Bank of Ireland Club Finals Preview

12 April 2024

Bank of Ireland Club Finals Preview

This Sunday, 14th April sees the next round of Bank of Ireland Club and Schools finals in Dexcom Stadium with the Youth Girls Cup Finals. The U16 Girls’ Cup Final will take place at 11:00 AM followed by the U14 Girls’ Cup Final at 1:00 PM and the U18 Girls’ Cup Final at 2:30 PM.

The first final of the day is the Bank of Ireland u16 Girl’s Cup Final which will see Ballinasloe RFC take on Westport RFC. For some of these players, this match-up will be familiar as the two clubs faced each other in the Bank of Ireland U14 Girls’ Cup Final last year at Dexcom Stadium. In that instance, Ballinasloe came away with a 3-point win. Both teams have had impressive performances this year. Ballinasloe recorded no losses during their U16 League campaign and only 1 draw against Westport in Round 6 of the competition. Topping the table, they progressed to the League final in Dexcom Stadium after beating Creggs RFC 35-14 in their home semi-final. The Ballinasloe side ended their league final against Ballina RFC in a draw, meaning that whoever scored the first try won the match which was Ballina on this occasion. Driven by this, Ballinasloe came back firing in the Cup competition holding a clean record and overcoming Ballina in their thrilling semi-final rematch with a 38-33 scoreline to secure their place in the final this coming Sunday. Westport RFC only lost to Ballina in Round 7 of their league campaign as well as in the semi-final in two close contests but recorded brilliant wins against Tuam/Oughterard Colts and Sligo RFC along with a draw against Ballinasloe. In the Cup Campaign, Westport continued to grow and recorded wins over Claremorris RFC and Buccaneers RFC in Pool C meaning they faced Creggs once again in their Semi-Final. Creggs gave them a strong contest, but Westport eventually secured the win with a scoreline of 10-7. These two teams will be more than ready to face off this Sunday, so be sure to get your ticket. The Bank of Ireland U16 Girls’ Cup Final is at 11:00 AM on Sun, 14th April in Dexcom Stadium.

The second final of the day will see Ballinasloe RFC take on Tuam/Oughterard RFC in the Bank of Ireland U14 Girls’ Cup Final. Winners of last year’s U14 Girls’ Cup final, Ballinasloe will be looking to defend their title against a strong Tuam/Oughterard side. In their Cup campaign, Ballinasloe claimed victories over Castlebar RFC and Westport RFC, seeing them face off against and impressive Dunmore RFC in their home Semi-Final. A thrilling contest, the game ended in a draw with the winner decided over who scored the first try meaning that Ballinasloe will face Tuam/Oughterard in the final this Sunday. Tuam/Oughterard also stormed through their Cup campaign and into the Semi-Final where they faced Creggs RFC at home. A decisive win, they came away with an impressive 27-14 win. Two very exciting young teams who are sure to show amazing displays of rugby, Sunday’s final is a game not to be missed. The Bank of Ireland U14 Girls’ Cup Final is at 1:00 PM on Sun, 14th April in Dexcom Stadium.  

The third, and last, final of the day will see Ballina RFC take on last year’s U18 Cup winners Tuam/Oughterard RFC in the Bank of Ireland U18 Girls’ Cup Final. These two teams faced off in the U16 Girls’ Plate Final last year when Ballina came away with a 14-10 win so are no strangers to each other. Both Ballina and Tuam/Oughterard had a few losses in their League campaign this season with both falling just short in their Semi-Finals. However, they both came back strong in their Cup Campaigns with clean sheets. Ballina claimed the victories against Claremorris RFC, Buccaneers RFC, and Ballinrobe RFC seeing them into an away Semi-Final against a strong Creggs RFC team. After a thrilling game of rugby, Ballina came away with a 28-19 win seeing them into the final this Sunday. Tuam/Oughterard also progressed through their Cup campaign without a loss, seeing wins over Corrib RFC, Corinthians RFC, and then Westport RFC in their home Semi-Final. This is sure to be a fabulous game of rugby by the two sides in what will be a hotly contested final. The Bank of Ireland U14 Girls’ Cup Final is at 2:30 PM on Sun, 14th April in Dexcom Stadium.  

Fans are encouraged to buy their tickets in advance as all 2024 finals will be cashless. Tickets can be purchased here.