The Connacht Schools Junior Challenge Cup is an under-age rugby union competition for schools affiliated to the Connacht Branch of the IRFU.
Competition is confined to students under the age of 16. The final is held in March each year in the Galway Sportsgrounds. It is usually seen as a good forecast as who will win the Connacht Schools Senior Cup in the following years.
Garbally College have been the most successful school in the competition lifting the cup 41 times. They are followed by St Josephs College Galway (10 times), Sligo Grammar School (7 times), Colaiste Iognaid, Marist College and Ranelagh College (4 times) and Calasanctius College Oranmore (2 times)
Marist College have been the most successful team since the turn of the millennium winning the Junior cup five times (2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 and 2013).
Calasanctius completed a junior league and cup double after winning their 2nd cup title (and two in a row) by 17 points to 5 after facing a strong Rice College team in search of their 1st ever title who played their 2nd final this year after losing the Development Cup final to Clifden CS (13-7) earlier this season.
The format of the competition is different in 2010 than it was in 2009. In 2009 every team played in the Junior Cup with the teams who lost their first game playing in the Development Cup. In 2010 16 play in the Development Cup with the two finalists playing in the Junior Cup along with six other teams.
The ages for the Junior Cup have also changed for the 2009 competition a player must have been under 15 on 1 July. From this year onwards a player must be Under 16 on 1 January.
Development Cup:
Round 1:
Athlone Community College 17 St Marys Ballygar 8
Rice College 7 Holy Rosary 0
St Raphaels Loughrea 0 Pres Athenry 7
Gallen CS 7 St Jarlaths College 0
Clifden CS 57 St Muredach's 14
Scoil Chuinsiteach Chiarain 0 Colaiste Iognaid 7
St Endas Galway 7 St Geralds Castlebar 0
St Aloysius College 0 Athenry VS 7
Round 2:
Athlone Community College 0 Rice College 17
Gallen CS 7 Pres Athenry 0
Clifden CS 8 Colaiste Iognaid 7
St Endas Galway 3 Athenry VS 7.
Semi Finals:
Rice College 36 Gallen CS 10
Clifden CS 7 Athenry VS 0.
Final:
Rice College 7 Clifden CS 13
Junior Cup:
Quarter Finals:
Calasanctius College Oranmore 3 Sligo Grammar School 0
Clifden CS 9 Summerhill College 15
Garbally College 12 St Josephs College Galway (The Bish)15
Rice College 13 Marist College 7.
Semi Finals:
Calasanctius College Oranmore 3 Summerhill College 0
St Josephs College Galway (The Bish) 8 Rice College 10.
Final
Calasanctius College Oranmore 17 Rice College 5
Calasanctius College, Oranmore will be hoping to win a 3rd cup in a row but will face stiff opposition from the other schools in the province.
The Bish are current favorites even at this early stage as they won the 2010 Under 15 Connacht blitz, beating Garbally College, Calasanctius College Oranmore, Marist College, Athlone, St. Geralds College Castlebar and Colaiste Iognaid and they have also topped their group in the league.
Development Cup
Round 1
St. Geralds, Castlebar 19 Summerhill College, Sligo 10
Gallen CS v St. Marys, Ballygar (Conceded by St. Marys Ballygar)
Athenry VS 17 Sligo Grammar School 36
Athlone Community College 7 Presentation College, Athenry 0
Round 2
St. Geralds Castlebar 78 v St. Raphaels, Loughrea 0
St. Endas, Galway 16 Clifden CS 12
Gallen CS 6 Sligo Grammar School 27
St. Aloysius College, Athlone 17 Athlone Community College 32
Semi-Finals
St. Geralds, Castlebar 21 St. Endas 8
Sligo Grammar School 7 Athlone Community College 0
Final
St. Geralds, Castlebar 5 Sligo Grammar School 10
Junior Cup
Quarter-Finals
Sligo Grammar School 11 Calasanctius, Oranmore 14
St. Geralds, Castlebar 11 Marist College, Athlone 11
Coláiste Iognáid 5 St. Josephs College, Galway (The Bish) 13
Rice College, Westport 24 Garbally College 17
Quarter Final Replay
Marist College, Athlone v St. Geralds, Castlebar
Semi-Finals
Calasanctius, Oranmore 15 Marist College, Athlone 7
St. Josephs College, Galway (The Bish) 13 Rice College, Westport 17
Final
Calasanctius, Oranmore v Rice College, Westport
+1 Since 1989 (Excluding 1992-4) +2 Only counting wins and losing finals since 1989
1915 Galway Grammar School
1916 Garbally College
1917 Ranelagh, Athlone
1918 Colaiste Iognaid
1919 Ranelagh, Athlone
1920 Suspended
1921 Suspended
1922 Suspended
1923 Suspended
1924 St. Joseph's College, Galway (The Bish)
1925 Garbally College
1926 Ranelagh, Athlone
1927 Garbally College
1928 St. Joseph's College, Galway (The Bish)
1929 Ranelagh, Athlone
1930 St. Joseph's College, Galway (The Bish)
1931 Garbally College
1932 Suspended
1933 Suspended
1934 Garbally College
1935 Sligo Grammar School
1936 Suspended
1937 Garbally College
1938 Garbally College
1939 Garbally College
1940 Garbally College
1941 Garbally College
1942 Suspended
1943 Suspended
1944 Suspended
1945 Suspended
1946 Suspended
1947 Suspended
1948 Suspended
1949 Garbally College
1950 Garbally College
1951 Garbally College
1952 Garbally College
1953 Garbally College
1954 Garbally College
1955 Garbally College
1956 Garbally College
1957 Garbally College
1958 Galway Grammar School
1959 Sligo Grammar School
1960 St. Joseph's College, Galway (The Bish)
1961 Sligo Grammar School/St. Joseph's College, Galway (The Bish)
1962 Sligo Grammar School
1963 St. Joseph's College, Galway (The Bish)
1964 St. Joseph's College, Galway (The Bish)
1965 Suspended
1966 Sligo Grammar School
1967 Suspended
1968 Suspended
1969 Galway Vocational School
1970 Garbally College
1971 Garbally College
1972 Garbally College
1973 Garbally College
1974 Garbally College
1975 St. Joseph's College, Galway (The Bish)
1976 Clifden Community School
1977 Garbally College
1978 Colaiste Iognaid
1979 Garbally College
1980 Garbally College
1981 Colaiste Iognaid
1982 Garbally College
1983 Garbally College
1984 Garbally College
1985 Garbally College
1986 St. Joseph's College, Galway (The Bish)
1987 Colaiste Iognaid
1988 Garbally College
1989 Sligo Grammar School beat Colaiste Iognaid
1990 St. Joseph's College, Galway (The Bish) beat Garbally College
1991 St. Joseph's College, Galway (The Bish)
1992 Garbally College
1993 Garbally College
1994 Garbally College
1995 Garbally College beat Marist College, Athlone
1996 Garbally College beat St. Josephs College, Galway (The Bish)
1997 Portumna Community School beat St Muredach's College
1998 Garbally College beat Portumna Community School
1999 Garbally College beat Colaiste Iognaid
2000 Marist College, Athlone beat Garbally College
2001 Portumna Community School beat Sligo Grammar School
2002 Marist College, Athlone beat Garbally College
2003 Sligo Grammar School beat Garbally College
2004 Garbally College beat Marist College, Athlone
2005 Marist College, Athlone beat Summerhill College, Sligo
2006 Garbally College beat Colaiste Iognaid by 20-12
2007 Marist College, Athlone beat Garbally College by 10 - 6
2008 Sligo Grammar School beat Marist College, Athlone by 8 - 5
2009 Calasanctius College, Oranmore beat Summerhill College, Sligo by 20 - 15
2010 Calasanctius College, Oranmore beat Rice College by 17-5
2011 Rice College, Westport beat Calasanctius College, Oranmore by 26-18
2012 Rice College, Westport beat Sligo Grammar School by 6 - 3 (Replay after 10-10 draw on 13/03/12)
2013 Marist College, Athlone beat Sligo Grammar School by 22 - 8
2014 St. Gerald's College, Castlebar beat CBS Roscommon 36 - 22
2015 CBS Roscommon beat Coláiste Iognáid, Galway 36 - 0
2016 Marist College, Athlone beat Garbally College by 25 - 0
2005 Garbally College beat Coláiste Iognáid, Galway by 15-13
2006
2007 Shared betweenMarist College, Athlone and Cilfden C.S
2008
2009 Calasanctius College, Oranmore beat Sligo Grammar School by 7-0
2010 The Bish beat Marist College, Athlone
2011 Sligo Grammar School
2010 Clifden CS beat Rice College by 13-7
2011 Sligo Grammar School beat St. Geralds College, Castlebar by 10-5
2012 Marist College, Athlone beat Roscommon CBS by 17-5
2013 Gallen Community School, Ferbane beat Coláiste Iognáid, Galway by 13-7
2008 St Josephs College, Galway (The Bish) beat Coláiste Iognáid (The Jes)
2009 Calasanctius College, Oranmore beat Coláiste Iognáid, Galway (The Jes) By 7-5
2010 Calasanctius College, Oranmore beat Coláiste Iognáid, Galway (The Jes) By 8-6
2011 Coláiste Iognáid, Galway (The Jes) beat St Josephs College, Galway (The Bish)
2012 St Josephs College, Galway (The Bish) beat St Endas College
2013 St Josephs College, Galway (The Bish) beat St Endas College
