Belvo face Andrew’s
RUGBY
Daire Walsh
Belvedere College will begin the defence of their Senior Cup crown against St Andrew’s College, after the draws for next year’s Leinster Schools’ rugby competitions were revealed in Bank Of Ireland on Dublin’s College Green last night.
Belvo claimed their 11th senior title at the expense of 2015 champions Cistercian College Roscrea at the RDS in March.
Former Belvo student Cian Healy was in attendance for the draw alongside Leinster team-mates Jack Conan, Dan Leavy and Jamie Heaslip – whose alma mater Newbridge College were drawn against St Mary’s College in the opening rounds of both the Junior and Senior Cups.
Roscrea have contested three Senior Cup deciders in this decade, and will face a qualifier from the Vinnie Murray Cup in their first competitive outing of 2017.
Terenure College were also paired with a team from the second-tier tournament, while 68-time winners Blackrock College will come face-to-face with King’s Hospital.
Rock are also aiming to make history by becoming the first school to secure five consecutive titles at Junior Cup level, and Terenure will be their opponents in a mouthwatering first-round encounter.
LEINSTER SENIOR SCHOOLS CUP
St Mary’s College v Newbridge College; King’s Hospital v Blackrock College; Cistercian College Roscrea v Vinnie Murray Qualifier 1; Clongowes Wood College v St Fintan’s HS, Sutton; St Andrew’s College v Belvedere College; Gonzaga College v Castleknock College; St Michael’s College v St Gerard’s, Bray; Vinnie Murray Qualifier 2 v Terenure College
LEINSTER JUNIOR SCHOOLS CUP
St Gerard’s, Bray v Gonzaga College; CBC Monkstown v Kilkenny College; Blackrock College v Terenure College; Cistercian College Roscrea v Clongowes Wood College; Belvedere College v Fr Godfrey Qualifier 1; Fr Godfrey Qualifier 2 v St Andrew’s College; St Michael’s College v Castleknock College; Newbridge College v St Mary’s College
VINNIE MURRAY CUP
Kilkenny College (bye); Ardee CS v Wilson’s Hospital; Skerries CC v Good Counsel, New Ross; St Conleth’s College v CUS; High School, Rathgar v Wesley College; De La Salle, Churchtown v Gormanston College; Presentation College, Bray v CBC Monkstown; Tullow CS (bye).
FR GODFREY CUP
Newpark Comprehensive v Templeogue College; Ashbourne CS v Wesley College; CUS V St Pat’s, Navan; Wilson’s Hospital v High School, Rathgar; Tullow CS v Scoil Chonglais; Good Counsel, New Ross v Templecarrig School; King’s Hospital v St Mary’s Diocesan; Presentation College, Bray v Mount Temple Comprehensive