'Coaches and friends' must now face off over Schools' Cup last four with Wallace and BRA

The Lisburn school will meet BRA in the last four after the latter overcome Sullivan 20-17.

Just a couple of hours after Suffern’s Wallace and Creighton’s BRA reached the semi-finals the two were in the Queen’s dugout masterminding the students’ All Ireland League bonus point win over Nenagh.

“DJ and I obviously coach together at Queen’s and we know each other very well and we know each other as coaches and friends so it will be an interesting tactical battle to see what we throw at each other,” stated Suffern. “We played each other earlier in the year and it was a close one, they have had a cracking season and I think we are one of the only teams to beat them, they have beaten all the top schools this year.

“They have got some really good players and are really well coached so it will be an exciting battle.”

Suffern was delighted with the performance in the quarter-final.

“Big game against Inst, the boys played very well and defended very well and took a couple of opportunities when they got them,” he said. “I don’t think you can treat it as another game, I think any of the cup games are different...for the school kids it is what they look forward to, not building it up too much but making a conscious effort that it is going to be different.

“There was a big crowd at the game and it was a super occasion for Wallace, we wouldn’t have had a crowd like that in a number of years...I thought our boys conducted themselves very well, lots of pressure but they just stuck to their game plan and they got their just rewards.

“Both packs were very good, the Inst pack is very well drilled and with Jamie Kirk there their lineout and maul was very good, defensively they were good around the lineout as well.”

“The Wallace forward pack is good, they have got a bit of size about them and they are starting to gel together at the back end of the season.

“We absorbed a lot of pressure early but just stayed calm and defended well, I thought that was the most pleasing aspect."

The Lisburn school went out in the last four 12 months ago.

“I think the boys have learned from last year there is a lot of them back again,” he said. “I think you saw evidence of it against Inst, so hopefully they will be comfortable in the surroundings and perform as well as they did on Saturday.

Ben Moore, Sam Warwick and James Gould got the Wallace tries, with Josh Geddis converting all three.

BRA defeated Sullivan 20-17.

Rainey Endowed upset last year’s runners-up Ballymena Academy 24-17 so now face Royal School Armagh, who saw off Regent House 25-22.

DANSKE BANK SCHOOLS’ CUP: February 25 – Royal School Armagh v Rainey Endowed School; February 26 – Wallace High School v Belfast Royal Academy