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 8Rice College 7 Holy Rosary 0St Raphaels Loughrea 0 Pres Athenry 7Gallen CS 7 St Jarlaths College 0Clifden CS 57 St Muredach's 14Scoil Chuinsiteach Chiarain 0 Colaiste Iognaid 7St Endas Galway 7 St Geralds Castlebar 0St Aloysius College 0 Athenry VS 7Round 2:
Athlone Community College 0 Rice College 17Gallen CS 7 Pres Athenry 0Clifden CS 8 Colaiste Iognaid 7St Endas Galway 3 Athenry VS 7.Semi Finals:
Rice College 36 Gallen CS 10Clifden CS 7 Athenry VS 0.Final:
Rice College 7 Clifden CS 13Junior Cup:
Quarter Finals:
Calasanctius College Oranmore 3 Sligo Grammar School 0Clifden CS 9 Summerhill College 15Garbally College 12 St Josephs College Galway (The Bish)15Rice College 13 Marist College 7.Semi Finals:
Calasanctius College Oranmore 3 Summerhill College 0St Josephs College Galway (The Bish) 8 Rice College 10.Final
Calasanctius College Oranmore 17 Rice College 5Calasanctius 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 10Gallen CS v St. Marys, Ballygar (Conceded by St. Marys Ballygar)Athenry VS 17 Sligo Grammar School 36Athlone Community College 7 Presentation College, Athenry 0Round 2
St. Geralds Castlebar 78 v St. Raphaels, Loughrea 0St. Endas, Galway 16 Clifden CS 12Gallen CS 6 Sligo Grammar School 27St. Aloysius College, Athlone 17 Athlone Community College 32Semi-Finals
St. Geralds, Castlebar 21 St. Endas 8Sligo Grammar School 7 Athlone Community College 0Final
St. Geralds, Castlebar 5 Sligo Grammar School 10Junior Cup
Quarter-Finals
Sligo Grammar School 11 Calasanctius, Oranmore 14St. Geralds, Castlebar 11 Marist College, Athlone 11Coláiste Iognáid 5 St. Josephs College, Galway (The Bish) 13Rice College, Westport 24 Garbally College 17Quarter Final Replay
Marist College, Athlone v St. Geralds, CastlebarSemi-Finals
Calasanctius, Oranmore 15 Marist College, Athlone 7St. Josephs College, Galway (The Bish) 13 Rice College, Westport 17Final
Calasanctius, Oranmore v Rice College, Westport+1 Since 1989 (Excluding 1992-4) +2 Only counting wins and losing finals since 1989
1915 Galway Grammar School1916 Garbally College1917 Ranelagh, Athlone1918 Colaiste Iognaid1919 Ranelagh, Athlone1920 Suspended1921 Suspended1922 Suspended1923 Suspended1924 St. Joseph's College, Galway (The Bish)1925 Garbally College1926 Ranelagh, Athlone1927 Garbally College1928 St. Joseph's College, Galway (The Bish)1929 Ranelagh, Athlone1930 St. Joseph's College, Galway (The Bish)1931 Garbally College1932 Suspended1933 Suspended1934 Garbally College1935 Sligo Grammar School1936 Suspended1937 Garbally College1938 Garbally College1939 Garbally College1940 Garbally College1941 Garbally College1942 Suspended1943 Suspended1944 Suspended1945 Suspended1946 Suspended1947 Suspended1948 Suspended1949 Garbally College1950 Garbally College1951 Garbally College1952 Garbally College1953 Garbally College1954 Garbally College1955 Garbally College1956 Garbally College1957 Garbally College1958 Galway Grammar School1959 Sligo Grammar School1960 St. Joseph's College, Galway (The Bish)1961 Sligo Grammar School/St. Joseph's College, Galway (The Bish)1962 Sligo Grammar School1963 St. Joseph's College, Galway (The Bish)1964 St. Joseph's College, Galway (The Bish)1965 Suspended1966 Sligo Grammar School1967 Suspended1968 Suspended1969 Galway Vocational School1970 Garbally College1971 Garbally College1972 Garbally College1973 Garbally College1974 Garbally College1975 St. Joseph's College, Galway (The Bish)1976 Clifden Community School1977 Garbally College1978 Colaiste Iognaid1979 Garbally College1980 Garbally College1981 Colaiste Iognaid1982 Garbally College1983 Garbally College1984 Garbally College1985 Garbally College1986 St. Joseph's College, Galway (The Bish)1987 Colaiste Iognaid1988 Garbally College1989 Sligo Grammar School beat Colaiste Iognaid1990 St. Joseph's College, Galway (The Bish) beat Garbally College1991 St. Joseph's College, Galway (The Bish)1992 Garbally College1993 Garbally College1994 Garbally College1995 Garbally College beat Marist College, Athlone1996 Garbally College beat St. Josephs College, Galway (The Bish)1997 Portumna Community School beat St Muredach's College1998 Garbally College beat Portumna Community School1999 Garbally College beat Colaiste Iognaid2000 Marist College, Athlone beat Garbally College2001 Portumna Community School beat Sligo Grammar School2002 Marist College, Athlone beat Garbally College2003 Sligo Grammar School beat Garbally College2004 Garbally College beat Marist College, Athlone2005 Marist College, Athlone beat Summerhill College, Sligo2006 Garbally College beat Colaiste Iognaid by 20-122007 Marist College, Athlone beat Garbally College by 10 - 62008 Sligo Grammar School beat Marist College, Athlone by 8 - 52009 Calasanctius College, Oranmore beat Summerhill College, Sligo by 20 - 152010 Calasanctius College, Oranmore beat Rice College by 17-52011 Rice College, Westport beat Calasanctius College, Oranmore by 26-182012 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 15-1320062007 Shared betweenMarist College, Athlone and Cilfden C.S20082009 Calasanctius College, Oranmore beat Sligo Grammar School by 7-02010 The Bish beat Marist College, Athlone2011 Sligo Grammar School2010 Clifden CS beat Rice College by 13-72011 Sligo Grammar School beat St. Geralds College, Castlebar by 10-52012 Marist College, Athlone beat Roscommon CBS by 17-52013 Gallen Community School, Ferbane beat Coláiste Iognáid, Galway by 13-72008 St Josephs College, Galway (The Bish) beat Coláiste Iognáid (The Jes)2009 Calasanctius College, Oranmore beat Coláiste Iognáid, Galway (The Jes) By 7-52010 Calasanctius College, Oranmore beat Coláiste Iognáid, Galway (The Jes) By 8-62011 Coláiste Iognáid, Galway (The Jes) beat St Josephs College, Galway (The Bish)2012 St Josephs College, Galway (The Bish) beat St Endas College2013 St Josephs College, Galway (The Bish) beat St Endas College