RBAI coach Jamie Kirk reflects on Schools' Cup victory over Ballymena

In an absorbing final in the annual showpiece, both sides were level at 14-14 after the first half before RBAI pulled ahead after the break, edging some of the key moments in the game to secure back-to-back victories.

Kirk said one of his key priorities was ensuring his winning team did not allow complacency to creep in.

“It is a subtle difference but one of the biggest things that we talked about quite early in this season with this group was that this group of players hadn’t won a Schools’ Cup,” he said.

“There were cup winners within the team but it’s easy for schoolboys at the start of the season to think that we have won a Schools’ Cup, we’re the defending champions, and that is not what we want from the team – we want them to feel like they are starting clean again and they have to go out and win it.

“It is a balance of that confidence from the experience that they have had, but then making sure that they don’t think they have a right to go out and win something – they have got to work hard for it.

“There have been plenty of lessons throughout the season, there have been many highs and lows; those lows a lot of the time were points when we actually could keep our feet on the ground, realise where we need to get better and make sure that we have got the correct attitude to go out and put ourselves in the position to win it again and when I think about it now, those moments were huge.”

Kirk admitted timing is crucial when it comes to putting together a winning cup run.

“You have got a season plan and a long-term plan that feeds into your medium and short-term planning,” he said.

“Sometimes we would find ourselves in September and certainly in my short experience at Inst we’d be a wee bit apprehensive because you are not where you want to be.

“It is just trusting that this is a learning or development stage, they have got to go through difficult times, they have got to go through a process of trial and error and they have got to be able to make mistakes to be able to learn from it.

“I think the way the Schools’ Cup season is set up in Ulster and Ireland I really think it lends itself to that, it is important for the development of the players and then you are not geared from winning from week one,” Kirk added.

“Of course, everybody wants to win but you have to take the lessons from the hard days and the good days as well.”

Kirk felt his side came out on top after prevailing during some of the biggest moments in the game.

“There were a number of big moments but the one that stands out for me was Ross Dillon’s turnover on the line when we were under pressure,” he said.

“He is a bit of a warrior, for a fifth year to have those big moments in him, and there are players like that right across the team.

“I think ultimately it shows that they trust each other, even if they are right on the line they trust they can hold out the opposition.

“I have to say I’m sometimes in awe at how some of the younger boys can step up in those big moments and then it is just about nailing our role when we get the access in the opposition half and being clinical and taking our opportunities,” he added.

“Ballymena certainly made it difficult for us and it was very pleasing to get that try in the second half.”