Banbridge Academy boys out to add another Schools’ Cup milestone memory

It was the first time the Co Down school had won a trophy of that magnitude and today they have a chance to create another milestone by reaching a first-ever Schools’ Cup semi-final.

But holders RBAI stand in their way.

Banbridge have home advantage for their first quarter-final appearance in 12 years and, buoyed by winning silverware last season, the squad will face the defending champions with confidence.

“We’d been in that bowl final a couple of times and never managed to win it so it was good to get over that hurdle, the bulk of that team are back this year, I think there are only three players from that team that aren’t playing this year,” said Academy coach Brian Leslie. “It was a great occasion and a great day, we had been there or thereabouts and never quite got the win so that was very positive and there was a great buzz about the school and lots of people talking about rugby, which is always nice.

“Friends had a good side last year and it was a good final, a massive crowd turned up at Dromore to watch it and it was a really good occasion.”

Banbridge negotiated the Schools’ Cup group stages with aplomb, winning all three group games and only conceding nine points to top the group and reach the knockout stages.

“We went into that group as second seeds but we played very well throughout it and didn’t concede a try or not very many points in the group stages,” he said. “It certainly wasn’t perfect rugby, but we played very well and we were very pleased to come out of it in first place.

“Ballyclare were top seeds...the day we played them was a good game of rugby.

“We have put in a good shift in defence and the boys are willing to do it, we went behind to Limavady in the third group game, we didn’t start terribly well.

“They got a few penalties early on but once we got on the front foot and got a bit of good forward ball we had enough to beat them.”

Banbridge drew Portadown College in the last 16 and secured a 40-0 win.

“It sort of had a derby feel to it and there are a lot of schools in and around our area and we would consider them all derbies,” said Leslie. “We were concerned...going away from home is never what you are looking so we had our worries and we knew they had good players but were going into it with a few key players injured, which hurt them.

“We knew we just maybe hadn’t been playing brilliant rugby through January, but we really put in a good performance two weeks ago...it was top drawer and we really did play well and put it all out on the pitch.

“We didn’t score for 15 minutes and they probably had most of the ball for 15 minutes but we defended comfortably and never looked under any real threat...it was a bit like the Limavady game.

"Once we got that forward ball we put them away quite quickly by scoring three quick ones just before half-time and it was hard for them to recover from that.”

Banbridge have scored 20 tries in four games without leaking any, with 137 points scored and giving up nine.

But Leslie knows the quality of opposition is about to be ramped up in the quarter-final.

“We have played well for our standard but we are very aware that we haven’t played any of the top six, even in friendlies,” he said. “We know where we are playing but, equally, we are playing very well at that level.

"So we are really looking forward to the big game coming now and it is a real test to see where we actually are...the defending champions - they don’t get any bigger.

"But the boys have responded brilliantly to that, there is always a fear when you are playing one of the big schools they might be slightly overwhelmed.

“The response in training has been brilliant and it has really inspired the boys to dig in and work hard and they are really looking forward to Saturday.

“The school has never been to a Schools’ Cup semi-final...over the years we have had some good teams, I’ve been here 25 or 26 years and we had good teams before that as well.

“We have had plenty of good sides and nobody has ever made it that far, so we are playing into it a little bit that this is a chance of history and we are well aware of the task in front of us to do that, so this is the chance.

“We’re not building on it every day, but we are certainly using in as a bit of extra motivation.”

Leslie is hoping forward power can lead Banbridge to the last four with the likes of Irish Schools duo hooker Connor Magee and lock Noah Bell.

“There is no doubt that we have a big pack,” said Leslie. “We have four guys in there with Ulster or Irish representation, we are a big unit up front but we play rugby.

"Our backline have scored probably more than three-quarters of our tries, it is not as if we are forward-dominated.

"We definitely set a platform with our pack but our backline are sharp and we have some very good players out there too...it is a good balance to the team but like all good teams we set that platform with the forwards and then see what we can do off it.”