Munster Schools Rugby Senior Cup
The Munster Schools Senior Cup or Munster Senior Cup is the under-age rugby union competition for schools affiliated to the Munster Branch of the IRFU.
Schools rugby is seen by the IRFU as one of the two channels for players to learn their rugby and advance to senior levels. This notwithstanding, the schools competitions generate significant interest in their own right whilst old rivalries are re-awakened, and nostalgic memories abound ensuring that nobody who has been through the system remains untouched.
The inaugural Munster Schools Senior Cup took place in 1909 and since then Cork city's two all-boys schools have been very much to the fore, as the only rugby playing schools in the city. Christian Brothers College have 30 titles, whilst Presentation Brothers College have 29. Rockwell College were once the team to beat in the competition, holding the record of most wins until the 1970s. However, Rockwell have only won the cup six times since.
Limerick's dominant club scene, smaller population and larger number of competing schools has led to more modest achievements. Limerick CBS won Limerick's first trophies in the 1920s and 30s, followed by Crescent College which contributed three in the 1940s and 50s whilst St. Munchin's added their first in 1968. Mungret College, merged into Crescent College in 1974, took the trophy once in 1941. In addition Ardscoil Rís, and St. Enda's have all competed in finals. Glenstal Abbey is the most recent winner and their 2018 win is the first in their history.
The competition's final generally takes place every year on St. Patrick's day and alternates between being played in Thomond Park or Musgrave Park — unless there are two teams from one city playing, in which case the game takes place in that city.
Many players that have taken part in the Senior cup have gone on to represent Munster and Ireland. Former winners of the Cup include:, Ronan O'Gara, Peter Stringer, Simon Zebo, David Wallace, Donnacha Ryan, Conor Murray, Keith Earls, Jerry Flannery and Paul O'Connell also played Senior Cup rugby for their respective schools.
The competition is currently sponsored by the Clayton Hotels Group.
Winners
Honours
1900s
- 1909 Christian Brothers College beat Rockwell College
1910s
- 1910 Rockwell College
- 1911 Rockwell College
- 1912 Rockwell College
- 1913 Christian Brothers College
- 1914 Rockwell College
- 1915 Rockwell College
- 1916 Christian Brothers College
- 1917 Rockwell College
- 1918 Presentation Brothers College
- 1919 Christian Brothers College
1920s
- 1920 Christian Brothers College
- 1921 The Abbey, Tipperary
- 1922 Christian Brothers College
- 1923
- 1924 Christian Brothers College
- 1925 Christian Brothers College
- 1926 Limerick CBS
- 1927 Presentation Brothers College
- 1928 Rockwell College
- 1929 Rockwell College
1930s
- 1930 Rockwell College beat Presentation Brothers College
- 1931 Limerick CBS
- 1932 Presentation Brothers College
- 1933 Limerick CBS
- 1934 Limerick CBS ??
- 1935 Presentation Brothers College, Cork??
- 1936 Christian Brothers College
- 1937 Rockwell College beat Presentation Brothers College
- 1938 Presentation Brothers College, Cobh beat Presentation Brothers College
- 1939 Presentation Brothers College
1940s
- 1940 Rockwell College beat Presentation Brothers College
- 1941 Mungret College
- 1942 Rockwell College
- 1943 Christian Brothers College
- 1944 Christian Brothers College beat Rockwell College
- 1945 Presentation Brothers College
- 1946 Presentation Brothers College
- 1947 Crescent College beat Presentation Brothers College
- 1948 Presentation Brothers College
- 1949 Crescent College beat Rockwell College
1950s
- 1950 Rockwell College beat Mungret College
- 1951 Crescent College beat St. Munchin's
- 1952 Presentation Brothers College
- 1953 Rockwell College
- 1954 Christian Brothers College, Cork beat Rockwell College
- 1955 Rockwell College
- 1956 Christian Brothers College
- 1957 Presentation Brothers College beat Crescent College
- 1958 Presentation Brothers College
- 1959 Rockwell College
1960s
- 1960 Rockwell College beat Presentation Brothers College
- 1961 Rockwell College beat Christian Brothers College
- 1962 Christian Brothers College beat Rockwell College
- 1963 Crescent College
- 1964 Rockwell College beat Christian Brothers College
- 1965 Presentation Brothers College beat Crescent College
- 1966 Presentation Brothers College beat Rockwell College
- 1967 Rockwell College
- 1968 St. Munchin's beat Rockwell College
- 1969 Presentation Brothers College
1970s
- 1970 Rockwell College beat Glenstal
- 1971 Christian Brothers College beat St. Munchin's
- 1972 Christian Brothers College beat St. Munchin's
- 1973 Christian Brothers College beat Rockwell College
- 1974 Christian Brothers College beat Presentation Brothers College
- 1975 Presentation Brothers College beat Rockwell College
- 1976 Christian Brothers College beat Presentation Brothers College
- 1977 Christian Brothers College beat Presentation Brothers College
- 1978 Presentation Brothers College beat Christian Brothers College
- 1979 Christian Brothers College beat Presentation Brothers College
1980s
- 1980 Christian Brothers College beat Presentation Brothers College
- 1981 Presentation Brothers College beat Christian Brothers College
- 1982 St. Munchin's beat Presentation Brothers College
- 1983 Crescent College beat Presentation Brothers College, Cork
- 1984 Christian Brothers College beat Crescent College
- 1985 Rockwell College beat Christian Brothers College
- 1986 Crescent College beat Christian Brothers College
- 1987 Presentation Brothers College beat St. Enda's
- 1988 Christian Brothers College beat St. Enda's
- 1989 Crescent College beat Christian Brothers College12-9
1990s
- 1990 Crescent College beat Rockwell College
- 1991 Presentation Brothers College beat Rockwell College
- 1992 Presentation Brothers College beat St. Munchin's
- 1993 Presentation Brothers College beat St. Munchin's
- 1994 Crescent College beat Presentation Brothers College
- 1995 Presentation Brothers College beat Crescent College
- 1996 Presentation Brothers College beat Ardscoil Rís
- 1997 Christian Brothers College beat St. Munchin's
- 1998 Christian Brothers College beat Presentation Brothers College
- 1999 Christian Brothers College beat St. Munchin's
2000s
- 2000 Christian Brothers College beat Rockwell College 25–18
- 2001 Rockwell College beat St. Munchin's
- 2002 St. Munchin's beat Presentation Brothers College 20–19
- 2003 Christian Brothers College beat Presentation Brothers College 11–8
- 2004 St. Munchin's beat Presentation Brothers College 11–10
- 2005 Presentation Brothers College beat Christian Brothers College 6–3
- 2006 St. Munchin's beat Presentation Brothers College 7–3
- 2007 Presentation Brothers College beat Christian Brothers College 13–3
- 2008 Castletroy College beat Christian Brothers College 21–15
- 2009 Christian Brothers College beat Rockwell College 33–19
2010s
- 2010 Presentation Brothers College beat Rockwell College 22–10
- 2011 Rockwell College beat Presentation Brothers College 9–3
- 2012 Rockwell College beat St. Munchin's 6–5
- 2013 Crescent College beat Rockwell College 27–5
- 2014 Crescent College beat Ardscoil Rís 21–7
- 2015 Rockwell College beat Ardscoil Rís 23–13
- 2016 Christian Brothers College beat Crescent College 9–8
- 2017 Presentation Brothers College beat Glenstal 11–3
- 2018 Glenstal Abbey beat Christian Brothers College 18–17
- 2019 Christian Brothers College beat Presentation Brothers College 5–3
2020s
- 2020 Presentation Brothers College, Cork¹ & Christian Brothers College Shared due to Global Pandemic