Rainey Endowed aiming to prove Schools' Cup semi-final run was no flash in pan

With a home tie against Methody in the last eight of this year’s competition, head coach Wilbur Leacock feels it is important for Rainey to build on last season and prove it was no flash in the pan.

“We played Methody two years ago in the last 16 and they beat us up here,” he said. “Our programme is getting better – a semi-final last year and at least a quarter-final this year.

“It's going to be a big challenge. Methody, they're probably the most successful side in Ulster rugby, maybe Irish rugby; I've taught there, I've got a good relationship with Nick (Wells), we’re looking forward to it, but we're under no illusions it's a huge challenge for us.”

Out-half Owen O’Kane left after last year’s cup run but Leacock has been able to recruit well.

He added: “We have boy a few boys in from the local schools: Oisin Kelly, Jacob Ennis-McManus and Adrian Martin have come in and they have added real value to the squad. Unfortunately, Jacob tore his tendon, so he won’t be playing on Saturday – it was a season-ender.

“We have a good nucleus of a team there. I think our 10 Christian McDonald – there's always going to be big shoes to fill with Owen – but he has come in and worked really hard, and I thought he played his best game of the season against Dungannon.

“When you are losing somebody of Owen O'Kane's class, it's always going to be difficult, but the boys have worked well.

“We've got a few boys from last year, I think we've maybe six or seven, but the guys that have come in have really bought into it, and they've developed well over the season.”

Rainey reached the last eight with a narrow 12-10 win at Royal School Dungannon and Leacock has been impressed with his team’s resilience.

“It's always difficult going away; going back into the group stage, we were very lucky to get a win up at Limavady, and I thought we actually we played well against Dungannon,” he said.

“I thought the boys stuck to the game plan quite well, and we probably left a few points out there.

“It's difficult going away for a schoolboy. In the Schools’ Cup, pressure, you know home is a decent advantage to have.

“I think our set-piece was excellent against Dungannon, I thought line-out and scrum were excellent, I thought the boys really stuck at it and probably disrupted Dungannon's line-out.

“We thought that they had a really strong back line, two really good centres, so we wanted to try and starve them of possession, which the boys did. You know, you're playing Methodist College Belfast, [you know] what's coming; set piece strong, real big maul threat, but they've also got a really good set of backs.

“We'll just be working hard on our set-piece and I suppose trying to negate Methody's maul, which everybody knows is a big threat.”

Having taught in Methody, Leacock knows the importance they place on the Schools’ Cup.

“I had a great time at Methody, I have great relationships there and really enjoyed my time there,” he said. “It is a huge school with a huge rugby culture and I suppose we are trying to change our culture from the point of view of trying to consistently get into the knockout stages of the Schools’ Cup; getting to the semi-final last year was brilliant. “Playing any kind of top-six side is a huge challenge for any of the smaller schools. The boys have worked incredibly hard, but, you know, it's a huge challenge and we know that.

“We need to be competitive, we need everything to go right on the day, set-piece et cetera, so yeah, we're under no illusions how big a challenge that Methody's going to be.”