Energia All-Ireland Men’s Junior Cup Final Preview: Bective Rangers v Enniskillen

ENERGIA ALL-IRELAND MEN’S JUNIOR CUP FINAL:

Saturday, January 25 –

BECTIVE RANGERS v ENNISKILLEN, Ashbourne RFC, 2.30pm (live on irishrugby+)

Energia Junior Cup Titles – Bective Rangers: 0; Enniskillen: 0; Previous Final Appearances – Bective Rangers: 1 (2024 Runners-up); Enniskillen: 1 (2023 Runners-up)

Energia Junior Cup 2024/25 Top Scorers – Bective Rangers: Points: Mikey O’Hare 29; Tries: Mikey O’Hare, Tiarnan McCloskey 2 each; Enniskillen: Points: Eddie Keys 58; Tries: Sam Balfour 4

Previous Energia Junior Cup Finals –

2006 – Rainey Old Boys 27 Youghal 5
2007 – Coleraine 15 Seapoint 47
2008 – Navan 20 Tullamore 6
2009 – Navan 13 Tullamore 23
2010 – City of Armagh 17 City of Derry 19
2011 – Monivea 9 Crosshaven 17
2012 – Monivea 3 Tullamore 9
2013 – Enniscorthy 10 Tullamore 29
2014 – Clogher Valley 9 Enniscorthy 10
2015 – Bangor 5 Dundalk 55
2016 – Enniscorthy 23 Instonians 7
2017 – Ashbourne 22 Enniscorthy 20
2018 – Ashbourne 18 Kilfeacle & District 9
2019 – Ashbourne 16 Enniscorthy 11
2020 – Dromore 24 Kilfeacle & District 28
2021 – Competition cancelled due to Covid-19
2022 – Ballyclare 11 Clogher Valley 13
2023 – Clogher Valley 30 Enniskillen 18
2024 – Ballyclare 48 Bective Rangers 8

Pre-Match Quotes – Ben Kealy (Bective Rangers): “One of the good things this year is that we’ve had little or no injuries, although unfortunately Tiarnan (McCloskey) is out for Saturday. He broke his hand against Athy, but we still have really good cover.

“Mattie (Keane) actually missed the final last year because he broke his leg in January, so it’s good for him to be back and captaining the side this time as well. We’re just focused on Saturday, we’re focused on Enniskillen.

“It could be a bounce of the ball in it. Hopefully it’s a good and entertaining game. I think it will be. If they like to play the ball and throw it around, we do too. I think it’s going to be an interesting battle.

“They’ve got a good team, and they’re also performing really well in Ulster. Win, lose, or draw, we will still push on to try and win the Leinster League. But the icing on the cake now would be just to take that trophy back to Donnybrook on Saturday evening.”

James Ferguson (Enniskillen): “With the last few years, we’ve had a wee bit of silverware (including winning the Towns Cup last year), but before that it’s not something that comes to us every season, and we do take it very seriously.

“That’s significant. It would be significant to win this, obviously, and even to compete in the final. You’ve no divine right to get to these finals, same as Bective.

“They’ve obviously had to work hard to do so, and were here in the final last year (against Ballyclare). So whilst it is significant, it is just another game. We don’t want to be overwhelmed by it either, we’re just looking forward to it, and I think that is the main thing.”

Paths To The Final –

BECTIVE RANGERS:

First Round
– won 43-30 v Mallow away

Quarter-Final
– won 50-27 v Connemara home

Semi-Final
– won 11-7 v Dromore away

ENNISKILLEN:

First Round
– won 63-7 v Tuam home

Quarter-Final
– won 26-18 v Cooke home

Semi-Final
– won 56-26 v Tullow away

Preview: It is Leinster against Ulster in the Energia All-Ireland Men’s Junior Cup final for the second year running. Bective Rangers are bidding to banish memories of last season’s 48-8 defeat to an impressive Ballyclare who went on to earn promotion to the All-Ireland League.

For Enniskillen, this is their second final appearance in three years after losing 30-18 to Clogher Valley in the 2023 decider. Both clubs evidently learned plenty from those disappointments on the big day, and today’s eagerly-awaited clash presents a shot at history and redemption.

Fittingly, the 2025 final will be hosted by Ashbourne Rugby Club, who famously achieved a Junior Cup three-in-a-row between 2017 and 2019. The Milltown Road venue is sure to draw a big crowd with new champions set to be crowned in an exciting conclusion to the competition.

Looking at their league form, Bective and Enniskillen actually have identical records to date with 10 wins and only one loss each. Last month Skins were beaten 21-19 by Dromore, the team that Bective knocked out of the Junior Cup a week later with a hard-fought 11-8 semi-final victory.

Whether much can be read into those two results remains to be seen, but there is no doubt that the finalists are undoubtedly the best two teams in this season’s competition, scoring 36 tries between them and conceding 16.

This is Alastair Keys’ second season in charge of Enniskillen – they won the Towns Cup against Ballymena seconds last April – and there is a big family connection with his four sons, Angus, Henry, Eddie, and Connor, all involved. Three of them are starting today, and Connor is the backs coach.

Out-half Eddie has been their scoring star in the Junior Cup with 58 points, including three tries and 20 successful kicks at goal. Winger Sam Balfour is one to watch too, following his hat-trick of tries against Tuam and a fourth of the cup run in their runaway semi-final triumph in Tullow.

Captained by centre James Ferguson, Enniskillen warmed up for their trip to Ashbourne with a 31-7 bonus point success against Ballymoney last Saturday. At the same time, Bective were piling on the points at home to Ashbourne, dominating from start to finish in a 14-try win (88-5).

Influential hooker Niall Keenan, flanker Angus Keys, and centres Ferguson and Daire Hill all return to Skins’ starting XV today. Bective’s selected team shows just two changes to the side that played Ashbourne, with Mikey O’Hare and Bobby Holland slotting back into the back-line.

Rangers captain Tiarnan McCloskey is unfortunately ruled out with a broken hand, so fellow back rower Mattie Keane, who missed last year’s final due to a broken leg, will step in as skipper.

Taking the reins from Bernard Jackman, Australian Ben Manion has guided Bective through to a second successive All-Ireland Junior Cup final and to the top of Leinster League Division 1A with three rounds remaining. Former Leinster player Rory O’Loughlin is their backs coach.

Goal-kicking winger O’Hare has emerged as their top scorer in the Junior Cup with 29 points – including two tries – in two games. Manion’s men already played in Ashbourne earlier this season, winning a league fixture (29-7), and have managed to remain unbeaten since losing to Wicklow back in September.

IrishRugby.ie Prediction: Enniskillen to win

BECTIVE RANGERS: Tim Carroll; Mikey O’Hare, Bobby Holland, Matthew Gilsenan, Craig Cantwell; Oliver Foote, Connor Halpenny; Rory Mulvihill, Scott Barron, Conor Kelly, Gavin Kelly, Ger Warde, James Gallagher, Mattie Keane (capt), Jamie Lawless.

Replacements: Luke Mion, David Kealy, Tadhg O’Dwyer, Donagh Lawler, Ronan Cregan, Maxime Alric, Shane O’Meara, Conor Murphy.

ENNISKILLEN: George Foster; Sam Balfour, James Ferguson (capt), Daire Hill, James Trotter; Eddie Keys, Matthew Dane; Oisin Timoney, Niall Keenan, Matthew Graham, Jack Rutledge, Neil Rutledge, Michael Rooney, Angus Keys, Henry Keys.

Replacements: Steven Fox, James Carleton, Cameron Smith, Chris Balfour, Harry Dane, Tadhg Hambly, Ben McLaren, Tim Harte.

Referee: Tomás O’Sullivan (IRFU)