Glastry College set for two big semi-final clashes in the High Schools' Cup as they hope historic occasion can 'revolutionise rugby in the school'

The U16’s side will face Dunclug College at Mallusk this afternoon while the U14’s have a Co Down derby against Strangford College at Ards RFC on Friday.

Head of Rugby James Neill is hoping reaching the last four in both competitions will help establish the sport at the Ballyhalbert school, which has over 600 pupils and has always been seen as a football school.

“It’s big week for the school hoping that we can bring home two final positions and maybe take the school out for a bit of a trip for the finals for both,” explained Neill.

“Glastry College is quite a quite a rural school, we're based right in the middle of Ballyhalbert, we have local clubs Donaghadee and Ards but they would both be a wee bit far away.

“Rugby was introduced in the school by a previous teacher back in 2003 by a fellow by the name of Chris Ferguson.

“He introduced it really from absolutely scratch. There was no rugby history in the school at all and he built it up steadily and surely until unfortunately, Chris passed away in 2014 through cancer.

“Unfortunately, as a result of that, rugby basically just dropped away off with no competitive teams and we didn’t enter tournaments.

“There was no real interest in the school, you could have picked maybe half a dozen rugby players across the whole school from that time onwards, that would probably have been about it,” he added.

“Fast forward then, to four or five years ago whenever really I started working with the boys along with two other coaches in here.

“So, our U16’s are the first team that we have had and we've actually had solid steady work with, so we're bearing the fruits or rewards.

“The boys don’t have big training sessions unfortunately due to or rural location – we are only talking about one hour a week of rugby – so the idea of gym sessions in the morning and two or three days a week after school training is non-existent here.

"The boys really are going off natural ability, good coaching and really that has got us to where we're at now.”

Neill wants the school to create a legacy by reaching their first finals.

“This is the first time in the school's history we've got as far as this, rugby has sort of mushroomed in the school over the last five years,” he added.

“The current U16 team was the first competitive team we’ve put in for 10 to 15-odd years.

“[We have had] a couple of good wins on the road, so we're looking for a big performance again for the semi-final against Dunclug and following in their footsteps are our under 14 team, again sort of bearing fruit for a bit of work that has been put into them for the last couple of years.

“Traditionally this school has been a football school and we have been quite successful in that but the tide has changed in the last four or five years, there's a buzz about rugby in the school.

“Our year eight has nearly 30 boys playing rugby all willingly staying after school one day a week for their sessions.

“Our girls rugby team is made-up of between 20 and 25 and again, that's when we started in the last couple years.”

Neill was at pains to underscore the significance of the achievement of both teams in making it to the last-four stage of the competition.

“I think there's probably an under appreciation of the significance of where we're at, just amongst our pupil background and even our staff,” he said.

"They don't realise perhaps just how significant this position is. To be in the semi-finals of the two biggest age grade high Schools Cup competition is really a massive achievement.

“So we're hoping that as a result of this, it pushes rugby on for us really and makes the new year intake when they come in September know about the college, know about the rugby programme and want to get involved about it.

“We're really hoping that this is going to revolutionise rugby in the college and hopefully do the same for the two local clubs as well, getting the boys and the girls out to the rugby clubs to play youth rugby on a Saturday morning.”