Irish Colleges Interprovincial Final
Ulster Colleges play Leinster Colleges in the Irish Colleges Treasury Holdings Interprovincial Final on Wednesday at Monkstown Rugby Club, Sydney Parade, Dublin 4, Kick-off; 2pm.
Leinster will be going for their third title in a row while Ulster will be hoping to win their first Inter Provincial Final. Leinster defeated Munster in last years final and will have many players with experience again in their squad in this years final and would rate favourites going into the final.
Ulster had a good victory over Connacht in their Inter Provincial Semi Final played in Enniskillen at the beginning of November and Leinster had a comprehensive victory over Munster in the other Semi Final played in Dublin. The Leinster Team are coached by Eoin Hogan who has led Leinster to victory for the last two years. Chris Galway from the University of Ulster is coaching Ulster for the last three years and he is confident of success this season. Chris is also forwards coach with the Irish Colleges Team while Eoin helps out with the Irish backs.
The Ulster team is captained by Andrew Kerr of UUJ and Rainey and has a number of AIB League players including UUJ students Alan Smyth and Peter Budina of Ballymena and Josh Devitt from Malone they are all backs. There is experience in the forwards with Belfast Metropolitan College student Chris Napier who plays his club rugby with Ballynahinch and has played with the Irish Colleges for the last couple of years. Matthew Irvine, Ali Birch and Tom Patton all of UUJ and Banbridge, Dungannon and Queens respectively will bring quality to a very strong Ulster pack.
The City of Derry half back pairing of Andrew Semple and Mark O’Connor will bring that unbeaten attitude to Ulster along with fellow Derry player David Fuston in the centre who was most impressive in that Inter Pro Semi Final against Connaught. The three players are all at UUJ and they will have fellow Derry and North West Regional College player Stephen Brennan in the Squad to make a quartet of City of Derry players. John O’Loan Manager with the Ulster Colleges said “this is the best squad of players we have ever had in my time with the colleges. I will be disappointed if we don’t win the Interprovincial series for the first time”.