Ulster Schools' Cup




The Ulster Schools' Challenge Cup is an annual competition involving elite schools affiliated to the Ulster Branch of the Irish Rugby Football Union. The Schools' Cup has the distinction of being the world's second-oldest rugby competition, having been competed for every year since 1876. The trophy itself is a three-handled silver cup with a plinth mounted on a large shield.
Methodist College Belfast have won the most titles with 37 wins – 36 outright wins and 2 shared.

Format

The Schools' Cup was reformatted in 2003/04. Previously teams defeated in the first round would enter the Subsidiary Shield competition, teams losing in later rounds would find their season over. All entrants, except those who drew byes, entered in the first round of the competition. It was felt that this could lead to significant mismatches. The reformatting sought to avoid this and to extend the amount of meaningful rugby played by school teams.
The first round was changed to act as a qualifying stage for weaker teams and first round losers entered a new Schools' Trophy competition.
The bulk of the teams entered the competition in the second round where they were joined by the first-round qualifiers. Teams losing at this stage are entered into another new competition, the Schools' Bowl.
In the third round, four seeded teams entered the fray. Third-round losers entered the Subsidiary Shield, renamed the Schools' Shield. The Subsidiary Shield was first introduced in 1971. It did not have its own trophy until 1980 when the Headmaster of Grosvenor High School and then Ulster Branch President Ken Reid presented the Grosvenor Shield.
The remaining teams contest for the Schools' Cup proper, the semi-finals and final of which are played at Ravenhill Stadium, the Ulster Branch HQ and home of the Ulster side.
The competition format was changed again in 2005/06. The first round was a round-robin competition involving three teams. The winner from this joined eleven other teams in the second round. The six winners from the second round joined ten more teams in the third round; the second round losers competed for the Schools' Trophy.
The eight third-round winners proceeded to the fourth round where they were joined by eight seeded teams. The third-round losers competed for the Schools' Bowl. The fourth round proceeded as per the old third round.
The increased number of competitions means that schools which are very unlikely to win the main competition have more competitive rugby and an opportunity to win a trophy.

History

The first winners in 1876 were the Royal School, Armagh. When the Cup no longer had room to record the winners on it, the Cup was mounted on a wooden shield to which plaques were attached. In the centenary year of the competition after the 1976 final, the governors of Methodist College presented a new shield, as the original had no more room to record the winners. The Royal School won in 1977, thus claiming the place at the top of the new shield. The first wooden shield is on exhibit at the Ulster Branch offices at Ravenhill Stadium.
The first final to be played at Ravenhill was in 1924. Before that, finals were played at the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society grounds at Balmoral, the Ulster Sports Club grounds at Cross Parade in Belfast, and one final was played at the Linfield Football Club ground at Windsor Park.
A total of seventeen schools have won the trophy at least once.
Although not widely known outside of Northern Ireland, the Schools' Cup is important within Ulster rugby. With no school 1st XV league, the Schools' Cup is the only competitive rugby played by the senior school teams.
The St. Patrick's Day final is televised live on BBC Northern Ireland, complete with half-time punditry and post-match interviews.

List of finals

Note: Prior to 1942 drawn finals were always replayed. In 1942 it was decided if the final was drawn, a replay would only take place if both schools agreed. It has since become the rule that replays are never held and the trophy is automatically shared. Shares occurred in 1942, 1953, 1954, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1964 & 1996.
Key
Replay
*Trophy shared
After extra time

Results by school

Information as provided by Schools' Cup Final programme
SchoolLocationWinsFirst final wonLast final wonRunners-UpLast final lostTotal final appearances
Methodist College BelfastBelfast361878201926201763
Royal Belfast Academical InstitutionBelfast321888201721201357
Campbell CollegeBelfast241898201813201942
Coleraine Academical InstitutionColeraine91884199224199833
The Royal School, ArmaghArmagh9187620204201814
Portora Royal SchoolEnniskillen6190519415192912
Bangor Grammar SchoolBangor519691988419959
Ballymena AcademyBallymena319722010620009
Foyle CollegeDerry219001915419146
Rainey Endowed SchoolMagherafelt219631982219705
Belfast Royal AcademyBelfast119971997520109
Royal School DungannonDungannon119071907419755
Regent House Grammar SchoolNewtownards119941994220084
Annadale Grammar SchoolBelfast119581958119782
Ballyclare High SchoolBallyclare119731973120122
Belfast Boys' Model SchoolBelfast1197119710—1
Grosvenor High SchoolBelfast1198319830—1
Wallace High SchoolLisburn020202020520156
Derry AcademyDerry0——218962
Dalriada SchoolBallymoney0——119931
Galway Grammar SchoolGalway0——118871
Lurgan CollegeLurgan0——119341
Omagh AcademyOmagh0——119851
Sullivan Upper SchoolHolywood0——120141

Subsidiary competitions

The Grosvenor Shield

Subsidiary Shield 1971–2003, Schools' Shield 2004–
YearWinnersScoreRunners-up
1971Royal Belfast Academical Institution9–8Down High School
1972Grosvenor High School16–9Royal School Dungannon
1973Portadown College7–0Belfast Boys' Model School
1974Down High School9–4Portadown College
1975Dalriada School4–3Carrickfergus Grammar School
1976Ballymena Academy9–6Belfast Royal Academy
1977Campbell College4–3Belfast Royal Academy
1978Coleraine Academical Institution20–0Belfast High School
1979Ballymena Academy10–0Carrickfergus Grammar School
1980Sullivan Upper School3–0Down High School
1981Belfast High School10–6Larne Grammar School
1982Friends School Lisburn12–9Down High School
1983Belfast Royal Academy11–6Wallace High School
1984Bangor Grammar School9–9 *Belfast High School
1985Cambridge House Grammar School10–3Coleraine Academical Institution
1986Omagh Academy3–3 *Wallace High School
1987Belfast Royal Academy8–6Portadown College
1988Royal Belfast Academical Institution9–7Ballyclare High School
1989Bangor Grammar School9–3Coleraine Academical Institution
1990Portadown College7–0Rainey Endowed School
1991Royal School Dungannon10–6Larne Grammar School
1992Ballymena Academy15–0Larne Grammar School
1993Coleraine Academical Institution31–16Ballymena Academy
1994Omagh Academy13–0Campbell College
1995Coleraine Academical Institution16–11Ballymena Academy
1996Royal Belfast Academical Institution31–15Portadown College
1997Portadown College16–9Ballymena Academy
1998Rainey Endowed School8–6The Royal School, Armagh
1999The Royal School, Armagh26–3Bangor Grammar School
2000Royal School Dungannon22–19Portadown College
2001Coleraine Academical Institution28–7Royal School Dungannon
2002Coleraine Academical Institution23–12Ballyclare High School
2003Coleraine Academical Institution17–17 *Campbell College
2004Methodist College Belfast19–13Wallace High School, Lisburn
2005Belfast Royal Academy16–12Ballyclare High School
2006Ballymena Academy17–11Regent House, Newtownards
2007Ballymena Academy32–12Portadown College
2008Royal Belfast Academical Institution27–12Coleraine Academical Institution
2009Ballymena Academy36–19Coleraine Academical Institution
2010The Royal School, Armagh22–10Campbell College
2011Ballymena Academy33–5Bangor Grammar School
2012The Royal School, Armagh24–3Limavady Grammar School
2013Campbell College19–5Belfast Royal Academy
2014Dalriada School12–3Ballymena Academy
2015Ballymena Academy20–10Down High School
2016Wallace High School21–5Down High School
2017Down High School19–13Ballyclare High School
2018Ballyclare High School34–28Down High School

Schools' Bowl

YearWinnersScoreRunners-up
2004Regent House Grammar School22–0Dalriada School
2005Rainey Endowed School24–5Carrickfergus Grammar School
2006Foyle and Londonderry College22–19Limavady Grammar School
2007Royal School Dungannon11–11 *Sullivan Upper School
2008Foyle College39–24Cambridge House Grammar School
2009The Royal School, Armagh17–7Grosvenor Grammar School
2010Foyle College28–7Grosvenor Grammar School
2011Rainey Endowed School14–11Friends School Lisburn
2012Sullivan Upper School24–12Belfast Royal Academy
2013Omagh Academy24–0Rainey Endowed School
2014Foyle College11–5Banbridge Academy
2015Dalriada School31–15Rainey Endowed School
2016Portora Royal School20–7Grosvenor Grammar School

Schools' Trophy

- Cambridge House fielded an ineligible player in the final and the Trophy was awarded to Portadown College
Dromore high won in 2019