Match Preview: Rainey Endowed School vs Bangor Grammar School - 19/01/2019
Rainey Endowed School vs Bangor Grammar School
One week before the beginning of the Schools' Cup, Bangor Grammar Schools' 1st XV will head tomorrow to Magherafelt. This is the final rehearsal before the proper fun and games begin, against a team that they knocked out of last season's competition.
Match Preview
Rainey Endowed School have been having a great season, recording some big results against quality sides (56-7 win vs Dalriada, 28-0 win vs Friends', 15-7 win vs Enniskillen, 29-8 win vs Omagh). That said, Rainey have also suffered defeats that make them a hard side to read (19-14 defeat vs Regent, 26-22 defeat vs Portadown, 41-19 defeat vs Ballyclare).
Results don't really show the full picture, but they do indicate that this Rainey side have a lot of potential.
Bangor Grammar have also been on a roller-coaster ride this year and the results don't do justice to where this team are at. Bangor have been close to getting big results vs Campbell College, Royal Armagh and Ballymena Academy, but the pair of wins against Ballyclare High School have been the standout results.
Ultimately the Schools' Cup fixtures are the only ones that count. BGS will begin their cup campaign next Saturday against local rivals Regent House.
The Front Row Union produce the best form of ranking system for local schools' rugby. Rainey Endowed currently sit 12th out of 33, whilst Bangor Grammar are ranked 19th. The system is geared up to take both results and quality of opposition into consideration. A win for Bangor Grammar would help them make some good ground as the season builds to the climax.
https://thefrontrowunion.com/2019/01/ulster-schools-rugby-rankings-2018-19-week-8/
Last Time
Last season, BGS welcomed Rainey Endowed to Gransha for a place in the quarter final of the Schools' Cup.
The only first half points came from the boot of Harry Evans of Rainey. Facing the threat of Schools' Cup elimination, Bangor's squad rallied in the second half to steal the match. Daniel Young and Conor Lusty bagged a try each, with Rhys Larmour adding a conversion.
Highlights of that match can be found in the video below.
This stunning victory set up a difficult away quarter final against Methody where BGS bowed out valiantly.
Team News
With the clock ticking down to the start of the Schools' Cup, and little time left for experimentation, it is evident that the BGS coaches haven't taken any tips from Eddie Jones this week. Fortunately that means Aaron Sexton will be starting at the more familiar full back position, rather than openside flanker.
In actual team news, Gareth Wells and Riley Westwood aren't fully fit, so are being rested. All being well, both will be back next week. Rory Wood comes in to the side at #6 and Harry McCracken features on the wing.
Finally, there's a full compliment of subs, including Adam Pritchard who is continuing his recovery from a broken foot earlier in the season.
Match Details
Venue: Rainey Endowed School 1st XV Pitch, Rainey Street, Magherafelt
Kick off time: 10.30 am
Last Encounter: BGS 12-03 RES
BGS 2018-19 Form: P16 / W6 / D0 /L10 (Points for: 400 / Points against: 390)
Follow the match with live updates on the Gryphiti Twitter Account, plus more reaction and photographs on our Facebook page and here on the Gryphiti website. We'll be videoing the match and will have highlights later in the season. Best of luck to members of the B.G.S. 1st XV team, and all the other teams in action.
