Schools Cup Final: Brilliant Boyd shines in stunning RBAI win

It was one of those games that will live long in the memory.

Even more so if you're from a Royal Belfast Academical Institution persuasion.

A superb second half display from the wide in black and amber was capped off in the most dramatic of fashions when captain Jacob Boyd went over for his second - and his side's fourth - try of a fantastic game of rugby played in a crackling Kingspan atmosphere.

It was no more than RBAI, and Man of the Match Boyd, deserved for their graft and determination throughout.

Finding themselves 10-5 down at the break, they took the tie by the scruff of the neck in the early stages of the second half. And although Campbell, to their credit, bravely fought back to level it, it was fitting that the best player on the pitch saw RBAI to victory.

It was Campbell who drew first blood however, with Jed Dornan powered over the line after a period of concerted pressure from the boys in black.

Matt Rea was accurate with the conversion on 20 minutes, but it took just another five for RBAI to hit back.

It was that man Boyd who replicated Dornan's effort, using all his power to bustle his way through and over. While Josh Eagleson was unable to convert, it set up a tantalising second half.

Before the opening 35 minutes had ended though, Rea split the posts with a penalty to give Campbell at 10-5 interval lead.

But the tie turned in RBAI's favour in the space of seven second half minutes.

Jacob Edwards was helped on his way over by team-mate Daniel Moore to level it at 10 points apiece and this time Eagleson had the simplest of tasks to convert and edge RBAI in front for the first time.

That was on 42 minutes and on 49, the best piece of free-flowing rugby up until that stage resulted in RBAI's third try of the afternoon.

A slick move from right to left saw James Hillman offload to Alex Place to go over in the corner. Eagleson again failed to convert at RBAI edged into a 17-10 lead.

Campbell weren't up to throw in the towel though and led by the fine footwork of winger Lukas Kenny, who tried, tried and tired again to burst through a solid Inst defence, they eventually found the breakthrough on the hour mark.

Kenny sidestepped two tackles after collecting a poor kicked clearance, before offloading to Jake Daly to his left. Daly passed to Henry Ralston who showed pace and trickery to do the rest.

Rea converted to tie matters at 17 points each as the match entered it's final 10 minutes.

And way past the 70-minute mark was when RBAI struck for the winner.

They persisted and persisted and got their reward when Boyd crashed over in almost the same spot Place had earned his earlier try from.

That Eagleson was unable to add the extra two points was irrelevant as the final whistle went.

RBAI celebrated in front of their legion of fans as they basked in the glory of lifting their 33rd Schools Cup and their first since 2017.

TRIES

Campbell College: Jed Dornan, Henry Ralston

RBAI: Jacob Boyd (2), Jacob Edwards, Alex Place

CONVERSIONS

Campbell College: Matt Rea (2)

RBAI: Josh Eagleson

PENALTIES

Campbell College: Matt Rea

MATCH STATS

CAMPBELL COLLEGE: Chris Massey, Jed Dornan, Flynn Longstaff (C), Alexander Brennan, Daniel Harkin, Cal McKinney, Cameron Faith, Joe Jeffrey, Sean Robinson, Matt Rea, Jake Daly, James McConnell, Matthew Booth, Henry Ralston, Lukas Kenny

Replacements: Will Alexander, Robbie Holmes, Daniel Solomon, Charlie McClurg, Scott Gray, Harry Dyer, Sam Boomer, Jay Davis

RBAI: Blake McClean, James Clark, Jacob Boyd (C), Jacob Edwards, Daniel Moore, Callum Simms, Jack Parkinson, Bryn Ward, Callum Soper, Josh Eagleson, Alex Place, Fraser Cunningham, James Hillman, Flynn Morrow, Joshua Gibson

Replacements: Euan Patterson, Zak Molyneaux, Shea Scullion, Milo Carter, Loughlin Sweeney, Sam Patterson, Matthew Sweetlove, Adam Hawthorne