After leading Wallace High School to their maiden Schools’ Cup crown by beating Royal School Armagh 24-15 in a St Patrick’s Day showdown at Ravenhill, head coach Derek Suffern provided insight into the “professional environment” which played a key role in sealing success on the biggest stage.

While thousands packed inside the home of Ulster Rugby got to enjoy the stunning final product, not many will be aware of the sheer amount of work that went into the victory – a moment which started seven years ago with the pupils’ arrival.

This was a fixture five years in the making after the pair were scheduled to meet in the 2020 showpiece decider, only to be cruelly denied their day in the sun due to the Covid-19 pandemic. But half-a-decade later, Wallace made up for missed opportunity.

Powerful forwards Rio McDonagh (two) and James Gould laid the solid foundations for the win while centre Luke Dillon also crossed the line in a 24-15 victory which will live long in the memory for not only those on the pitch, but also in the stands – with Wallace previously losing out in five finals.

placeholder image — Wallace High School coach Derek Suffern shows off the prize

Many members of Wallace’s squad have been balancing rugby with educational responsibilities as they prepare for the next chapter of their lives and Suffern praised their work ethic.

"It's huge (effort),” he said. “Across all the schools in Ulster, parents, teachers and players invest so much time. They are training so many times throughout the week that it's almost like a professional environment in not a professional set-up.

"It takes a massive amount of work and that's why the competition is held in such high esteem and people get so upset when they lose and so elated when they win the thing."

Suffern will have to rebuild part of his squad for next season’s Schools’ Cup defence with a number of the team currently in upper sixth and he says motivation to round out their journey on a high was a source of motivation.

"We spoke about it that in recent years we've never been able to say 'this is our final game' because we've been knocked out in semi-finals or quarter-finals, but we knew this was the final one,” he added. “They took that into the game and it pushed them the extra mile because they fought for each other.

"A lot of hard work has gone into it over the years, even before these guys’ time, but credit to the group - they went after their own journey, have had a great season and it has been finished off with a top performance.

One player who missed out on his chance to become a Schools’ Cup champion five years ago was Nathan Doak, a standout performer who has since gone on to shine for Ulster. The 23-year-old has been helping his former school in a coaching capacity and while the emotions will undoubtedly be different, Doak can now celebrate playing his part in Wallace success.

"Nathan has been very good,” said Suffern. “A few years ago Nathan would have coached a lot at the school but with the way things have gone with him professionally he hasn't had as much time. He has a good relationship with our group, has respect and he has been in for a few sessions this year.

"He has that voice of experience and the guys take small things from him in the build-up and through the game. He's a really valuable asset."