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This Sunday, 24th March sees the next round of Bank of Ireland Club and Schools finals in Dexcom Stadium. The Junior Plate Final will take place at 1:00 PM followed by the Junior Cup Final at 3:30 PM.
The first final of the day is the Bank of Ireland Junior Plate Final which will see Tuam RFC take on Sligo Rugby. These two teams have yet to face each other this season. Tuam narrowly missed out on a Junior Cup qualifying place with a 19-14 loss against Castlebar RFC in the Round of 16. This loss meant they drew Galwegians RFC 2nds at home in their Plate Quarterfinal where they took their learnings from their Cup loss and came away with a definitive 20-0 win to see them into the Junior Plate Semi-Finals. Their Semi-Final saw them face Westport RFC in a rematch from the J1A League where Tuam narrowly won 28-26. Tuam once again came away with a hotly contested win against Westport where a 19-15 win sealed their place in the Junior Plate final at Dexcom Stadium. Sligo Rugby 2nds faced Buccaneers RFC 2nds in their Junior Cup Round of 16 match where they fell just short with a 17-6 defeat to the away side. Their Junior Plate Quarterfinal saw Loughrea RFC travel to Hamilton Park to face the Sligo Rugby side in a thriller of a match where Sligo eventually came away with a 19-15 win. Sligo then went on to face a strong Monivea RFC side in their home Junior Plate Semi-Final where they claimed the victory with a 23-17 win seeing them into the Junior Plate Final at Dexcom Stadium this Sunday. Sure to be an electric atmosphere, this match is not to be missed. The Bank of Ireland Junior Plate Final is at 1:00 PM on Sun, 24th March in Dexcom Stadium.
The second, and last, final of the day will see Connemara RFC take on first time finalists Dunmore RFC in the Bank of Ireland Junior Cup Final. Connemara RFC have had a strong season up until now, topping the Bank of Ireland J1A League table and only loosing the final in Dexcom against Creggs RFC by 3 points. An impressive side, it was no surprise to see the All-Blacks name in the Junior Cup final. In their Junior Cup campaign, they beat Galwegians 2nds convincingly before facing their season rivals Creggs RFC where they came away with a 28-18 win at home in their Cup Quarter-Final. This drew them Castlebar RFC in their home Semi-Final which was sure to be a good contest. Connemara claimed the victory 31-17 to see them through to the Junior Cup Final and second finals appearance in Dexcom Stadium this season. Dunmore RFC will be greatly up for the challenge of facing the Connemara side and will be sure to bring the energy within the team and their supporters on this momentous occasion. Their first ever Junior Cup Final, Dunmore RFC have impressed this season, especially in the Junior Cup. Having come 4th in the J1A League after wins against University of Galway RFC and Castlebar RFC in the 4th place playoff. Their losses in the league were close, and Dunmore have only strengthened themselves since. In the Junior Cup, Dunmore faced Westport RFC in their Round of 16, winning 33-18 and then drew old rivals University of Galway in their Quarterfinal where Dunmore took the 19-7 win at home. Their Cup Semi-Final was away to J1B League winners Buccaneers 2nds, but this didn’t deter the Dunmore side as they took the 36-5 win. Dunmore and Connemara met in the 7th Round of the J1A League where Connemara sealed the win 36-20, and this Sunday’s final is sure to be closely contested as Dunmore have only improved as a team since. The Bank of Ireland Junior Cup Final is at 3:30 PM on Sun, 24th March in Dexcom Stadium. The Junior Cup will be live streamed by StreamSport with commentary by Galway Bay FM. Find more information and purchase the stream here.
Fans are encouraged to buy their tickets in advance as all 2024 finals will be cashless. Tickets can be purchased here.
Match Day Programme can be found here.
