Coleraine bidding to add to proud history in Schools’ Cup

Known as Coleraine Academical Institution before a merger in 2015, the northwest school last lifted the trophy in 1992 while their last trip to Kingspan Stadium for a final came six years later.

Coleraine have reached ths year’s quarter-finals and will travel to Wallace High School on Saturday (K/O 11.00am).

The school has produced some famous names on the rugby field, including George Beamish, who toured New Zealand and Australia in 1930 with the British Lions.

Beamish led a delegation to the Lions management to voice his displeasure about the failure to recognise the contribution of Irish players on the Lions kit despite the side being drawn for the four home unions.

Scotland were acknowledged by blue shirts, England had white shorts and Wales was represented by red socks.

A green flash was added to the socks for the 1930 tour and by the time the Lions arrived in South Africa eight years later, the flash was replaced by a green turnover on the socks which is still present on the current Lions kit.

Prop Henry O’Hara-O’Neil also toured in 1930 with the Lions, the Queen’s student putting his studies on hold to travel to the Southern Hemisphere where he played in all five tests four against the All Blacks, or the All Whites as they were known for the tour, after the home side had to change their shirts due to a clash with he Lions dark blue tops.

O’Hara-O’Neill had helped Coleraine win the 1925 Schools’ Cup with a 5-0 success over Methody in the final.

Bill McKay played in two Schools’ Cup finals for Coleraine and was on the losing side in 1938 as RBAI won 6-5.

Twelve months later Coleraine returned to Ravenhill and lifted the trophy with a 16-5 win over Methody.

The war interrupted McKay’s rugby career as he served in the Middle East and Burma, rising to the rank of captain in the Chindits.

McKay was given the last rites after contracting malaria in the Burmese jungles.

In 1948 he was part of the Ireland team that won the country’s first ever grand slam and in 1950 played in all six Lions tests on the tour of New Zealand and Australia.

In more recent years Jonny Bell and Andrew Trimble risen through the ranks after coming through Coleraine.

The school will now hope to go all the way once again but coach Richard Boyd knows improvement is needed if they are to go to Wallace and get a victory after watching his side reach the last eight with a 15-7 derby win over Limavady.

“Delighted to get the win, maybe just not as pleased with our performance,” said Boyd.

“We were pretty comfortable winners against Limavady, we were in control of the game but they threw everything at us and as expected it was a tight local derby.

“The main thing for us was we got the win, we picked up no injuries and we are ready to go for Wallace.

“The key to cup rugby is getting the win and getting through, having a fully fledged performance at that stage is probably not the time to have it; we just want to keep getting better as the competition goes on,” he added.

“We’re looking forward to Wallace, we played them at Christmas and they beat us 13-9, but we didn’t have our Irish training camp scrum half Clark Logan playing for us – he comes back into the fray for selection and there will be a couple of guys returning that didn’t play in that game.

“Wallace are very well organised under Derek (Suffern) and we’ll be expecting no different this weekend, they will be favourites at home but we have a good side ourselves and we’ll go into the game with confidence.

“We are injury free and we can just go and express ourselves. I’ve told the boys to enjoy this week the preparation and the build up and no stone unturned to go and give it our best shot, and if we do that we’ll not be far away but it is going to be a tough battle against Wallace,” said Boyd.

“They are two good sides so it should be a good game of rugby and [the winner will be] whoever makes the least mistakes on the day and handles the occasion.”

A win in Lisburn would mean a semi-final at Kingspan Stadium, which has been a big target for Coleraine this year.

“We sat down at the start of the season and said ‘we’d love a trip to Ravenhill with this group’. Our upper sixth group in particular have been very strong all the way through school.

“Our target was to get to a semi-final, we have been taking it one game at a time, we knew Limavady was going to be a challenge and Wallace is going to be a massive step up and a massive challenge for us, so it is an opportunity for both schools to get to the last four.

“We’ll give it our best shot to try and to get into the last four and make a wee bit of history for Coleraine Grammar.”

Quarter final draw: RBAI v Dromore 10.30am; Wallace HS v Coleraine GS 11.00am; Sullivan v Campbell College 10.30am; RS Dungannon v Methodist College 10.30am.