Bank of Ireland Club Finals Preview

This Sunday, 20th April sees an electric triple-header in Creggs RFC starting with the Bank of Ireland U14 Boys Cup Final at 11:00 AM followed by the Bank of Ireland U16 Boys Cup Final at 12:30 PM and the Bank of Ireland U18.5 Boys Cup Final at 2:30 PM.

The first match in Sunday's triple-header is the Bank of Ireland U14 Boys Cup Final at 11:00 AM which will see last year's U13s Champions Carrick-on-Shannon RFC face off against Cup Final newcomers Galway Bay RFC. In a historic marker for the club, Galway Bay will be sending their first team in club history to a Bank of Ireland Cup Final. Galway Bay were able to field two teams in the Bank of Ireland U14 League and while they faced a few tough clashes, they never gave up with their Galway Bay Red team recording wins over Buccaneers Black, Corinthians Black, and Ballina RFC. They met Carrick-on-Shannon in round 8 of the League where Carrick-on-Shannon took the victory 31-12. Galway Bay only got stronger as they recorded a clean win record in their Cup campaign seeing them face Loughrea RFC in their Cup Semi-Final where they got a decisive win, meaning they had claimed their first ever Cup Final spot. Carrick-on-Shannon have proven to be an impressive side, topping the U14 League table. They fell 19-17 in a thrilling League final against Creggs RFC which pushed them even more into their Cup campaign where they had a clean win record. Facing Creggs again in their Cup Semi-Final, they made no mistake in sealing their place in the final with a 19-11 win. It's either team's cup to win and it should be an incredible final with two young and exciting teams involved. The Bank of Ireland U14 Boys Cup Final is at 11:00 AM on Sun, 20th April in Creggs RFC.

The first of a Buccaneers RFC vs Corinthians RFC double-header is the Bank of Ireland U16 Boys Cup Final where double U16 Champions Buccaneers will face a Corinthians team comprised of some of the Bank of Ireland U14 winning team from 2023. These two clubs faced off in the 2022 U16 Cup Final in Dexcom Stadium which ended in a 22-22 draw and eventually went to a replay where Corinthians came out on top 19-11, showing how evenly matched the sides are. This year will not disappoint either with each team boasting an incredibly strong season to date. The two sides finished 1st and 2nd on the League table and faced off in the League final which also ended in a 10-10 draw after which Corinthians Black were the eventual replay winners. In the Bank of Ireland U16 Cup, the two sides topped their respective pools which saw Buccaneers face Ballina at home and Corinthians face Dunmore also at home. Both Buccaneers and Corinthians produced wins and claim their spots in the Bank of Ireland U16 Cup Final. Sure to be another epic rematch against the two sides, this final is not to be missed. The Bank of Ireland U16 Boys Cup Final is at 12:30 PM on Sun, 20th April in Creggs RFC.

The last final of the day is the Bank of Ireland U18.5 Boys Cup Final which will also see a Buccaneers RFC and Corinthians RFC match-up this Sunday. No strangers to the Bank of Ireland U18.5 Boys Cup final, Buccaneers were last year's U18.5 Cup winners while Corinthians last won the trophy in 2022, so both sides will be looking to take the trophy home. Buccaneers got off to a slow start in the Bank of Ireland U18.5 League and just missed out on a Semi-Final spot. However, they recorded a big win against Castlebar RFC in their Seeding Play-Off match. They continued this momentum into the Bank of Ireland U18.5 Cup where they won both their pool matches and stormed into a place in the Cup final with a win over Castlebar/Westport in their Cup Semi-Final match. Corinthians secured a spot in the U18.5 League Semi-Final with a clean win record, but their path to the final on this occasion was halted by a strong Sligo Rugby performance. This didn't deter them as they once again proved their skill with two wins in their Cup Pool. This saw them face Ballina RFC in a home Cup Semi-Final where they clinched their Bank of Ireland U18.5 Cup Final spot with a 27-7 scoreline. Both sides will be ready to face off on the pitch in what will be a thrilling encounter. The Bank of Ireland U18.5 Boys Cup Final is at 2:30 PM on Sun, 20th April in Creggs RFC.

Fans are encouraged to buy their tickets in advance as all 2025 finals will be cashless. Tickets can be purchased here.

The Digital Match Day Programme can be found here.

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