Despite schools being closed for a fortnight over the Christmas and New Year holiday period, a few games were played in the lead up to potentially a full range of fixtures on Friday 9th and Saturday 10th January 2026.
On Saturday 27th December, Royal Belfast Academical Institution played Down High School in a game the Royal Belfast Academical Institution team won by 29-19.
The Royal Belfast Academical Institution team scored five tries through Reuben McIlrath, Luke Holland, Sebastian Clarke, Jack Coulter and Matthew Elliott.
Ollie Taylor was successful with two of his conversion kicks.
Down High School scored three tries through Joe Bailie, Ethan Whyte and Matthew Horner with Josh McCaughey adding two successful conversion kicks.
On Saturday 3rd January, only one of the five previously scheduled games took place when Dalriada School hosted Cambridge House Grammar School in a Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Medallion Trophy 1/4 Final game.
The Cambridge House Grammar School Medallion team won this game by 38-6.
On Tuesday 6th January, the Regent House School Medallion team hosted the Friends’ School, Lisburn Medallion team in the last of the Round 3 Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Medallion Shield games.
The Regent House School Medallion team won the game by 23-10.
On Wednesday 7th January, Enniskillen Royal Grammar School 2ndxv played Wallace High School 2ndxv in their previously postponed Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ 2ndxv Cup game.
The Wallace High School 2ndxv team won this game by 33-7.
Meanwhile, in Holywood, Sullivan Upper School 3rdxv played Methodist College, Belfast 3rdxv in their Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ 3rdxv Cup game.
The Methodist College, Belfast 3rdxv team won this game by 48-17.
On the same afternoon, Methodist College, Belfast 1stxv hosted Wesley College, Dublin on the Paddock Pitch at Pirrie Park.
This was a very closely contested game which the Methodist College, Belfast team won by 32-28 with a last play of the game try.
Alex Turkington, with two, Peter Molloy, Ruairi Kennedy, Isaac Ball and Rhys Hill scored the Methodist College, Belfast tries.
Louis Curran was successful with one of his conversion kicks.
The Wesley College, Dublin team scored four tries through Nathan Heatley, Max Colbert, Rhys Dixon and Ollie Gaynor.
The impressive Johnny Woods was successful with all four of his conversion kicks.
On Friday 9th January, Limavady Grammar School played Dalriada School at the Ballyquin Road venue.
This game finished as a 12-12 draw with both teams scoring two tries alongside one conversion.
The Limavady Grammar School tries came through Alex Martin and Ewan Brennan with Alexander Howe adding one successful conversion.
Both the Dalriada School tries were scored by Chris Finney with Matthew McCamphill adding one successful conversion.
On the same afternoon, Royal Belfast Academical Institution travelled to Ashbourne RFC in Co Meath where they played St Gerard’s School, Bray, Co Wicklow.
The Royal Belfast Academical Institution team came away having won the game by 33-14.
The St Gerard’s School points came through tries from Ronan Kelly and Malachy Kenny with Luca Montenuovo adding two successful conversion kicks.
The Royal Belfast Academical Institution points came through tries from Conor Patton, Ross Dillon, Jack Coulter, with two, and Benjamin McCarten.
Charlie O’Connor was successful with four of his conversion kicks.
Both teams took advantage of the wide-open spaces provided on the main pitch at Ashbourne RFC with the final result in doubt until the Royal Belfast Academical Institution team scored a number of times in the course of the last ten minutes of the game.
On Saturday 10th January, twelve 1stxv friendly games were scheduled to have been played but most of the games fell victim to the freezing conditions prevalent at the time.
The only game that did survive was the Campbell College, Belfast game against Clongowes Wood College from Clane, Co Kildare.
The game finished as a 21-21 draw with both teams scoring three goals.
The Campbell College, Belfast points came through three tries from Paul Henry, with a brace and Harry Wells.
The trusty boot of Jack Best was successful with all three of his conversion kicks.
The Clongowes Wood College points came through three tries from Ollie Worth, Tom English and Michael O’Sullivan.
The trusty boot of Ollie Worth was successful with all three of his conversion kicks.
