Schools' Cup agony for Coleraine Grammar

Inst turned it on in front of their own supporters on Saturday morning by putting the local lads to the sword in a four-try to nil display which was notable for its ruthless efficiency.

It was a disappointing day for Head Coach Richard Boyd who felt his side didn’t turn up.

“We’re extremely disappointed,” he said afterwards..

“We always knew it would be a huge challenge and they were very strong and didn’t allow us any momentum in the game and facing that wind (in the first-half) we had to stay in touch to give ourselves a chance.

“We didn’t really turn up and we didn’t really get any ball from our set-piece and they made it very hard.

“We’re now in the Subsidiary Shield so we’ll see how we go,” Boyd stated while also pointing out that a considerable number of his players will be back next year.

The Belfast Inst team started strongly and took an early lead in the game when their impressive flanker, Charlie Cloke, was on the end of a well-organised driven maul and finished off with a try.

The conversion attempt was missed but the Belfast Inst team had a 5-0 lead.

Midway through the first half a loose Coleraine clearance kick was picked up by Ben McGavock. Ben counter attacked to good effect, linked with his captain, Conor Field, who outpaced the Coleraine defence to run in for a try.

Again, the conversion attempt was unsuccessful but the Belfast Inst lead had extended to 10-0. Just before the break James Hume converted a penalty kick to put the Belfast team into a 13-0 lead at halftime.

Coleraine started the second half strongly and reduced their deficit to 13-3 when Callum Smith was successful with a penalty kick following a Belfast Inst infringement.

The Inst team then took control of both territory and possession and mounted a series of attacks.

Initially good Coleraine GS defence thwarted these attacks but there was little they could do to prevent Conor Field running in for his second try of the morning when he finished off a flowing Belfast Inst attack.

James Hume was successful with the conversion and the Belfast Inst lead had extended to 20-3. The final score of the game came when Man of the Match Charlie Cloke sent prop forward, John Dickson, away on a great run.

John off loaded to David Lyttle who was running a great support line. David took full advantage and finished off with an unconverted try to secure the 25-3 win for the Royal Belfast Academical Institution team at the end of this third Round Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup game.

After witnessing his side score four impressive tries while also managing to keep their own line intact, Inst head coach Soper admitted: “The way they went about winning that game was very professional.

“There was nothing over extravagant about what we did. It was reasonably well-disciplined and the things which stood out for me were the kick-chase and how we fielded their kicks compared to how they coped with ours.

“I also thought our lineout took just about any opportunity away from them.

“We knew if we dominated the lineouts and scrums we wouldn’t give them a platform to play from as they have some pretty dangerous backs.”

Coleraine now travel again for the Shield quarter-final but not that far as they meet Foyle College.

Elsewhere Dalriada host Bangor Grammar in the otherSchools Cup quarter-final after the Ballymoney school won at Foyle College with Bangor doing likewise at Ballyclare High School.

Meanwhile, Coleraine Grammar School Medallion XV defeated a much vaunted Banbridge Academy XV 36-5 in the 4th Round of the Medallion Shield.

Coleraine dominated proceedings from start to finish. They scored 18 points in the first 20 minutes to dent any hopes the visitors had. Tries from Connor Potts, Captain Daniel McConaghie and Pierce Crowe helped the home side progress to the 1/4 Final stage of the main draw.

CGS now face tough match away to BRA next week but coaches Richard Beggs and Mark Palmer are quietly confident that their young side can avenge a defeat suffered at the hands of the North Belfast lads earlier in the season.