11-0 Coleraine Inst. I don't know the score in the other game but I know Campbell won so it's a Wallace v Campbell final on the 11th March at Ravenhill.

Are there any stand out players in that Wallace team?

All i've heard is the 9 is brilliant

A very good Wallace team but the 9 is the outstanding player.

breakdown wrote:Are there any stand out players in that Wallace team?

All i've heard is the 9 is brilliant

The pack are very strong and the half backs controlled territory very well, Coleraine didn't get over half way in the first half even though it was 0-0 at half time. Not a lot of creativity shown today in the backline but the pack won the game hands down.

Wallace players and parents all very friendly and generous, good luck in the final.

Not much between RBAi and CCB today. CCB should have been down to 14 players and 2 big referee decisions settled this one. CCB one dimensional....... Good luck Wallace in the final.

I don't know what match you were watching run wild. Obv an inst fan but I was along as a neutral and apart from early pressure by rbai - ccb dominated this game. Unsure of the ref calls to which you refer but in all honestly ccb deserved the margin and it was a very fast game. Physical throughout and I do think Wallace will go in to the final as favourites but Campbell more than deserved to go through to the final. It was a shame to see the rbai #7 go down with an injury. All in all a great semi final and I will enjoy a close fought final in a weeks time

Think he is talking about the obvious penalty try that should have been awarded to inst in the first 10 mins with a yellow card, ref bottled that decision.
Ref also made a few mistakes which had a significant bearing on the game and allowed at least two of Campbell's scores.

It's poor that ulster branch are farming out these sort of refs for such big school games which pupils have been training for all year, needs to be a big shake up in the ref room in Ravenhill.

Have watched a lot of school games this season and the standard has been from average to poor at best.

Watched the Inst v Regent schools cup game and the ref was being coached by the linesman throughout the game, if he cannot ref then he should not be on the pitch.

It's laughable when the refs get blamed - surely we are no longer school boys ourselves! It was a fair margin of 4 tries to one. I don't think UB are to blame for the refs. Again as I say I was a neutral supporter and I thought penalty count was fair - if I recall ccb gave away more penalties and their discipline for the first10-15 mins was poor giving inst a fair points advantage of 6-0. The rest of the game was ccb except for a great try by a phase of pressure by rbai in the latter stages of the match. Sole destroying for the boys I'm sure but one needs to teach sportsmanlike behaviour at this level and that includes the entry level of rugby etiquette of respecting those officiating the game !!

Yes would agree proper sportsman ship which includes referees not bottling decisions, what does that teach players
UB are totally to blame for the standard of the Ulster refs, they train them and assess them, if they are not up to standard get rid.

Still feel that decisions ref made on Sat had a bearing on the overall game, and the final score.

Have to disagree with you bo peep. CCB stronger and fitter side. We cant teach our schoolboys to keep blaming refereeing decisions for losing. Sportsmanlike behaviour does start with respecting the officials and also learning to loose with good grace - granted that is very hard for boys at this level after the amount of training that goes in week in week out. There are not an abundance of ulster refs willing to referee this level and my understanding yesterday was that there were linesmen from both schools officiating who didnt raise any issues with the ref! RBAI were certainly a much improved side and I understand there are a couple of boys due to play again next year and they could well be the side to beat in 2014. Best of luck to both CCB and Wallace next week.

If you knew how the ref system works you would be aware that linesmen provided by schools cannot raise issues only advise the ref when ball is out of play.
No one is stating that the players should not respect the ref, and none of the boys did on either team.
What I stated was that the ref made incorrect decisions which impacted on the match and that the standard of referring at this level is extremely poor.
If ulster refs are not willing to ref schools cup matches then UB should get rid of them. These boys need good refs as this will show them what is required and they can learn from it, poor refs do not provide this.
I have seen some awful referees this season and they have ruined some games, I understand that they do not get paid, but for cup games the best refs should be used together with UB linesmen not people from schools.
These schoolboys take these matches very seriously so should Ulster Branch, and treat the schoolboys with proper respect by sending out the best refs.
Never stated that CCB where not fitter or stronger, which I do disagree with but not stated in my previous posts. I concentrated on the referee, who I still maintain was poor and inconsistent.

Reffing at any level is a thankless task but somtimes you do get a referee who spoils the integrity of a game by poor decisions that seem to defy logic at times. I have lost count of games in which the referee has made a decision that has had a negative impact on both the behaviour of the players and the outcome of a game. My money is on Wallace for the Medallion title having watched both teams play this year..they are a sharper outfit and can cope with CCBs physicalit..one score will win it.

With most things in life you get what you pay for but when it comes to having games officiated the ulster rugby fraternity get a hell of a lot more than the nothing paid to the Refs who give up their time for pro bono to ensure games are played. If any of you experts on the laws of the game think you could add value to the game instead of having a pop then I can pass on the contact details of the UB's referee development officer.

As a player, coach and ref' I have often disagreed with the man in the middles decision but any disappointment is tempered by my gratitude. Mistakes made are honest ones.