CITY OF
RUGBY CLUB
SEASON REVIEW 2019 - 2020
PRODUCED BY EVAN MORTON
www.cityofarmaghrfc.com
Chairman’s Report The 2009‐20 season will be forever remembered as the one when rugby, like almost everything else, was closed down by COVID19. Yet, for our members it is one which should be remembered for the continuation of the high status held in Irish club rugby, by City of Armagh RFC. Reflecting over the past decade, we remember that in 2009‐2010, our First XV was competing in the Qualifying League, finishing runners up in Ulster and reaching the All Ireland Junior Cup Final. A decade later, our status as a first Division AIL club is now four divisions higher and for three years in a row, as well as winning the Ulster Senior Cup, the First XV has competed in the semi‐final or final of the All Ireland Bateman Cup. Our club has much to celebrate. Our rugby director, coaches and players at all levels are to be congratulated. They have delivered so many great moments, giving great pride to all associated with rugby in Armagh. One moment in particular captivated so much of what our club is about. Recorded in a photograph following the recent Ulster Senior Cup final, it shows our Under 18 head coach, Antoine Finn with five of the winning team that were playing U18 rugby three years ago. They are the product of the mini and youth sections of our club, illustrating the importance of and the ability to produce our own stars. To help achieve this, we will continue to enhance the close integration of all sections of our club from mini to youth, to the adult game. Such success on the field of play is only possible if it is matched by the commitment of a strong team off it. Prudent finance keeping the club in the black, the striving to build more finance to support the extra demands we face today, maintaining our clubhouse and grounds and the importance of child protection & welfare; all these areas require hard working alickadoos. In addition we continue with our development plans and hope to make a start in the near future on phase one of the clubhouse redevelopment. It is impossible in a short introduction like this to thank everyone, but I wish to thank all of our club members who give us their passionate support. As a community club, the coronavirus crisis has thrown up many issues. It has been important to keep the club functioning and to keep in touch with our members and friends and indeed, our involvement with society at large. Our President, James Scott was first to put his hand up to be involved in this work, quickly followed, it is pleasing to say, by non‐playing members and players from across all levels of the club. Particular thanks must go to Evan Morton and Philip Turbit who established an action plan for the club to give structure at this time. One discovery from their work is the need for us to update our membership data and we will look to address this moving forward. It should be recorded that our senior vice‐president, Paul Johnston has been working throughout the year drawing up a five year plan for our club. The completed plan has now been presented to the executive committee, as we seek to prepare for a time when rugby will return again, as it surely will. And so we continue, striving hard to retain the status that has been so hard won.
John Callaghan, Club Chairman
ROYAL VISIT
HRH, Prince Charles was a special visitor to Armagh in May 2019 to mark the close collaboration between rugby and GAA in the city. Representatives of City of Armagh RFC were invited to a reception at the Palace to meet the prince along with Ireland captain, Rory Best and GAA officials.
TARANTO SPONSORSHIP
TARANTO RENEW PRINCIPAL SPONSORSHIP DEAL AT THE PALACE GROUNDS The 2019-2020 season began with City of Armagh RFC announcing that principal club sponsor, Taranto, had extended their sponsorship deal for a further three years. The Tandragee based company are concrete and piling specialists, with clients across the UK and Ireland. At a reception hosted by the rugby club, Taranto Director, Niall Woods spoke about the club’s unprecedented success on the rugby pitch at all levels since his company came on board in 2016. “Taranto is delighted to extend our main sponsorship package with City of Armagh RFC, a true community club, with core values of inclusivity and team spirit. We look forward to being partners across the whole club for the next three seasons.” Club Chairman, John Callaghan, spoke of the club’s gratitude to Taranto for becoming principal sponsors and the three seasons just past had been truly memorable. “Sponsors are the life blood of every sports club and the increased commitment announced by Taranto for three further seasons is fantastic news for our club. The support of local businesses such as Taranto will be invaluable as we continue our development plans both on and off the pitch”.
First XV City of Armagh First XV commenced their 2019-20 season in August with a trip to City of Derry for a SONI Ulster League fixture. Finding themselves in section 2 of the league allowed the Armagh coaching team to field experimental sides in these opening games and a 7-24 victory gave the visitors a bonus point win to kick off the season. The following week saw Armagh start their defence of the Bank of Ireland Ulster Senior Cup and a home draw against Banbridge was a very tough opening fixture. Following a tight derby encounter, it was the cup holders who prevailed 10-3, with outhalf, Harry Boyd scoring all the Armagh points in the second half with a try, conversion and a penalty. Next up for Armagh was a visit to the Palace Grounds by Omagh Accies in the SONI League. The home side cruised to a 35-7 lead on 60 minutes, but a determined fightback by the visitors saw them score 4 tries in the final 20 minutes as the home side emptied their bench. The final score was 40-31 in a match that kept the crowd entertained. The next round of the Senior Cup saw Armagh drawn away to City of Derry, so for the second time in four weeks, it was back up to the Maiden City. This time the result was more emphatic, with Robert Whitten’s side scoring six tries to win 5-37. The holders had now advanced to the semi-final stage but the cup draw threw up a tricky encounter, away to the in form Rainey Old Boys and a match that would take place in mid-January. Last season’s runners up, Ballymena, had been surprisingly beaten by Dungannon and the other semi-final would see the Tyrone side travel to play favourites, Ballynahinch. September came to a close with another SONI Ulster League match, away at Bangor and Willie Faloon’s side showed no mercy in romping to a 7-50 point win. The Ulster League now took a break until Christmas with City of Armagh topping the table with three bonus point wins.
October saw the much anticipated arrival of the All Ireland League with new sponsors, Energia on board. Armagh’s first fixture would be at the Palace Grounds with Naas the visitors. The home side put in a lacklustre performance in difficult wet conditions, but 13 unanswered points in the second half saw the orchard county side come through to win 13-7 and gain 4 valuable league points. Hooker, Andrew Smyth scored the crucial try, converted by Cormac Fox who added two penalties to complete the scoring. Next up for Armagh was a trip to Dublin to play St Marys College at Templeville Road, the venue for the epic Bateman Cup final from the previous season. Two tries for the home side saw St Marys leading 14-3 after the boot of Cormac Fox had edged Armagh in front. On the stroke of halftime however, a Chris Colvin break sent Andrew Willis in for a converted try and the visitors turned around trailing 14-10, but set to play ‘up the hill’. The side got off to a perfect restart with Tim McNeice and Robert Whitten combining to send Neil Faloon over for a converted try and a 14-17 lead. Fox extended Armagh’s lead with a penalty midway through the second period and the remainder of the match saw the visitor’s superb defence hold out against everything St Mary’s threw at them for a moral boosting win and two victories on the trot.
Unbeaten Old Belvedere were the next visitors to the Palace Grounds and the much fancied outfit denied the home side a bonus point win in a pulsating game when they converted a penalty with the last kick of the match to win 26-28. Against the run of play, Armagh took the lead with a Shea O’Brien try on 15 minutes. Andy Willis scored a second Armagh try but Belvedere were in front 12-13 at the interval. The visitors then stretched their lead to 12-20 with a Jack Keating try. A great individual try by Willis had Armagh just a point behind but Belvedere showed their clinical edge with a further score and a 19-25 lead. In an outstanding game of entertaining rugby, Armagh rallied a final time and Andrew Smyth crossed from close range for Fox to convert superbly. Alas Armagh failed to close out the match in the final minutes, turning over possession and that last gasp penalty saw the five points head back to Dublin. Despite this setback, City of Armagh had 10 points from their opening three games. Following the Rugby World Cup Final that morning, Armagh’s next fixture was at Navan who found themselves at the foot of the league table. In horrendous wet conditions, there would be no free-flowing rugby from the week before. Instead, Armagh put in a workmanlike performance winning 0-19 without any bonus points. South African, JJ Scheepers made his team debut and made his physical presence felt. Two penalties from Cormac Fox was the difference between the sides at the half time break. Two further penalties saw Armagh stretch their lead to 0-12 and Alex Johnston came off the bench to make his team debut at scrum half. A penalty try to Armagh in the final minute completed the scoring and this win saw City of Armagh climb to third place in the league table.
Moving into November and Armagh faced a tough away match at Shannon on the back pitch at Thomond Park. Despite getting on the scoreboard first through a Shea O’Brien converted try, it was the Munster side that prevailed, capitalising on errors by the visitors to win 26-14. Shannon scored three tries in a calamitous 10 minutes before halftime and the visitors had too much to overcome despite a second try courtesy of team captain, Robert Whitten. A lack of even a losing bonus point was a disappointment on the long road home from Limerick. League contenders, Old Wesley travelled north to play City of Armagh in mid-November. No one would have predicted the home side would collapse and the Dublin side ran riot to win 13-40. Remarkably, the halftime score was only 3-12 to the visitors, but in a second half to forget, Wesley scored almost at will, with a dismal defensive showing by the home side. Armagh’s points came from a Shea O’Brien try and the boot of Cormac Fox. Armagh’s heaviest defeat for years was one the coaching team wanted to erase as quickly as possible but up next for the squad was a trip to Cork to play league leaders and undefeated, Highfield. The Armagh side bounced back to put in a great performance down at Highfield. On sixty minutes, the match was tied at 13 all, with Cormac Fox scoring a try and kicking two penalties. A great defensive effort thwarted Highfield on their home patch and a penalty to the home side would mean a losing bonus point for the visitors. Unfortunately all the good work was undone in the last 10 minutes with Highfield getting a late try to send Armagh home pointless with a final scoreline of 21-13. A much improved performance however was a positive outcome to take away for the orchard county side. Moving into December and two Ulster derbies would prove crucial as Armagh had slipped down the league table following three defeats in a row.
First up was Malone at the Palace Grounds and the visitors got off to a perfect start when Stuart Moore was first on the scoreboard. Barry Finn then touched down following a great forward drive, but a second Malone try had them ahead 5-14. Just before the break, Andrew Smyth touched down following another driving maul and the interval arrived with Malone in front 10-14. A superb try early in the second half by Josh Morton edged Armagh ahead 15-14. Two Milligan penalties then put Malone back into the lead at 15-20. Armagh’s lineout maul had been superb all day and when Malone collapsed another drive, the referee awarded a penalty try which was the decisive score for Armagh to win the match 22-20.
The final AIL match before Christmas was a short trip to Rifle Park and for the second time in a matter of weeks, Armagh under-performed and suffered a heavy defeat. A fierce wind dictated play all day and when Banbridge won the toss, they were in the driving seat from the start. Ironically, tries by Andrew Willis and Shea O’Brien had helped Armagh in to a 10-18 halftime lead. In a one sided second half, Banbridge used the elements perfectly to score 33 unanswered points to send Armagh home once again empty handed and the Christmas break arrived with City of Armagh sitting precariously in 8th position in the league table. Armagh’s pre-Christmas SONI League match at Belfast Harlequins was postponed due to a water-logged pitch so the next fixture was the local derby with Dungannon in the same competition on December 28th. The Armagh coaching team had a dilemma however with two cup semi-finals coming up in the following three weeks and a gamble was taken to play essentially a second xv against Dungannon to rest the front line players. A penalty try and scores by Mervyn Brown and Glenn Faloon gave Armagh a comfortable 19-7 halftime lead. A solitary try for Dungannon was the only score of a scrappy second half and the final score was 19-14, keeping Armagh at the top of the SONI League table. James Morton marked another appearance for the club, setting a impressive personal record of twelve successive years of First XV rugby. 2020 arrived and the new year brought another Bateman Cup fixture for City of Armagh, as Ulster Senior Cup holders. This time however, a massive task lay ahead, playing Division 1A side Lansdowne on the 3G back pitch at the Aviva Stadium. As is customary, City of Armagh rose to the challenge and gave the home side the fright of their lives before going down gallantly, 20-17 with many supporters saying Armagh were robbed of a winning score in the last minute. Leinster academy hooker, Dan Sheehan scored two first half tries while Armagh picked up two yellow cards in the first half. A try by JJ Scheepers and a penalty from Cormac Fox then brought Armagh back into the match at 13-10. The large away support were ecstatic when Gerard Treanor scored a converted try to put Armagh ahead with 6 minutes remaining on the clock. Lansdowne then used their experience to set up one final attack and from a lineout deep in Armagh territory, they created an overlap for Sheehan to cross for his hattrick of tries. Controversially, Armagh were denied a penalty try in injury time and a final scoreline of 20-17 saw the Dublin side progressing to the Bateman final and a meeting with Cork Constitution.
Just a week after their Bateman Cup heroics, City of Armagh faced a huge season-defining test, when Banbridge travelled to the Palace Grounds for the second of the ‘head to head’ games. A stop-start first half burst into life when Armagh scored two tries in five minutes before the interval. Shea O’Brien and Andrew Smyth got the touch downs and Armagh led 12-0 at the break. Banbridge scored an unconverted try with fifteen minutes of the match remaining, making the final quarter a very tense affair. The home side’s defence held out for a final scoreline of 12-5 and four valuable league points were secured. January 18th saw the much anticipated Ulster Senior Cup semi-final at Hatrick Park against Rainey Old Boys. The visitors found themselves 10-3 down before Josh Morton scored a try to start a fightback and the boot of Cormac Fox edged Armagh into a narrow 10-11 halftime lead. Rainey took the lead after the restart with a penalty but then the visitors took control of the match and scored 17 unanswered points. Tries by Whitten and Willis had Armagh leading 13-28 before Rainey scored a late consolation try to make the final result 18-28. City of Armagh remarkably were heading to their third successive Senior Cup Final. Their opponents would be Ballynahinch who had squeezed past Dungannon in the other semi-final. With cup exploits now parked until the final in March, action returned to the All-Ireland League and a tough fixture away to Malone. The home side were keen to continue their good form, aiming for a top 4 spot. The match on the day however was a revelation with Armagh completely dominating the game from start to finish to win 7-22 and securing a valuable bonus point. Tries from Timmy McNeice and Andrew Willis gave Armagh a 0-12 halftime lead with Malone fortunate not be further behind. Ten minutes into the second half and Willis scored his brace of tries to put the visitors ahead 0-17. An interception score from halfway gave Malone some hope at 7-17 but Armagh controlled possession and a final score by Shea O’Brien secured the bonus point win. The game saw James Hanna and Chris Colvin both make a return from injury and the whole team probably put in their best performance of the season to date. The league table continued to be very condensed but this win sent Armagh from eighth position to fifth.
The two week break for the Six Nations was followed by a tough schedule for the First XV with fixtures against three of the top four teams in the league. Highfield, the league leaders travelled to the Palace Grounds in mid-February. The home side put in a tremendous performance but the Cork side tied the match at 10-10 with 7 minutes remaining. They then scored at the death to snatch 4 points, winning 10-15 in arguably one of their toughest matches of the season. Weather conditions were atrocious and in a real physical encounter, a try by Peter Lamb gave the home side a 7-0 lead at the break. Fox edged Armagh ahead 10-0 before the visitors scored a converted try on 60 minutes leading to a tense final quarter. A late penalty tied the score before that heartbreak score which came from a freak turnover on half way and a 50 metre sprint to the line. Gutted with just a losing bonus point, the Armagh coaching team knew the team had dominated Highfield for 70 minutes and a similar performance would be needed the following week in Dublin against Old Wesley. The game on Donnybrook’s 3G pitch was played at a high tempo and the one sided result at Armagh was never going to be repeated. A bright start from Armagh saw them denied a penalty try and ironically as the match progressed, the home side were awarded two penalty tries due to their scrum dominance. Shea O’Brien scored a first half try to tie the match 7-7 at half time with the visitors defending heroically with a man in the sinbin. In the second half, Robert Whitten scored a really bizarre try to put Armagh ahead. The Wesley scrum half took a quick lineout and threw the ball to Robert who accepted the gift to touchdown from 2 metres. Wesley’s second penalty try put them back into the lead at 14-12 but Armagh had chances for a winning score. Unfortunately every time they got into Wesley territory, the referee found cause to penalise them and it was a frustrated Armagh side at the final whistle who knew they deserved much more from this match than a losing bonus point.
With two narrow defeats against the league’s top two teams, Armagh now faced Shannon who were on a four game winning streak and had just scored 50 points against Naas. The game at the Palace Grounds was another season defining match and none of the pundits had predicted City of Armagh would win 18-0 and keep Shannon scoreless. Not for the first time this season, weather conditions were horrendous at kick off. The home side were certainly fired up and were looking to put points on the board with a gale force wind behind them. Robert Whitten touched down for the opening try on 14 minutes and two penalties from Cormac Fox gave the home side a 13-0 lead at the interval. Many thought at halftime that wouldn’t be enough, but after the sides turned around, Armagh put in a heroic defensive effort for 40 minutes to seal the win. Indeed Armagh increased their lead when Neil Faloon scored from a lineout maul on 73 minutes and with Shannon losing their discipline, victory was to be Armagh’s. This result caused quite a stir and it was pleasing to see an outstanding performance reflected on the scoreboard. City of Armagh moved up to 6th place in the league table, four points from a promotion playoff and 7 points above the relegation playoff position. Crucially, Armagh’s four remaining matches were against the bottom four teams in the table, starting with basement side Navan on March 14th. Before then, the side had the important matter of a visit to the Kingspan Stadium for the Bank of Ireland Ulster Senior Cup Final.
The 2019-2020 Ulster Senior Cup Final, sponsored by Bank of Ireland, will long be remembered as one of the best and most exciting finals ever witnessed at the Kingspan Stadium. With ten tries and the lead changing five times, both teams are to be congratulated for a display of rugby that was a great advertisement for grass roots rugby in Ulster.
Friday 6th March 2020 will be an important date in the club’s history. On that evening the First XV won a third successive Ulster Senior Cup. It was also the last match the team were to play in the 2019-2020 season, when the COVID19 pandemic brought an abrupt end to all rugby across Ireland. To truly paint a picture of how remarkable the cup final match was, the full match report written by Evan Morton is reprinted.
It was City of Armagh that prevailed to win the Cup with a try in injury time by man of the match, Shea O’Brien, sealing an epic performance against pre-match favourites, Ballynahinch. It was the County Down side that kicked off in calm, near perfect conditions and Hinch got off to a dream start with a try after only three minutes. Aaron Cairns made a sniping run off the back of a scrum and number eight, Conall Boomer was up in support to burst through from 25 metres to touch down for the game’s opening try.
Outhalf Richard Hutley, was successful with the conversion for an early 0-7 lead. Three minutes later, City of Armagh were level, hinting that this was going to be a high scoring game. Ballynahinch were penalised for holding on and Cormac Fox drilled the ball into the Hinch 22. The Armagh pack set up a driving maul which was collapsed by the defending side. With a penalty advantage, Fox put in a crossfield kick which Timmy McNeice secured and scrum half Gerard Treanor then made a dart for the line to touch down for Armagh’s opening try. A great conversion from out wide by Fox had the match tied at 7 all with just under 10 minutes played. Ballynahinch responded by taking play deep into Armagh territory. Their forwards drove towards the Armagh line and when Cairns moved the ball left, there was a two man overlap and fullback Ross Adair strolled over for Hinch’s second try. Hutley struck an upright with his conversion attempt and the scoreline was now 14-12 at the end of the first quarter. Pete Lamb came on as a blood replacement for Armagh’s Paul Mullen who needed stitches in a head wound before returning. Another penalty to Armagh set up an attacking lineout maul on the Hinch 22. A big drive from the Orchard County side was well defended and Hinch won a penalty when Armagh moved the ball wide.
Armagh then had an attacking spell with Shea O’Brien cutting through the Hinch defence to set up a chance of a second score. Winger McNeice was then through for a try only for a forward pass to be called by the referee. Hinch then had a clearance kick charged down by Robert Whitten, resulting in a defensive lineout 2 metres from their line. Hinch and Ulster A hooker, Zac McCall’s throw was picked off by Armagh’s Josh McKinley and the big second row was unlucky not to score, with the ref deciding the ball was held up. From the 5 metre scrum, Armagh exerted real pressure and the Hinch scrum wheeled 180 degrees with referee Paul Martin no option but to award a penalty try. City of Armagh were now leading 14-7 on 17 minutes.
On 28 minutes Armagh got the squeeze on again in a scrum on the Hinch 10 metre line and a penalty was converted by Cormac Fox to edge Armagh further ahead, 17-12. Four minutes later, Hinch closed the gap to 17-15 with a Hutley penalty after Armagh’s O’Brien was penalised for holding on to the ball just outside his 22. Both sides then tested each other with box kicks before Armagh had a spell of possession and went through a few phases. A penalty was kicked up to the Hinch 22 but this time Armagh’s lineout malfunctioned and the Division 1A side worked play into the Armagh half with just 2 minutes to go till the break. Hinch then won a penalty which they kicked to touch and attacked from the lineout. With play on the Armagh 22, winger George Pringle burst through at pace to cross under the posts for a great try in added time. The conversion from Hutley saw Ballynahinch secure the advantage at the interval 17-22, after an entertaining first half.
City of Armagh kicked off but made a couple of errors in the opening minutes of the second period. The next score was going to be crucial and it went to Ballynahinch on 46 minutes. Paddy Wright made a burst into the Armagh 22 and Zac McCall, in support was stopped just 2 metres out. Marcus Rea then powered over the tryline for another Hinch try. The conversion attempt by Hutley saw the outhalf hit the post for the second time but Ballynahinch now looked the dominant side, leading 17-27. City of Armagh looked to get back into the game but they found the well organised Hinch defence hard to break down. Jack Treanor and James Hanna took to the field replacing Jonny Morton and Barry Finn and an Armagh penalty gave them territory inside the Hinch half. The Armagh backline moved the ball left and Chris Colvin made a lovely line break and fed winger Andrew Willis to run in for a try on 56 minutes. A fine conversion by Fox had Armagh back in the game at 24-27. Buoyed by this score, Armagh then put Hinch under pressure in their 22 with Nigel Simpson, James Hanna and Jack Treanor having strong carries. A promising attack was thwarted by a forward pass as Hinch looked to keep their defence intact. On 62 minutes, Hinch were penalised for holding on in the tackle and Armagh had an attacking lineout 10 metres out from the Hinch tryline. The Armagh pack looked to drive for the line and initially made progress before superb defence from Ballynahinch stopped the maul and won a turnover to clear the danger. Was this a turning point in the match? A Hinch penalty for offside then gave them an easy exit. Excitement levels for the neutral supporter then rose higher when Armagh then scored an outstanding individual try to move into the lead. A loose kick from Ballynahinch was fielded by Shea O’Brien on halfway. The young full-back then chipped over the Hinch defensive line, recovered his kick and sprinted under the posts for a superb try, converted by Fox. Remarkably the Division 1B side were now ahead, 31-27, with 10 minutes remaining. With confidence levels high, Armagh counter attacked from the restart and good play by centre Evin Crummie brought play right up to the Hinch 22.
Unfortunately Armagh then lost an attacking lineout and it was Ballynahinch who swept up field, always looking dangerous in broken play. Full back Ross Adair then used his experience to sell a dummy and run 40 metres to cross for a try to give his side the lead once more. The conversion by Sean O’Hagan put Ballynahinch ahead 31-34 with 5 minutes remaining on the clock. Armagh’s captain Robert Whitten then had to leave the field with an injury but his side showed tremendous resilience and went straight back on the offence to see if the game could be rescued. Faloon, Hanna and Mullen all carried strongly but it looked as if the brave Armagh effort was going to end in disappointment. The sustained Armagh pressure was halted when the attacking side was penalised for holding on and Hinch cleared to outside their 10 metre line. Unbelievably, Armagh stole possession at the lineout and the Orchard County side attacked once again as the clock approached full time. Hinch then knocked on a loose ball giving Armagh a scrum on their 22 with the clock now in injury time. Replacement scrum half, Harry Doyle, got the ball away despite being under pressure and Cormac Fox slipped the ball to Shea O’Brien who spotted a gap and cut though to score a match-winning try under the posts. Despite Ballynahinch remonstrating with the referee, Fox popped over the conversion and the whistle blew for full time. The huge Armagh support erupted in the stand as their side had just won a sensational match, 38-34.
Armagh fullback, Shea O’Brien was named man of the match following his brace of tries that had a huge bearing on the outcome of the game. Captain, Robert Whitten led his team up the steps to receive the Senior Cup from Ulster Branch President, Gary Leslie and then the celebrations began with ‘The Boys From the County Armagh’ ringing out from the grandstand. The Armagh coaching team were delighted at the final whistle. Willie Faloon commented, “ it’s fantastic to have won the Senior Cup for a third season in a row and this was the toughest victory by far. Tonight’s match was a real rollercoaster. We scored some wonderful tries but then Ballynahinch capitalised on our errors to keep their noses in front. Ballynahinch were formidable opponents and their Ulster players gave them that extra experience. Coming back from ten points down showed our grit and determination and we are all thrilled to have come out on top”.
So the Ulster Senior cup will be staying put in the Armagh trophy cabinet making the 2019-20 season a successful one for the First XV. The team was also set to consolidate their place in Division 1B of the Ulster Bank All Ireland League for a third successive season. When the league was suspended, City of Armagh were sitting in sixth place with four games remaining. With a favourable run in of fixtures, many would have suggested Armagh would have finished in the top 4 play off spots. The season ended by COVID19 will be a strange one in the history books but one City of Armagh can be proud of.
The final Division 1B Table for 2019-2020
Congratulations to Cormac Fox, finishing the third top points scorer in Division 1B. Also congratulations to Shea O’Brien and Andrew Willis our leading try scorers in the AIL.
In addition to the AIL fixtures, the First XV played 4 matches in the SONI Ulster League, winning all 4, scoring 133 points and conceding 50. Five cup games were played, including the Bateman Cup with 4 victories, 129 points for and 67 against.
Second XV Like everyone else, the Second xv will look back on a season which could have been exceptional. They had a tremendous run in the Kukri Ulster Conference League One, winning 9 out of their 10 games and if circumstances had allowed, they would have played their last fixture against Enniskillen in April to win the league for a third successive year. COVID19 however struck. With John Faloon taking the captain’s armband, the side started off in late August with a high scoring defeat against old rivals Ballyclare by 41-31. Armagh fielded quite a strong side with Fox and Treanor, the half backs but the well-drilled Ballyclare pack were a real handful and despite getting a try bonus point, it was a crucial game to loose so early in the season. Next up was a trip to Cooke and the Belfast side coached by Colin Atkinson, put up a spirited performance to go down 27-34. Six new recruits made their Armagh debut that day, Dylan Nelson from Portadown College, the Agnew brothers from Queens and the Royal School, Aaron Whyte from our under 18s, Ross Morris from Dublin and JJ Scheepers from South Africa. The team blended well together to score 4 tries. The first round of the Junior cup in September resulted in a comprehensive win over a weak Ards side. It wasn’t that long ago that Ards firsts were playing Armagh firsts. The captain led from the front and the Agnew brothers both scored, as well as a brace of tries from David Spratt. Carrick were up next in the league, a team that Armagh always struggled to overcome, but two tries from New Zealander Harry Ferguson helped Armagh to a 25-17 win. Local rivals Portadown were the team’s next opponents and another brace from Harry Ferguson maintained their good form in a 34-10 win. Interestingly, two former Armagh players were in the opposition that day in the shape of Chris Cousins and Sam Murray. Early October saw the next round of the Junior Cup when Armagh had to travel to Randalstown. In a tight game, the Seconds came away deserved winners, 23-3, with Harry Boyd having his kicking boots on.
The following week the team faced Instonians at home and an impressive performance saw them run out winners, 34-5. JJ Scheepers had a brace of tries with Harry Ferguson and Ollie Millar also scoring. Boyd was impressive with the boot scoring 4 conversions and 2 penalties. Next up was a Friday night game against a determined Clogher Valley side and the Tyrone side proved tough opponents with Armagh winning narrowly 19-12. Peter Lamb scored a rare try to secure the victory. In early November, the Seconds faced undefeated Dromore at home, always a tough assignment. The two Agnew brothers scored again as did Luke Crozier and Andrew Smyth in a crucial 31-21 victory. As luck would have it, Armagh had to travel to Dromore the following week in the quarter final of the Junior Cup and in a very tight game David Spratt scored their only try. Harry Boyd’s kicking proved vital as his late penalty saw Armagh qualify for the semi-final by the slimmest of margins, 9-10. Dromore, as cup holders, must have been so disappointed. Conditions were dreadfu,l but Armagh showed real resolve to get through.
Next up for the Seconds were old rivals Ballynahinch 2s which was a terrific advert for grassroots rugby. With Brian McLoughlin encouraging his team on with several Ulster Academy players in their ranks, the game was played at a cracking pace. The lead changed several times but Armagh prevailed to run out winners, 28-26. David Agnew wheeled in with a brace of tries and Alex Johnston and Peter Lamb also touched down for vital scores. The following week saw the important Junior Cup semi-final tie against Carrickfergus and a terrific performance saw the Seconds reach the final at the Kingspan Stadium for the second time in 3 years. A hat-trick of tries by hooker, Jack Treanor put Armagh well ahead with Ferguson and John Faloon also contributing a try a piece. Boyd was in good kicking form again with 4 conversions. Final score, 33-18.
January 2020 saw the team run out at the Kingspan Stadium for the final of the MMW Junior Cup against Enniskillen. In an entertaining game, Armagh played brilliantly into a strong first half wind with Johnny Agnew scoring a try and Harry Boyd kicking a penalty and a conversion for a 10-6 halftime lead. Despite a spectacular try from Ollie Millar at the start of the second half, Armagh then failed to hold on to their lead. When a team is 17-6 up, with the wind behind them and 35 minutes to go you don’t expect them to lose but lose they did, 20-17. Disappointingly, the chance to have both the Senior and Junior cups in the trophy cabinet was lost. The team then had to bounce back the following Saturday in the first round of the Towns’ Cup. The team were given a real fright by a brave Lurgan side and a shock result was just about avoided with Armagh winning 14-17. In a real twist of fate, the side were then drawn away to Enniskillen in the next round.
In early December, Grosvenor provided the opposition in the Conference League and Armagh were behind for a long period but came away from Belfast with the narrowst of wins, 21-22. David Agnew chipped in again with a brace of tries. The following week CIYMS were the opposition and the team that once ruled the roost in Ulster rugby were defeated 34-21. Aaron Woods led the way with 2 tries but the Morton brothers James and Andrew both contributed to the score sheet against a team in which their uncle George played. The third brother of the clan, Stephen also played that day. The Seconds then took a well-earned rest for a few weeks to prepare for the Junior Cup Final in January, but most of the team actually played for the First XV in their SONI Ulster League game against Dungannon allowing Willie Faloon to rotate his squad.
On January 18th, the team started their Second XV League campaign. Ballymena 2s were first up and in an entertaining game Armagh won 28-26 with Boyd’s kicking proving vital. The following week, Banbridge were the opposition and the Co Down side were put to the sword in a 45-14 win. Both Harry Ferguson and Andrew Smyth scored a brace of tries each while the Agnew brothers chipped in with a try each. The other try scorer was Nicholas Jennings, making a rare appearance for the Seconds.
February now saw Armagh travel to Enniskillen for the Towns’ Cup second round match and playing below par they went down 10-3. Some of the tactics from Enniskillen left a lot to be desired but in truth, this was a game Armagh never looked like winning and the chance of silverware this season was over. The following Friday night, Omagh 2s were the opposition and the Seconds ran riot with 8 tries scored in a 56-14 win. Johnny Pollock, getting a rare run out in the Seconds scored a couple of times as did Glenn Faloon and Mervyn Brown. The following Saturday, an understrength side went to Ballynahinch and in horrendous conditions they suffered their heaviest defeat in recent years. The only bright spark was the return from long term injury by Dylan Nelson who dotted down over the white wash. Like everyone else their season ended up prematurely and in real terms this was a bad way to finish. The Seconds are a talented bunch who play attractive rugby and are well coached. Dave Eakin is with them through thick and thin, with Junior Vice-President Tom Galbraith and Sam
Wilson adding support on the sidelines. A good spirit existed in the team with good attendence at training all season. As reported above, they scored a remarkable number of tries over the season with Harry Ferguson featuring regularly on the scoresheet. The two Agnew brothers also seemed to be in a contest with each other in seeing who could score most tries, with David just coming out on top. Alex Johnston came into the side and did a good job at scrum half. His half back partner, Harry Boyd contributed greatly to the side. In summary, the season did not bring home any silverware but in total 14 league games were played, winning 12 with 426 points scored and 292 conceded. In this total, there were 63 tries scored with 47 conceded. In the cup games, they played 7 winning 5 and losing twice to Enniskillen scoring 21 tries and conceding 9. Not a bad season overall.
Third XV City of Armagh Third XV once again had a tremendous season winning 11 of their league games and when the league finished prematurely, they were in second place, one point behind Banbridge 3rds.They were due to play Banbridge on March 14th and the winner of this game would have been likely to win the league title, with Bangor 2s possible outsiders. The team also got to the semi-final of the Crawford Cup and were due to play Dromore 2s away on March 21st. The great cup run had seen the defeat of Dungannon 3s, Ballymoney 2s away and Instonians 2s away. Dromore are in a section higher than Armagh but they could have been severely tested by this excellent Armagh side. Things started off well for Andrew Brady’s side when they hammered Instonians 2s in Belfast, scoring 7 tries in the process. They played poorly in their second league game away to City of Derry 2s, going down 31-7, a day when the First XV were also playing in Derry. To be fair, the team had to travel with a number of 4th xv players who would not be used to this level and they were actually playing a Second XV from an AIL club. Their next league game was against Ballymoney 2s at home and playing on the number one pitch gave them a boost and they scored 5 tries in a 29-5 win. Due to the Rugby World Cup the team had a bit of a break until mid-October when they met a strong Banbridge side. Being 10 points down after 5 minutes proved no problem to the side and with James Morton adding a lot of experience, Andrew Winder was able to score a brace of tries to win the match. Omagh 3s were their next opponents and the side was now playing with great confidence and playing at home, they ran in 8 tries with both Adam Edgar, Glenn Faloon and James Morton scoring a brace each.
The Thirds then took a break from league rugby and met local rivals Dungannon 3s in the first round of the Crawford Cup. Dungannon were no match for the team with Jonny Agnew remarkably scoring 4 tries in the game. Adam Edgar was also on the scoresheet which must have really annoyed the men from Tyrone as Adam’s father played for Dungannon for several years. Ruari Karlsen also turned out for the side but this proved to be his last game for 5 months as he celebrated too much with his teammates and got a nasty injury. They returned to league action the following week and earned a hard-fought victory at Enniskillen 2s. Ross Morris scored the vital try and as usual Andrew Knipe had his kicking boots on. The team however came back to earth with a bang the following week when Bangor 2s, with a sprinkling of firsts, outclassed the team to win 39-5. The Thirds were then strengthened by the return to Armagh colours of the Johnston brothers, James and Tom and their experience helped them win a hard earned victory over Clogher 2s. December arrived and the team had a long journey to Ballymoney 2s in the next round of the cup. Andrew Brady led from the front with 2 tries and the team returned home celebrating a narrow 19-12 victory. The guys rested up over Christmas and went to Portadown 2s for their last game in 2019. In a high scoring match, Armagh came out on top in a 47-24 victory. Edgar, Brady and Winder chipped in with a try each but Con Oliver showed his fitness over Christmas as did Gareth Megaw in scoring a brace of tries apiece. Andrew Knipe was also in tremendous kicking form, landing 6 conversions.
The new year saw Omagh travel to the Palace Grounds and 4 converted tries kept Armagh in the race for the league title. The Thirds then got revenge over Bangor 2s, with an excellent 6 try win over a side going very well in the league. Brady chipped in with a brace of tries with Trevor Girvan also getting in on the act. As luck would have it, the guys had to return to Ballymoney for their next league match in January and they were put to the sword by a stronger Ballymoney side. The guys must have had an eye on the cup as they took the foot of the pedal in the next game and allowed Clogher to beat them 31-12 making it two defeats at the end of January. It just happened that the Crawford Cup was the following week and a strong performance saw the side sweep home 31-0 against Instonians 2s. Gareth Megaw, on his birthday, popped up with two tries and Con Oliver maintained his recent good record with a try. Portadown 2s were due to come to Armagh the following week but a bereavement in the captain’s family in Portadown led to a postponement. Instonians 2s then travelled to the Palace Grounds the following week and even though a number of 4s players had to be called up, the result went in Armagh’s favour with Adam Magowan crossing for 2 tries. In what proved to be their final game of the season, the Thirds finished off in style with a revenge victory over City of Derry 2s. Played in glorious conditions, the home side played some really good rugby to win 33-5. They then went back into second place in the league and as stated earlier, they were looking forward to the showdown with Banbridge 3s. Win this game and they would leapfrog Banbridge to go top of the league. With the rearranged game against Portadown to come, as well as a home game against Enniskillen, Armagh would have been in a good position to win promotion. A possible Crawford cup final would also have been a bonus. Alas it was not to be as the IRFU cancelled all rugby across Ireland and left Andrew Brady’s side wondering what might have been. Despite the abrupt halt, this was an excellent season for the Thirds with over 482 points scored for and 288 against. The team really benefitted over the season by the leadership of Andrew Brady who also chipped in with 6 tries. It was a real bonus to get the Johnston
brothers back playing and Trevor Girvan marshalled the forwards in his usual ebullient self. Andrew Knipe was also always consistent with his kicking. Neil Lutton and Con Oliver provided the brawn in the pack. Behind the scenes, Team Manager, Trevor Knipe did a wonderful job including regular match reports, as did his daughter Ellen with her terrific match photography every week. The Third XV were a great bunch of lads who enjoyed their season and took the honour for the best dress sense in the club. They will be looking forward already to the new season.
Fourth XV The Fourth XV with a new captain in the shape of Adam Hume had a mixed season. Before Christmas they played in the Regional South League where they encountered some very strong sides such as, Lurgan 2s, Dromore 3s and Banbridge 5s. They started off their league campaign against a revitalised Monaghan 2s side who contained a number of ex-Armagh youth players. They lost 33-15 but a number of new players made their debut including Caloan Boyle and Ruari McGlone. As there were four Armagh teams out that day, the 4s travelled with 15 men and no subs which was a credit to Adam in getting a side together. A couple of weeks later they had to travel to play a well organised Dromore 3s team. Despite the team being strengthened with Adam Edgar from the Royal, Tim Henry from last year’s under 18s and Richard Shilliday who had returned from Lurgan, the team lost 25-14. Two weeks later the side were away again, this time to Lurgan 2s who were unbeaten and the side suffered a heavy los,s 37-7. Kurtis Sherry made a welcome return to Armagh colours as did Tom Johnston but Lurgan were too strong and they went to the top of the league table. Next up for the Fourths was a very tough game against Ballynahinch 6s, a very experienced outfit and the Armagh team were heavily defeated 52-5. Armagh struggled to get a side out that day as our seconds and thirds were also playing. The heavy defeat was a little baffling as the Hinch side could not field a team the week before. The Fourths could have picked up their first win of the season the following week when they were due to play Newry at home but Newry conceded the fixture, much to Armagh’s frustration.
The next league game for the Fourths was held on a Friday night at home to Banbridge 5s and the team squeezed home with a narrow 19-14 win. This was a great boost for team morale and the Fourths followed this up with another great win against neighbours Portadown. Andrew Pogue, Jeffrey Dougan, Scott Armstrong and Gareth Graham all scored tries that day in their best performance of the season. With only 8 teams in their league and having to play their first 4 games all away from home was a tall order. Adam had got a very loyal bunch of players together and they stuck at it to enable them to play in the McCambley Cup.
They were due to play Orphir RFC in the first round but the Co Antrim side could not field so Armagh got a bye into the second round. This match was played on the 21st December against Dromore 3s at the Palace Grounds. They put up a very creditable performance but just lost by 3 points in a thrilling game which went 16-19 in Dromore’s favour. Some feel they were hard done that day as they conceded a penalty try and had a forward yellow carded for the offence. As a result of pointing out how unfair this was, the Armagh Honorary Secretary was severely lectured to by the referee. Thus the Fourths had an unfortunate run up to Christmas with only 2 wins to their name. Worse was to follow after Christmas when they were not allowed to enter the Butler Shield, due to Ulster Branch regulations. They were also forced to join the South West League which meant a lot of travelling. The team started off with another away game at Monaghan, but lost narrowly 21 -17. The side then had to travel to Ballyshannon on the 1st February but without a full side, they reluctantly had to cry off. As they were due to play Ballyshannon at home on Feb 29th, they came to an agreement that they would travel there and play it as a double header. Unfortunately the Ulster Branch did not agree to such an arrangement and for the first time in four seasons, the 4s were deducted points. The 4s also had to travel to Enniskillen 4s in the league but the fixtures secretary in Enniskillen forgot to notify Armagh so this game was postponed. The Fourths did make the trip to Ballyshannon at the end of February and after a long trip there and an even longer trip back, they lost 29-5. The team were then due to play a further 5 matches, 3 at home, but all play was suspended for the remainder of the season as a result of the COVID19 pandemic.
As a result, the team’s record doesn’t match up to the three other adult sides in the club, but credit must be given to a side that only played 3 home games all season. It was remarkable also that Ian Webster turned out for the team with the fantastic record of playing across five decades for Armagh. The team also lost stalwart, Rab Nicholl with a career ending injury. As reported earlier, credit must be given to Adam Hume in getting a team out in the most difficult of circumstances. He was ably supported by his father, Hugh and Graham Crozier when he was able to attend. There are no medals for turning out for this team but it is vital that the 4th xv continue to function as it gives guys who want to play rugby a chance to do so and enjoy social rugby.
YOUTH RUGBY
ABC Council Civic Reception for City of Armagh RFC U16s
A YOUTH RUGBY SEASON LIKE NO OTHER
U14s SEASON REVIEW
Prior to March 2020 to most of us, a Corona was a Mexican beer with a lime plug; from March 2020 on the Corona virus changed all our lives. For too many it brought tragic consequences for the worst affected, in difficult times though new heroes emerged, our club pulled together in spirit and action. While not of that magnitude the crisis also brought a premature halt a very promising season for all our youth players, coaches, managers, volunteers and parents.
28 players registered at U14 level with 20 of those players moving up from the U12s. Of the 8 older boys, several were new to rugby and the pleasing and encouraging point for this group is the progress of every individual player. Illness hit the squad in the autumn however, this resulted in everyone within the squad getting valuable game time.
Prior to those awful events, the 2019-2020 season saw the club continue to develop its progressive, supportive youth player development approach. What better challenge for all our mini and youth players than to emulate the recent 5 recruits to the Armagh senior ranks who played such a part in the Ulster Rugby Senior Cup victory. The good news is that our Executive Committee under their Strategic Plan for the coming years, will continue with all our support to develop opportunities for our players and coaches. RESULTS TELL THE STORY City of Armagh youth teams played a total of 68 matches during the shortened season. The club won 50, lost 15 with 3 drawn always playing attractive rugby with determination. An 80% success rate with over 1600 points for and 890 against shows the commitment and improvement all these young players have demonstrated this past season. It is also testament to the hard work, dedication and supportive coaching our youth players get from their top class coaches; hard working managers and with the full backing of our Club Executive Committee led by John Callaghan and President James Scott. Our 2019-2020 season is an example of what teamwork and a focus on player development can and will continue to achieve and deliver for the future of our club. The season also saw 16 of our youth players from across the age grades, selected for inclusion in Ulster Regional Development Squads as well as Ulster Clubs and combined Clubs/School Development Squads at U17 &18 levels a great reflection on the players, their coaches and the support Armagh and Ulster provide.
The coaching team of Mark Herron, Pearse Harney, Mark Jennings and Neil Gillian supported by William Watterson, Andrew Wakenshaw and Andy Dougan all contributed to develop the squad. The U14s played 20 games including a blitz type fixture arranged by Ulster rugby. They scored 480 points winning 60% of their games. Their matches were exciting to watch and played a true Armagh brand of expansive rugby which relied upon fitness and skill and the players are a credit to the Armagh brand as on many occasions they faced an U14 team made up mainly of year 10s (i.e. older players). Having finished joint 5th in the league and having a fully fit squad again in February 2020 it was the belief of the team that they would have achieved silverware in the U14 shield competition they were placed in. Unfortunately, COVID19 arrived and everything was put on hold however with 20 players from this squad returning, along with the U12s who are moving up, there is great confidence the squad will do well in 2020-21. The battle hardened eight who move up to the U16s next season will join again as a team who were U14 league and shield winners in 2018-19, so again a lot of optimism to look forward to for the Armagh U16 group of 2020-21.
City of Armagh RFC U14s U16s SEASON REVIEW 27 players registered at U16s with 13 of those players moving up from the U14’s. Armagh is a club that welcomes new players and the progress of Michael Daly and Steven King strengthened our existing strong squad’s depth. The coaching team of Harry Doyle, Andrew Smyth, supported by Colin Morrison, Colin Steenson, Philip Hazelton and Sam Rountree all contributed to the progression of this talented squad. During the season, the u16s played 22 games in total, winning 18, drawing 2 and losing 2. There were 3 games that stood out during the season, the two league games played against Monaghan which both ended in a draw and the league playoff against Ballynahinch (A) which Armagh won.
Armagh U16s won the league on paper but due to a technicality regarding a cancelled fixture, Monaghan were awarded the league title leaving Armagh U16s in second place. Unfortunately, Covid-19 arrived with the management team firmly believing Armagh U16s could have made it the whole way to the Kingspan Stadium for an Ulster Cup final. Moving forward there are 14 very strong competitors moving up into the U18’s and will strengthen the already formidable squad. Thirteen younger guys remain at U16 and going on their results and performance throughout the season of 2019 -2020, will lead to a very strong U16 team into the new season.
City of Armagh RFC U16s
City of Armagh RFC U15s v Ivybridge RFC In December 2019, the (2018-2019) U16 team were awarded the Armagh, Banbride, Craigavon Sports Forum ‘Youth Team The success of the youth section, characterized by of the Year’ award, which was presented by Dame Mary hardworking squads and honest teamwork was recognized with Ulster representative honours across several age levels. Peters to captain James Crummie. Our Youth section also won an Ulster Carpets Club Award for Ulster representation. James Crummie, John Glasgow, Sam Glasgow, and Phillip Nicholl Armagh represented Ulster U18 Clubs/Schools at the The club also hosted Ivybridge RFC from Devon in October 2019 summer training camp, played against the USA and 2019 and over 3 days the true spirit of rugby was evident as played in the Interpro’s in Limerick acquitting themselves with we enjoyed competitive rugby and joint training across our aplomb. James Crummie had the honour of captaining the U16 squad. Our visitors thanked our club for hosting them side v Leinster.Three of the lads were reselected for the Ulster magnificently and following the establishment of friendships U19 squad. have issued an invitation to travel to Devon. The wider Armagh Pauric Loughran, Jack Fox and Michael Burnett were selected rugby family was warmly thanked for the support our members for the Ulster U17 Clubs/Schools squad with Michael also showed to a seriously injured Devon player and their family training with the Ulster Schools U18s in autumn 2019. With prior to returning home to Devon from hospital where a full Jack Steenson, Ben Steenson, Joshua Herron, Jack recovery was made. Wakenshaw, Davyd Wilson, Adam Redman, Darcy Rice, Ben Harney and Finbarr Malone all catching the eye in Ulster In addition, it is good to also learn that injured U16 player Rhys Regional Development training squads and matches the next Fry is now well on the mend and looking forward to a return to few seasons with hard work should yield further success. rugby in Armagh next season. YOUTH ACHEVEMENTS
City of Armagh RFC Ulster representative players: Sam Glasgow, James Crummie, Philip Nicholl & John Glasgow
City of Armagh RFC U18s U18s SEASON REVIEW Monaghan RFC’s loss was Armagh gain as we were able to offer U18 rugby to 5 super young men from our neighboring club. Following early season training they all fitted in seamlessly. The squad was also bolstered by Adam Hegarty from Newry and our 25 man squad included 15 players from the 2018-2019 double winning team. Coaches, Finner and Chappy’s gentle pre-season training regime had the squad eager for the first fixture. A slow start led on to a very strong mid-season in spite of 5 matches conceded by clubs often with little notice to allow us rearrange friendlies. The U18s played 24 matches won 20 scored 618 points and conceded 209. The team tested themselves against a selection of sides including Ivor Monaghan’s excellent Friends School Lisburn side and a very competitive Leinster premier team from Dundalk RFC. The whole squad contributed to a fantastic brand of Armagh rugby enjoyed by many. This was built on a great base of fitness and core skills developed by Coaches Antoine Finn and Niall Chapman and saw the team only lose narrowly one league game to Virginia and three well contested and testing friendlies. With 20 wins, the competitive attitude and drive was evident. In particular there was a memorable win with a 14 man team away to Clogher Valley early in the season. After winning their regional section, our U18’s were awarded a home semi-final. After a strong win at home over collegiate side Belfast Met they went on to defeat Ballyclare 38-14 at the Meadowbank complex in Magherafelt. To lift the Ulster League title in tough conditions was a credit to the side’s skills. The team also looked to continue their rmarkable run in Portadown’s Nutty Krust tournament, with three successive titles already under their belt. City of Armagh opened their account with a strong 50-0 win against Banbridge in the quarter finals. The semi final draw brought up neighbours Dungannon but the match was postponed at short notice before COVID19 brought the competiton to a halt. And so a promising end to the season was cut short including a shot at the Inter-provincial play off’s and Bowman Cup playoffs.
A large number of this team remains for next season and will hoping to replicate their double at U16 level and push on for more. Our seniors also gain a strong core of players led by U18 captain, Lee Irvine who never took a backward step during the campaign
TOURING
ON TO NEXT SEASON
Following on the success of the 2019 tour to Ballinasloe, the decision for the U16 and U18 squads to tour was agreed. With the support of club chairman John Callaghan, Ballina RFC accepted the call from convenor Jim Crummie and the dedicated band of volunteers sprang into action. Despite heroic fundraising including another great Night at the Races, the greatly anticipated Ballina tour which was planned for March 2020 did not go ahead to the disappointment of all concerned. Another sporting fixture axed due to the dreaded Covid-19. Both the U16 & U18 teams and supporters worked hard to make this happen, many thanks again go to everybody involved especially all those who provide sponsorship and who went the extra mile. The benefits of touring and friendlies against sporting opposition such as Ballina, Dundalk & Friends School is something the Youth management are keen to develop over coming seasons to aid the development of local players to take our club forward to more success. To all our boys; 2019-2020 it was shaping up to be a successful season and for all your efforts on and off the pitch, as convenor I would like wish everyone well and please stay safe.
The good news is that, following our first zoom meeting of the 2020-2021 season, all our existing youth coaches will either be staying on, or moving up a year. Continuity and coaching excellence will help City of Armagh develop into one of the strongest rugby youth sections in Ulster, if not Ireland. It is essential we continue to field strong youth squads, confirm our place in competitive U14 and U16 regional leagues and the proposed U18 Ulster Premier League. We need to work with our thriving mini sections to ensure our U12 members graduating to senior youth remain strong. Compliance with complex rules is a theme we need to remain vigilant on and a special thanks to Mervyn Watt for the essential role of getting all of our 90+ youth players registered and for submitting electronic team sheets every week‌.all of this unseen work, phone calls and emailing is greatly valued and contributes to our success. Take care and I look forward to seeing you all when safe to do so. Jim Crummie, Youth Convenor
Chris Colvin from Ulster Carpets presented City of Armagh Youth Section with an Award for youth numbers.
GIRLS RUGBY Girls rugby at City of Armagh continues to thrive at underage level with a small number of dedicated volunteers working hard to maintain this. The 2019-2020 Girls youth season started with a spilt between the age groups. Following on from the first blitz format system last season, it was decided to prepare the under 18 section for the senior woman’s format with competitive 15 aside games. However, numbers across the province for this age group had fallen and only two clubs were able to sustain their own team.
To ensure greater participation, a combined Barbarians team was created at this age group. Their season started off unfortunately with a loss, but members of the Armagh squad played with over 12 different teammates on an eight match rotational basis. This meant that by the end of the short season, our own girls had played a total of seven matches, resulting in three wins, three losses and one draw. The under 16s, under 14s and under 12’s competed in nine blitzes during the season, including our own on September 29th. This was one of the largest blitzes to be held in the Ulster region with over 180 girls attending. A big thank you to all the Armagh volunteers who helped to make this blitz such a success.
The City of Armagh girls represented themselves well in all competitions over the season and were invited at under 12 age group, to play in the Aviva Blitz at Bangor Rugby Club. In addition, our under 16s, for the fourth year in a row, were invited to play at half-time during the Ulster-Munster PRO14 match at the Kingspan Stadium at the start of January. This was a fabulous experience for the girls and everyone enjoyed the opportunity to play in front of a sell-out crowd and also watch an Ulster victory. The under 16s had their last run out at City of Derry rugby club where they played a mini tournament against Malone, Enniskillen and the host club. The Armagh girls defeated all three teams which meant they progressed to a play-off final against the Portadown Blue Chicks. Another victory for Armagh rounded off a very good season for our Under 16s.
Interest in girls rugby across Ulster continues to rise with a big increase in the number of participating girls. We have seen a small increase in our numbers and we need to continue to work hard to make sure girls continue to join from our mini ranks and local schools. As Ladies Convenor I would like to say thank you to the coaches who helped make the season successful for all our girls and look forward to seeing you when the COVID19 restrictions haven been lifted. As usual, can I also plead for additional volunteers to help grow our girls section. Our aim, as an AIL Club, should be to have an adult ladies team but this can only be achieved with more coaches and volunteers to put the structure in place.
Susan Mercer, Ladies Convenor
MINIS SECTION The season began with the previous mini convenor, Stephen Kellett passing duties over to his brother Mark. Registration was held on the last weekend in August and we were delighted to register just under 300 boys and girls as mini players. Registration was also a perfect time to sell extra development draw appeal tickets to both parents and coaches.
Our busy season of 18 matches kicked off away to Banbridge for their blitz, which is always one of the season’s highlights. Matches were arranged home and away to Ballymena, Banbridge, Cavan, Dungannon, Enniskillen, Lisburn, Lurgan, Monaghan & Portadown. The minis also continued the tradition to provide ball boys for the First XV home matches.
Training commenced the same weekend on the Saturday, with P5-U12 also training mid-week. Mark’s wife, Lorena took over the running of the tuck shop, which provided a great meeting point for parents and coaches on a Saturday morning. Once again we were extremely lucky to get a full complement of coaches, including new coaches for the P1 age group. All coaches who were not trained, attended the IRFU Coaching Children Course which has replaced Level 1 coaching. In February, the mini coaches also attended a Mini Rugby Referee workshop which will go towards future IRFU Coach accreditation points, (being introduced next season). Shirley Anne Donaldson also ensured that all coaches were Access NI vetted and held a safety welfare course, which was well attended. Once again, the club is indebted to the coaches and all our volunteers, without whom we would not have such a successful minis section.
We held a Halloween disco for all minis, which was a great start to half-term. We also held our annual Christmas party and the pre-party entertainment was a coaches & minis’ game of touch rugby, where the minis out-ran most of the coaches!
The new year started off with a few matches being called off due to poor weather conditions, however the home matches we did play were enjoyed by everyone. We would also like to thank Domino’s Pizza for their continued support of City of Armagh Mini Rugby, which all the kids love after a hard game of rugby. Preparations were well underway for our annual mini festival with 13 clubs (Banbridge, Cavan, Dromore, Dungannon, Lurgan, Monaghan, Portadown, Virgina, Greystones, Dundalk, Rainey, Carlingford & Navan), all accepting our invitations and with 1000 boys and girls due to attend. Our U12’s had also been selected to play at half-time at the Ulster v Edinburgh game on 18th April. Our P7’s had also been busy fundraising for their tour to Scotland, which included producing another club calendar and a night of food, drink & prizes at the club. Unfortunately, due to the COVID19 pandemic, all our mini rugby activities ceased on 12th March with all matches, the mini festival & P7 tour cancelled. The Armagh mini rugby spirit has however continued with coaches keeping in touch via social media and some age groups having training via zoom! The City of Armagh Minis would like to thank all parents, volunteers and sponsors for all their help throughout the season and we look forward to returning to rugby as soon as possible. Mark Kellett, Mini Convenor
LADIES DAY Ladies Day 2020 was another huge success in the club when the ‘gents’ served a beautiful lunch prepared by Andrew Dougan and his Yellow Door team to our ladies. Highfield RFC were the visitors to the Palace Grounds and although the weather was horrible outside, the craic in the clubhouse was mighty. Entertainment from Gene Fitzpatrick and our own Jackie Donaldson ensured everyone enjoyed themselves well into the evening. Congratulations to Shirley Anne Donaldson and her team of volunteers who organised such a fantastic day.
LADIES DAY
BILLY DAVIDSON Saturday 11th January 2020 was a special occasion at City of Armagh RFC. The First XV faced Banbridge in the AIL and at the prematch lunch, we were delighted to welcome 27 members of the Davidson family to a special presentation. In memory of Billy (Min) Davidson, Past President, Jim Irwin had commissioned a painting by local artist Billy Austin which will take pride of place in our clubhouse. Min was a Past President and club stalwart who sadly passed away in September 2018. His wife Jean, daughters, Gillian, Sharon and Elaine plus grand children, were all in attendance for the presentation. Gillian spoke eloquently about her father's time, dedication and commitment, given to Armagh Rugby Club, first as a player and then as a volunteer for many decades. A big thank you to Jim Irwin for making all the arrangements for the special event and to the Davidson family for attending.
SPECIAL EVENTS
At our 2019 Annual Dinner, we presented specially commissioned comemorative caps to several players who had played 100 times or more for City of Armagh in the All Ireland League. Receiving the special caps were James Morton, Harry Doyle, Neil Faloon, Philip Fletcher and Andrew Smyth. Unavailable that evening was Andrew Willis and President, James Scott had the pleasure of presenting Andrew with his cap at the start of the 2019-2020 season.
A REAL RUGBY WEDDING Thursday 12th March 2020 was a special day for two of our club stalwarts who got married that day. Former First XV captain, Neil Faloon tied the knot with Zoe Templeton, one of our club’s most dedicated volunters and now employed by Ulster Rugby. The whole club wishes Neil and Zoe many years of married bliss.
SPECIAL EVENTS
The IRFU held their Februray committee meeting in Armagh and to mark the occassion, President of the IRFU, Nicky Comyn presented a commemorative plaque to James Scott, President of City of Armagh RFC.
Following their tremendous double-winnng season, City of Armagh RFC U16s were winners of the Youth Team of the Year award at the ABC Council Junior Sports Awards. Team captain, James Crummie was presented with the trophy by Dame Mary Peters.
DEVELOPMENT UPDATE Development Update – May 2020
PHASE ONE ILLUSTRATION
Having successfully obtained planning approvals for our development plans in November 2018, we are in a state of readiness to progress to the construction phase. Obtaining these statutory approvals along with attaining the Clubmark NI accreditation in February 2017, positioned City of Armagh RFC in a strong position to avail of any available government grant aids. The Sport Northern Ireland Clubmark NI is important as it demonstrates to potential grant funders that the necessary governance is in place and recognises high quality sports clubs and the contribution that they make to the development of sport in Northern Ireland. With stalemate in our devolved government for 3 years however, opportunities for any sporting organisations to avail of any grant funding has been limited. Our club has now decided to progress the development in a phased approach and targeting our immediate priorities. Phase 1: Changing requirements and disability access to upstairs (in the form of a lift), are the main needs identified within the club’s masterplan. Phase 1 will see the construction of 2 new changing rooms, a lift, disabled showering (and access) and put in some of the main infrastructure for the proposed total build in the form a plant room and a new staircase to upstairs. The sub-committee has secured grant support from Sport NI (£30K), ABC Council (£75K) and £10K from Armagh Economic Development Company to construct these immediate priorities, with the remaining capital to build phase 1 coming from our development account. During December 2019 – February 2020, our design team, headed by Kennedy Fitzgerald Architects ran a procurement competition to appoint a contractor. This process has concluded and Moss Constriction were awarded the contract. The company was making plans to commence work however the COVID19 pandemic arrived. Next Steps: The commencement of construction of phase 1 will depend on the how the COVID19 pandemic evolves. Phase 1 will take approximately 9-12 months, however we now need to generate a further £100-£200K as the current lockdown has placed additional financial pressure on the club. As we strive to progress with this project, the sub-committee is keen to partner with local companies. We would welcome any proposals for skills we have within the community, or connected to the club, that would save on construction costs. Should anyone like to discuss this, do not hestiate to contact any of the sub-committee: Raymond Donnelly, Andrew Nesbitt, Mark Herron, John Kingston or Mervyn Watt. Raymond Donnelly, Development Convenor
FINAL CLUBHOUSE ILLUSTRATION
DEVELOPMENT DRAW Our club development draw was a huge success as our major fundraiser in 2019. Due to the dedication and commitment of the organising sub-committee and their teams of ticket sellers, we raised a massive £50,000. A big thank you to everyone who contributed, by selling or buying tickets, giving our development fund a major financial boost.
THE WINNERS DRAW 1 £5,000 - Raymond Graham, Dungannon £2,000 - Jason Hamilton, Dromore £2,000 - Eoin O’Hagan, Armagh £1,000 - Trevor Girvan, Armagh £1,000 - Ian McMordie, Armagh £1,000 - Dawn Boyd, Keady DRAW 2 £5,000 - Stanley Wishart, Markethill £2,000 - Geoffery Donaldson, Portadown £2,000 - Josh Johnston, Milford £2,000 - Claire Malone, Portadown £1,000 - Gareth Williamson, Richhill £1,000 - Robert Leyburn, Lisburn £1,000 - Anthony McArdle, Monaghan
DRAW 3 £10,000 - Steve SMC, Dungannon £5,000 - Victoria Woolsey, Tandragee £2,000 - Harry Carson, Armagh £2,000 - Joel Callaghan, Lisburn £2,000 - Ciaran Toner, Armagh £1,000 - Vistatherm Syndicate, Craigavon £1,000 - Stephen McMullan, Dungannon £1,000 - Sinclair Scott, Armagh
LOST FRIENDS Sadly the Club lost Past President Billy Davidson since our last review. Min was a club stalwart and a player who’s exploits were legendary across Ulster and beyond. Billy Lester was a lifetime supporter of City of Armagh RFC and was our senior touch judge for many years. More recently, we were also sad to learn of the death of our club member, Kevin Toal as a result of the COVID19 virus. All three will be greatly missed.
SPONSORS THANK YOU
SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES 2020-2021 Opportunities are currently available for: kit sponsorship, pitch-side signage, post protectors club handbook advertising & pre-match lunch sponsorship. Contact Andrew Nesbitt or Evan Morton‰
Thank You to every business that has sponsored the Club throughout the season THANKS I hope you have enjoyed reading this Season Review for the 2019-2020 season. Special thanks go to Richard Black and the convenors for their various reports. Photograph Credits: Ken Redpath, Evan Morton, Ellen Knipe, John Dickson & The Front Row Union. EVAN MORTON, Marketing Convenor