Another fascinating weekend of club rugby coming up in Ulster. We have the final game in the first block of four matches in the Ulster Bank All Ireland League with teams breaking for two weeks before the league resumes on the 29th October.

Three of our eleven Ulster teams remain undefeated with Banbridge topping Div 2A followed by Armagh in Div 2B and Rainey OB in Div 2C. Ballynahinch and Ballymena are positioned in the top four of Div 1B with Queens in Div 2A, Dungannon in Div 2B and Bangor in Div 2C.

Malone and Belfast Harlequins are in the bottom half of Div 2A with City of Derry still seeking their first win in Div 2B. Can the Ulster teams maintain their positive start to the season this weekend.

We have another Ulster derby with Malone hosting Banbridge at Gibson Park.

With the unavailability of Ulster players to Ballynahinch and Ballymena due to Ulster A playing Leinster A at Donnybrook on Sat evening witha 7pm kick off, it will be interesting to follow the progress of these two teams at the weekend. What impact will the unavailability of Ulster players have on the promotion ambitions of these two clubs. Queens Uni would appear to have strength in depth this season and despite the unavailability of four Ulster players this weekend should be competitive against Nenagh Ormond.

In the Kukri Ulster Rugby Championship Portadown remain the leaders in Div 1 with Instonians, Enniskillen, Omagh and Ballyclare in pursuit.

In Div 2 Limavady are top followed closely by Coleraine, CIYMS, Larne, Randalstown and Academy.

In Div 3 Ballymoney are top ahead of undefeated Lurgan and Strabane.

The IRFU Directive to Referees to Focus on Foul Play in the Domestic Game has attracted a lot of interest with an increase in the number of red and yellow cards being issued by match officials in the club game.

Under the umbrella of the Ref Smart programme a series of instruction videos have been produced to inform coaches and players of the illegal actions that will be clamped down on this season.

These videos are available online at www.irishrugby.ie/rugbysmart.

Have spoken with leading Ulster referee David Wilkinson there is still a need for clubs, coaches and players to take the opportunity to make their players aware of the areas match officials are focusing on to remove incidents of foul and illegal contact from the game of rugby.

Player welfare is a key focus in the game of rugby and referees have a role to play as do the players and coaches. It is all about promoting positive behaviours and eradicating dangerous foul play .

All clubs should take the opportunity to post details of this Ref Smart Programme on their club websites and Social networks. Together we can make the game safer for future generations.

This week the draw was made for the Millar McCall Wylie Junior Cup Quarter Finals

Coleraine v Ballyclare

Portadown v Instonians

Ballynahinch seconds v Dromore

CIYMS v Omagh

Ties to be played on the 5th November.

The 1st round of the Ulster Bank All Ireland Junior Cup will be played on Saturday 29th October with Ulster represented by Instonians ,Clogher Valley, Ballyclare and Portadown.

2nd round 12th November

Quarter Finals 10th December

Semi Finals 10th December

Final 28th January 2017

ULSTER BANK ALL IRELAND LEAGUE

DIV 1A

Old Belvedere(3) v Terenure College (8). Played Friday 7.10.16. Kick off 7.30pm
UCD (6) v St Mary's College (9). Played Friday 7.10.16. kick off 7.30pm
Clontarf (7) v Garryowen (4)
Cork Constitution (10) v Lansdowne (1)
Dublin Uni (5) v Young Munster (2)

Div 1B

Ballymena v Dolphin

With no Ulster players released this week due to Ulster A commitments, Ballymena Head coach Andy Graham will look to his club players to maintain the clubs promotion challenge this week. It will be a daunting task against a Dolphin side bolstered by Munster players. This was reflected in the Cork side turning round two losses to defeat Galwegians 27 - 18 last weekend.

As the Ballymena coach pointed out it is the presence of professional players that impacts on your amateur players as the game progresses. This is where the physicality and conditioning of professional players takes over. The coach also acknowledges that this window opens up opportunities for young players who may aspire to play professional rugby. Witness the progress made by Matthew Rea, Stephen Mulholland and Connor Smyth as they seek to pursue a professional career with Ulster.

Ballymena squad 1 - 20. Bryan Young, James Taggart, Chris Cundell, David Whann, Connor Smyth, Mark Foster, Tony McGuinness, James Gallagher, John Creighton, Glenn Baillie, Jonny Rossborough, Marty Irwin ( Captain), James beattie, Jordan Foster, Rodger McBurney, Adrian Kirkpatrick, Andrew Ferguson, Joe Thompson, Matthew Norris and Ian Vance.

Paddy James was not available for selection as he is playing for the Ireland Rugby league team this weekend.

The coach was disappointed with the loss against UCC last week in Cork. After scoring three tries in the first half, the team lost its shape after receiving two yellow cards and allowed the students to sneak a 18 - 17 win.

Despite the unavailability of the Ulster players numbers at training this week there have been 35 + enabling the coaches to focus on the game with Dolphin without any disruptions.

Ballynahinch v Old Wesley

A trip to Dublin to play on another artifical pitch at Donnybrook will bring back recent experiences on a similar surface at Limerick University when Ballynahinch were convincingly beaten 38 - 22 by UL Bohemians. With only Jonny Murphy released by Ulster due to the Ulster A match in Dublin this fixture will test the playing resources of the Ballynahinch 1st xv squad.

Head coach Derek Suffern and his assistant Chris Parker face a monumental task to pick up league points against an inform Old Wesley side.

Ballynahinch squad 1- 20. Kevlin Hamilton, Andrew Harper, Stuart Orr, Stuart Evans, Kenny Morton, Ben Pentland, Keith Dickson, James Simpson (Captain), Chris Gibson, Ross Carlisle, Davy Nicholson, Stuart Morrow, Jordan Gratton, Chris Quinn, Stevie McCauley, Jonny Blair, Jonny Murphy, Brian Howard, James McBriar and Justin Rea.

Both Conor Phillips and Gareth Gill who played in the back row last week against Shannon are unavailable as they are playing for the Ireland rugby league team this week.

Galwegians (6) v UL Bohemians (1)
Ballymena (4) v Dolphin (9)
Buccaneers (2) v UCC (8)
Old Wesley (5) v Ballynahinch (3)
Shannon (10) v Naas (7)

Div 2A

Malone v Banbridge

Head coach Paddy Armstrong will be looking a response from his Malone team at Gibson Park on Sat. Their 40 - 10 defeat at Queens last Friday does not reflect the possession and territory Malone had in the match. Their problem was they came up against a resolute students defence that restricted Malone to 10 points. Handling errors were punished each time by the Queens side as they broke away to score points. Injuries rule out Mark McCrea, Rory Campbell, Jack McMurtry, Cory Tipping and the unavailable Philip Lucas. Callum Smith is with the Ulster A squad in Dublin on Sat.

Paddy Armstrong describes Banbridge as the best team in Div 2A. They have been well coached by Daniel Soper for several seasons with the players displaying a good skill level. Last season Banbridge defeated Malone home and away in the AIL. They will start as favourites to win this week. The Malone coach is expecting a tough game and is looking a good performance from his players. He is happy with the players attitude with the emphasises on cutting out the enforced errors that have proved so costly. The coach is expecting nothing less than a 100% commitment from the team.

Malone squad 1 - 20. Dane Fitzpatrick,Dan Kerr, Philip Eadie, James McAllister, Josh Davidson, Ben McDonnell, Neil Alcorn (Captain), Michael Shiels, Connor Spence, Nathan Brown, David Irvine, Josh Pentland, Michael Cartmill, Michael Barker, Andy Bryans, Dave Cave, Lee Barlow, Josh Ferguson, Shane Kelly and Adam Liddell.

Banbridge Head coach Daniel Soper views this Ulster derby as another tough game for his players at the end of a tough opening block of four games in the AIL. He is forced to make a couple of changes due to injury and unavailability. Josh Cromie and Josh Agnew move up from the bench to replace Andrew McGrath and Adam Doherty in the backs with Miles O'Hagan taking his place on the bench. In the forwards Kallan Martin gets a start in the second row after impressing off the bench last week. Andrew Jackson comes on to the bench to replace Tim Savage who will play for the 2nd xv this week with former Dromore back row player Ryan Hughes taking his place in the squad.

Queens Uni v Nenagh Ormond

Students Head coach Bob Young takes a strong squad to Tipperary this weekend to play unbeaten Nenagh Ormond. His team were 40 - 10, b/p winners over Belfast rivals Malone last Friday at the Dub Arena in front of several hundred supporters with Queens out half Jack Milligan contributing 25 of his teams points on the night.

With Ulster A playing Leinster at Donny brook on Sat evening the coach has lost the services of Nick Timoney, Marcus Rea, Conor Kelly and Robert Lyttle.

Queens squad for Nenagh - 1 - 20 Anton Lupari, Zac McCall, Brian Cunningham, David Whitten, Alex Thompson (Capt), Nigel Simpson, Zac Jordan, Ryan Clarke, Josh Fullerton, Jack Milligan, Craig Devlin, Conor McKee, Paddy Farrell, Mark Gordon, Jonny Milliken, Saul Herdman, Bronson Ross, Ali Burke, Jonny Stewart, Ali Wright.

Rory Butler and Josh Jordan remain on the injured list with Marc Campbell, Hugh Sloan, Rory Bell, Conor Shiels, Andrew Clingan, Scott Finlay, Matthew McDowell and Joel McBride unlucky to miss out on inclusion such is the depth in strength Queens have this season.

Belfast Harlequins v Blackrock College

Surprisingly the Deramore side suffered a 8 - 0 loss at home to Cork side Sunday's Well after their away win in Galway the previous week. The South Belfast club face a difficult trip to Stradbrook in Dublin to play a Blackrock College team who went down 38 - 15 away to Banbridge last week. Coaches Andrew Gillespie and Keith Pyper will need all their experience if the team is going to pick up any league points from this fixture.

Galway Corinthians (6) v Highfield (5)
Malone (7) v Banbridge (1)
Nenagh Ormond (2) v Queens Uni (4)
Blackrock College (3) v Belfast Harlequins (8)
Sunday's Well (9) v Cashel (10)

Div 2B

Dungannon v Thomond

It is the turn of Dungannon to travel to Limerick this week with Head coach Andy Hughes disappointed his team did not come away from their 18 - 9 loss at home to league leaders Armagh with at least a losing b/p. A strong defensive performance from his players restricted their neighbours to scoring two tries.

This week he will be without Steven Sinnamon, Jake Finlay, Peter Doran, James Bates and Gerard Treanor with Seamus Mallon, Matty Montgomery and Captain James McMahon all facing late fitness tests.

After the disappointment of last weekend, this week has been about getting the players heads right and preparing for what will be a totally different challenge. Playing in the heart of Limerick, psychology has always been a major factor. For some of the younger players it will be a good test of their mental strength.

It is a case of not getting drawn into the gamesmanship and concentrating on our own processes.

Armagh v MU Barnhall

After two wins over Ulster neighbours Dungannon and City of Derry it is Leinster side MU Barnhall who make the journey to the Palace Grounds in Armagh this weekend. With two away wins and one home win the Orchard County team will want to make it four wins out of four in the first block of games in the AIL before the squad takes a two week break before resuming AIL action on Sat 29th October.

Once again the coaches have been disappointed with the teams performances. Credit for the hard earned win at Dungannon has to go to the home sides defence as they managed to control the speed of the breakdowns and made it hard for the Armagh pack to generate any quick ball.

Discipline is an area that has improved in recent weeks but looking at Barnhall's performances, Head coach Alex McCloy needs his players to make a huge improvement in performance for his side to compete with the Leinster team. Barnhall like to play rugby so hopefully that will suit the Armagh team with an open game predicted. Selection will be similar to the team that took the field against Dungannon.

City of Derry v Greystones

It is very much a case of second top against second bottom in this league game at Dr Hickey Park. City of Derry secured their first league points in their 13 - 13 draw at home to Thomond last week. Coach Richard McCarter felt his side missed the opportunity to secure 4/5 points last Saturday. They dominated the first half without putting the points on the scoreboard. A poor second half allowed the Limerick back into the game to salvage a draw.

This week Derry are missing Richard McCarter, Sam Duffy and John Burns who also missed the Thomond game. They are hoping to have David Graham, William McCleery, Matthew Kilgore and Richard Baird available for selection.

Wanderers (7) v Bective Rangers (8). Played Friday 7.10 .16 Kick off 7.30pm
Thomond (10) v Dungannon (3)
Armagh (1) v MU Barnhall (4)
Greystones (2) v City of Derry (9)
Skerries (5) v Old Crescent (6)

Div 2C

Rainey OB v Seapoint

Not many Ulster sides have travelled to Cork and come away with a win. With neighbours Ballymena losing at UCC it was left to John Andrew's and his players to defeat previously undefeated Midleton at Towns Park 24 - 17. Like the previous away match at Bangor Rainey's discipline almost cost them a win. Rainey face an much improved Seapoint who were relegated along with Rainey from Div 2B last season.

Ulster Academy prop Tommy O'Hagan is involved with the Ulster A side in Dublin this weekend. Tim Barker, Michael Wilson and Jonny Burgess return to the squad this week after being unavailable to travel to Cork. Once again the Head coach John Andrew's has some difficult selection calls to make. His squad came through unscathed with the coach hoping to get a bit of continuity in selection this week.

The McMurray brothers Damien and Jody really impressed playing alongside each other in the centre. They will retain their places with Ricky Andrew's continuing at full back.

This week the coach could have three sets of brothers in the squad.

Damien and Jody McMurray.
Jason, Andrew and Kieran Donaghy.
Ronan, Michael and John McCusker.

The coaches and the players are excited about the game this week and know it will be another tough challenge for the players.

Bangor v Tullamore

Another impressive win last week for the North Down side, this time a 33 - 19 bonus point win against Boyne at Upritchard Park has lifted the seasiders into the top four after the opening three games in the AIL. This week the team travel to County Offaly to play Tullamore.

Bangor have a bit of an injury crisis after their win against Boyne. Unavailable are Phil Broderick, Conor McIlmurray and Desi Fusco with Lewis Sampson involved with Ulster A and Adam McCusker unavailable.

Making the starting xv this weekend are Andrew Jackson, Taylor Ferguson and Neil Cuthbertson with Charlie Clegg taking his place on the bench. Curtis Stewart returns after injury to take his place on a strong Bangor bench.

Bangor squad 1 - 20. Philip Whyte (Captain),Andrew Shaw, James Leary, Craig Burton, Andrew Jackson, Jamie Clegg, Mike Apsley, Mike Weir, Allister Lockhart, Jason Morgan, Rob Gamble, Taylor Ferguson, Mark Widdowson, Neil Cuthbertson, Ross McCloskey, Conor Piper, Charlie Clegg, David Bradford, Curtis Stewart and Gareth Wright.

Rainey OB (1) v Seapoint (3)
Boyne (8) v Midleton (2)
Bruff (10)v Sligo (6)
Kanturk (9) v Navan RFC (7)
Tullamore (5) v Bangor (4)

KUKRI ULSTER RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP DIV 1

Ards v Carrickfergus

Big game for both sides this weekend at Hamilton Park. Ards coach David Irwin continues to see improvement in his side after two narrow 15 - 3 defeats against Enniskillen and Dromore. For the game with Carrick, Ards retain the same squad that played at Enniskillen. Taylor Nutt is ruled out with concussion and is replaced by Aaron May.

Clogher Valley v Omagh

Who would believe that Clogher Valley still remain without a win after five games in the league and Cup this season. Back to back defeats against Ballyclare were keenly contested with the Fivemiletown side facing neighbours Omagh in a County Tyrone derby at the Cran on Sat. Coaches Glen Kyle and Davy Black make two changes from the team last Sat with Alex McKeown coming into the back row. Out half Toby McAlpine is unavailable and has been replaced by Mark Ellis. Both Neil Henderson and Andy Breen take their place on the bench with Phil Moore ruled out with concussion.

Omagh Head coach Phil Marshall makes two changes to the 17 players that defeated Larne 49 - 18 in the Junior Cup last week with Davy McFarlane replacing Mervyn Edgar in the back row. Mark Smyth returns after injury to take his place on the bench as front row cover.

The coach is expecting a tough game with the match being a local derby. He has selected his strongest side.

Dromore v Enniskillen

The Junior Cup derby at Barben Hill last Sat against Banbridge seconds did not disappoint with Dromore holding on for a narrow 13 - 10 win. This weekend the home supporters welcome undefeated Enniskillen who have impressed after winning promotion to Div 1 this season.

Dromore Head coach Jonny Cullen will be looking another fast start from his side this week with full back Sam Russell scoring a try and scrum half Lee Steenson kicking a conversion and penalty to give their team an early 10 - 0 lead against Banbridge.

For this weekend the coaches will have Captain Adam McGregor returning from injury with coach Jonny Cullen expected to take his place in the centre with players pushing for a starting place. Adam McDonald is expected to continue at out half with Ross Bingham pushing for inclusion.

The 1st team have been managing well with their small playing squad. The installation of a Cryospa at the club has helped with the rehabilitation of players returning from injury.

Enniskillen field their strongest team for the trip to Dromore this week with Mark O'Shea and Robert Baloucoune returning to the backline. Work commitments rule out Jack Harte.

Enniskillen squad 1 - 17 Richard Beatty, Ryan Cathcart, Gareth Beatty, Kaine Holden, David Buchanan ( Captain), Jamie Johnston, James Carleton, Ricky Lee, Scott Burrelll, Adam Lendrum, James Ferguson, Mark O'Shea, Robert Baloucoune, Steve Neill, Ashley Finlay, Stevie Fox, n/k.

Portadown v Ballyclare

Probably the game of the day in Junior rugby. Portadown under Head coach Richard Hedley and his assistant Ciaran O'Kane have quietly went about their business in returning to the top of Div 1.

The coach like his Ballyclare counterpart Mike McKeever is aware of the tough programme both teams have coming up in the League, AIL Junior Cup and the Millar McCall Wylie Junior Cup. Such are the pressures on successful teams.

Portadown were disappointed with their performance in the narrow 20 - 15 win at Cooke in the Junior Cup last week after defeating the host side 32 - 20 the previous week in the league. Cooke were a much improved team on their first meeting as they worked hard and put the Portadown team under a lot more pressure.

This week Portadown welcome back Gareth McCoy, Matthew Wilson, Brian Forristal and Luke Ashton to their starting lineup with Mark Henderson taking his place on the bench.

The Portadown coach is expecting the strength in depth of his squad to be tested over the next two months with so many difficult fixtures coming up.

Ballyclare Head coach Mike McKeever viewed his teams win at Clogher as a huge achievement. They are a very passionate and hard side to beat at the Cran.

Provided his squad don't pick up any additional injuries he is expecting his team to be at full strength in the next two weeks. His objective for now is to rotate players to provide opportunity in important matches and keep the side being challenged and not become complacent about selection. Leagues aren't won in October but it is more being able to deliver consistently across the whole season. For Ballyclare to do that they need a large squad to have exposure and experience of these matches to make them stronger come the middle and end of the season , especially with Cup competitions to compete in.

There are a lot of fixtures coming up in consecutive weeks with no match easier than any other. The simple focus for the team and players is winning the next game. If we win we focus to win the next. If we lose we focus to win the next game. It is about enjoying training and playing is the goal.

The coach speaks highly of his 1st team Manager Stephen Crawford and the excellent job he is doing in keeping communication amongst the players on who is available /unavailable for matches. Sorting out kit, equipment and generally keeping everything moving smoothly. He is the person who never gets the public acknowledgement, but does a tremendous amount of work for the 1st xv and the club.

He gets his reward in seeing the players enjoying their games and giving a good account of themselves. He remembers the job Glenn Boyd done when he played at Ballymena. All clubs have people like this who are the unsung hero but they need a bit of the limelight to be recognised as well for their efforts.

The coach sends best wishes to all involved this week in organising, refereeing, playing and supporting the Aviva Mini Rugby festival this Saturday at Ballyclare RFC.

Ards (10) v Carrickfergus (7)
Clogher Valley (9) v Omagh (4)
Dromore (6) v Enniskillen (3)
Portadown (1) v Ballyclare (5)

KUKRI ULSTER RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP/CONFERENCE DIV 1

Instonians v Ballynahinch seconds. Played Friday 7.10.16. Kick off 7.30pm
Ballymena seconds v Cooke

KUKRI ULSTER RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP DIV 2

Academy v Donaghadee

Head coach Gareth Lynn agrees his squad have massive potential, but are not performing or training as a potential top four team should be. He is looking for an improved performance against Donaghadee this week with a full squad available at his disposal. His side have been involved in five high scoring games since the beginning of the season. He wants his players to be more clinical and assertive in games if they are to achieve their ambition of finishing in the top four. His players can raise their game at times and play some fantastic rugby but on other occasions they lack concentration and application.

Donaghadee Head coach Mark Henderson will be selecting the same pack that dominated Limavady two weeks ago at Donaldson Park in their 39 - 12 home defeat. The only changes are Tommy Scullion in for Matty Martin who is unavailable due to work commitments. Team Captain Dan Lindsay is unavailable with the side being Captained by flanker Johnny Stewart. The experienced Jamie Wilson returns to the front row with new signing Chris Scott from Ards starting at scrum half.

The backline will see positional changes with a late fitness test to be carried out on influential full back James McGuickan who received a leg injury in the Limavady match.

CIYMS v Larne

Two undefeated teams meet at Belmont Park in what should be a high scoring game. CI are coming off the back of a convincing 57 - 0 win over Armagh seconds in the Junior Cup whilst their opponents Larne succumbed to the physicality of a strong Omagh side going down 49 - 18 in a thrilling encounter at the Glynn. Larne picked up three serious injuries in this match to add to two other long term injuries. Injuries on this scale have a big impact on a small playing squad like Larne.

CI Head Coach Gareth Fry has been delighted by the start his team have made to the season with Coleraine looking like the team everyone needs to beat in this league. The coach has been pleased with the number of players the club have been able to get out to field three teams. This is a testament to the work behind the scenes from Club men like Andy Rogers, Colin Nelson and Scott McClure to name a few.

The coach is aware his side have been playing some really good rugby over the last few weeks with his defence being particularly strong in keeping four clean sheets in their opening five games.

Larne are unbeaten and will provide a strong test with his players looking forward to it as it is his teams first home league game. Injuries are impacting on selection with the players who have stepped up being excellent. Once again selection will be difficult with a number of players added to the squad.

CIYMS squad Aaron Kirkpatrick, Alan Whitley, Timothy Acheson, William McKendry, David Cobain, Scott McNarry, Jason Gilliland, Mark McConkey (captain), Cameron Stewart, James McKinney, Andy Hodgin, Nathan Burns, Callum Irvine, Kieran Gleason, Peter Raine, Alan Walmsley, Duncan Gleadhill with Ross Hackney, Scott Dowle and Ali Coulson added to the panel.

Experienced players including Simon Baillie, Stuart Ferguson, Will Herron, Gavin Woods and Paddy Aiken are either out injured or unavailable for selection.

Key influences on the CI squad this season have been the addition of former Ulster out half James McKinney. He demands performance from the players who are playing with a smile on their face again this season. There is more organisation in the team with players putting their bodies on the line each week. The presence of Adam Grainger after working as strength and conditioning coach at Wasps, Sale and Saracens for 17 years has added considerably to the training and conditioning of the players this season.

Current Ulster Hooker Rob Herring was present at the club on Tuesday night to run a very successful coaching session with the CI forwards.

Larne Head coach Lawrence Kelly and his players are looking forward to their match with CIYMS at Belmont on Sat. Assisted by former CI second row Stevie McReynolds as his forwards coach many neutral observers will be looking to see if this young Larne side can maintain their unbeaten league start to the season.

After a bruising and physical encounter with Div 1 title contenders Omagh at the Glynn last Sat the Larne players have had to pick themselves up this week for another gladitoral contest against promotion contenders CIYMS.

Injury has ruled out three key players from last week with Prop Luke Burford joining second row Colin McKinty and full back Stuart Andrews on the squads ever lengthening injury list. Despite the 49 -18 loss to Omagh the Larne coach felt his players squandered three other try scoring opportunities in this match. There is a lot of confidence in the squad this season. The players will have learned from last Sat the physicality that is required to compete with the top Junior sides in Div 1 and 2. The coach is concerned that his small playing squad don't have the strength in depth for a long and arduous fixture programme this season.

Coleraine v Grosvenor

Head coach Richard Boyd has assembled a strong playing squad at Coleraine that has scored 43 tries in their opening five matches this season. After the struggles of recent seasons there is a belief that this squad can return the club to Div 1 after narrowly missing out on promotion last season. To emphasise their dominance they swept aside league leaders and neighbours Limavady 38 - 8 at home last weekend in the Junior Cup.

The coach was very happy with the win against Limavady and was pleased to keep the momentum going. Richard Boyd thought his players were very clinical in the first half and took their opportunities when they came about. He felt his scrum, defence and discipline were excellent and this prevented Limavady from really getting into the game. As expected Limavady came out very strong after the interval and showed how good a side they can be. He thought his players tried to force things too much in the second half which led to silly errors , with the team losing their shape for a period. His players did finish the game strongly and Limavady had to work very hard for their points which is always a good sign. Overall it was great to get a big win and lay down a marker against our local rivals in front of a large and very supportive crowd.

The coach is expecting a tough encounter against a much improved Grosvenor side. They have recruited well over the summer and will be well organised under coach Robert Ford. His team will need to be at their best to get a win this weekend. He feels this match will give his squad more of a gauge of where they are at in terms of their league standing.

Again selection will be very difficult this week with a number of players returning from injury. In the forwards number 8 Brian Hughes returns to the squad after being rested last weekend. Hooker Stuart Evans will also come into contention for a place in the squad after impressing in recent weeks. In the backs Kyle McAuley returns from holidays and will push for a starting place in the centre alongside the fit again Rhys McAuley at scrum half. Rory Strang continues his hamstring rehab and is unavailable for selection until next week.

Grosvenor Head coach Robert Ford believes it will be another 2/3 weeks before he can get his combinations right for his 1st xv. It has been a case of selecting from players available each week. He has an inspirational Captain in number 8 Andrew Kelly who along with new scrum half and Vice Captain Alan McCluggage have the task to take this talented squad of players forward this season. Grosvenor lost their opening league game against Larne but bounced back to win at Randalstown. This win at Nelisbrook made people sit up. He has a settled second row in Peter Dawson and James Bowman and has welcomed back experienced players including Philip Stoops, David Egner and Ben Coard to his squad.

Grosvenor will travel to Coleraine with nothing to fear. They know Coleraine are a quality side. The players will give it their best shot . The coach is convinced he is building a solid side that will be competitive in Div 2 this season.

Academy (6)v Donaghadee (9)
CIYMS (3) v Larne (4)
Coleraine (2) v Grosvenor (7)

KUKRI ULSTER RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP/CONFERENCE 2

Banbridge seconds v UUC
Limavady v Armagh seconds
Malone seconds v Lisburn
Randalstown v Belfast Harlequins seconds

KUKRI ULSTER RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP DIV 3

BHSFP (7) v Holywood (6)
Letterkenny (12) v Monaghan (10)
Lurgan (2) v Ballymoney (1)
Newry (9) v Cavan (8)
PSNI (4) v Ophir (11)
Virginia (5) v Strabane (3)

George