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2014 - 2015

SEASON REVIEWBY EVAN MORTON

In addition to Neil’s awards, City of Armagh RFC were nominated for Club of the Year at the Ulster RugbyAwards in May. Cormac Fox was nominated for Youth Player of the Year at the same Awards, a great honour for a sixteen year old. Finally, at the 2015 Armagh Sports Forum Awards, the 1st XV werenamed Senior Sports Team of the Year.

All these awards and nominations were great recognition for City of Armagh RFC, which rounded off aseason of remarkable success.

The 2014-15 rugby season came to a close for City of Armagh RFC when Neil Faloon, Club Captain forthe incoming season, was awarded two trophies at the Ulster Bank League Annual Awards at the AvivaStadium in Dublin on May 14th. Neil was awarded the trophy for Player of the Year in Division 2B andalso the Ulster Player of the Year award.

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The 2014-15 season began in August when the senior squadtoured the Languedoc region inSouthern France. The tour hadbeen planned for many monthsand a dedicated band of playersand club members worked tirelessly to fund-raise and plan theadventure in France. A squad ofover 30 players, lead by captainMark Riddell, set off for France accompanied by the Club President, several committeemembers and supporters.

Two fixtures were arranged and offthe field everyone enjoyed white-water rafting, go-karting, wine tasting and the incredible hospitality of the host clubs. Thefirst match against Gruissan RFCwas played in temperatures in thehigh 20s and was lost narrowly by12 points to 6.

The second match against Leucate RFC was a tougher affair against a high quality team and despitethe conditions, the Armagh team gave an excellent account of themselves in pushing the home teamright to the end. Many friendships were renewed on tour, courtesy of John Callaghan and many newfriendships were created. Indeed it is hoped that Armagh will play host to a French team in the autumnof 2015.

Returning home, the players werestraight into an Ulster SeniorLeague match before the All IrelandLeague commenced. City of Derrywere the opponents and a victory bythe visiting Armagh team (10-24)sent out a message that the Frenchtour had not been a wine tour! A firstvictory over City of Derry in 4 yearswas a nice start to the season butthe All Ireland League was were itmattered.

Following a final warm up friendlywin against top junior side Dundalk,Armagh proceeded to win their first3 AIL matches, away to Old Crescent (7-13), home to Navan(20-15) and away to newly promoted Kanturk (14-17).

A great start from Armagh but earlydays yet.

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The start of November saw a home fixture inthe AIL against one of the fancied teams,Greystones and Armagh were victorious onthe day (20-7) leaving them one of the fewundefeated teams in the AIL.

Armagh’s next home game was going to be acrucial fixture when unbeaten Highfield travelled to the Palace Grounds. In a closelyfought encounter, it was the visitors fromCork who emerged victorious (12-16). Armagh knew on the day they could havewon this match but Highfield marched on tototally dominate the league thereafter.

Following their first defeat, Armagh looked tobounce back the following week when theteam travelled down to Dublin to play unfancied Wanderers, however after a poorperformance, they suffered a second defeat(11-6). This perhaps brought some reality tothe task that lay ahead in the All IrelandLeague.

Middleton from County Cork travelled to Armagh in the penultimate AIL match beforeChristmas and the home team won (21-19)despite ferocious pressure from the visitors,camped on the Armagh line for the last 10minutes of the game.

Back in the Ulster Senior League Armaghtravelled to top side Ballymena and tasteddefeat for the first time in this competition. Alast minute penalty to Ballymena was converted to give the home team a narrowvictory (21-19). No one was to realise at thetime how significant this result would be,come the end of the season.

Another impressive win in the Ulster Senior League, (40-0), against Banbridge did cause a stir and a FirstTrust Senior Cup match against Ballynahinch was eagerly anticipated by everyone in Armagh.

The County Down club recorded a last gasp win, 16-17,with the final kick of the match and Armagh weredeemed unlucky not to have progressed in the cupagainst the eventual cup winners.

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The Saturday before Christmas saw City of Armagh travel to Ards, a side already strugglingat the bottom end of the league table and after acompetitive first half, Armagh came throughcomfortably by the final whistle with a bonuspoint win, (11-40). Christmas week saw anotherwin for Armagh in the Ulster Senior League whenRainey were the visitors to the Palace Grounds,(18-8).

Following a two week break, Armagh returned tothe Ulster Senior League and once more defeated ‘senior’ opposition in the form of Division 1B side Malone, with a 3 - 17 scoreline.

Sunday’s Well were the second Cork team tovisit Armagh and for the third time this seasonArmagh tasted defeat (11-13). It was becomingclear that the battle for a top four finish was goingto be a tight affair with a number of teams suchas Greystones and Tullamore along with Highfield setting the early pace.

January came to a close when Armagh travelledto De La Salle Palmerston in Dublin and returnedto winning ways, (12-17). It was clear by thisstage of the season that Armagh were not getting enough bonus point wins compared totheir competitors and indeed, scoring triesseemed to be a struggle at times. The team fortunately were still maintaining a challenge fora top four finish.

February saw an impressive home win over astrong Queens team in the Ulster Senior League,(37-6) and this was followed up by an away winin the AIL at Boyne in another tight match, (18-20). Armagh’s momentum in the AIL took another knock at the end of the month whenMunster side, Bruff adapted better to horrendousweather conditions in Armagh to win yet anothertight match, (3-7). With Armagh dropping to sixthplace in the league, some had doubts that Armagh had the tenacity and mental strength towin the crucial games to achieve a top four finish.Every match now had become a cup final andany more points dropped would be disastrous.March was to be a make or break month in Armagh’s season.

Away to Sligo was never going to be an easy fixture and many feared the worst when Armaghwere behind at half time. The elements provedpivotal however and Armagh turned the gamearound and even managed a crucial bonus point,winning (5-27). A very significant result.

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Armagh’s performances in the UlsterSenior League showed no dips compared to the AIL and yet anotherimpressive win away to Belfast Harlequins had the Division 2B Clubremarkably in the top 3 in the leaguetable.

A runaway victory (50-0) againstneighbours Dungannon maintainedArmagh’s superb form in the UlsterSenior League but the AIL was thereal goal for the season.

With two matches remaining, Armagh held fourth place in the league with a one point advantage overSundays Well. Limerick side Richmond made the long trip to Armagh, seeking points to avoid a relegation battle. Armagh left it late but a fourth try brought the valuable bonus point win, (22-3). Now itwas all down to the final match to decide the promotion issue!

Prior to that final AIL match Armagh travelled toArds for their penultimate match in the UlsterSenior League. A 27-0 win cemented their position in second place and remarkably Armagh had a realistic possibility of winning theLeague if they could win their final match athome to hot favourites, Ballynahinch.

Before that encounter however, City of Armaghhad the little matter of a trip to Tullamore to decide who got promotion into the ‘new’ Division2B for 2015-16 season. Supporters had spentall week working out all the possible permutations. Could Armagh get a win and holdon to the fourth place spot? How would Greystones get on in Sligo? Would Highfield gothrough the season undefeated in the Corkderby against Sundays Well?

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Armagh’s trip to Tullamore was treatedlike a cup final with promotion at stake forboth teams. Tullamore had been unbeaten at home all season, scoring atleast 20 points in every match. Manypundits had backed the home team butthey hadn’t taken into consideration thecharacter of the Armagh team and thehuge travelling support that descendedon Spollanstown in Tullamore. Tries from John Faloon and Seamus Mallon and 11 points from the boot ofHarry Boyd saw a famous victory for Armagh (0-21).

Supporters were jubilant that the teamhad finally sealed promotion in theirfourth season back in the AIL. Resultsfrom other fixtures in fact elevated Armagh to second place in the finalleague table. The goal set at the start ofthe season had been achieved and thecelebrations went on for quite a while thatnight!

Armagh were in first place at the top of the Ulster Senior League!In the clubhouse after the match, Coach AndyHughes was presented with a gift by President, Raymond Donnelly, for his serviceto the club over the past seven years.

Two weeks later, Ballynahinch won their gamein hand and took the league title by the narrowmargin of 2 points. City of Armagh can take immense pride in finishing runners up. For ateam seeded tenth to win 9 out of 10 matchesand scoring 281 points for, with 71 against wasremarkable and rounded off a successful season for the First XV captained admirably byMark Riddell.

One final fixture remained for the First XV, thefinal home Ulster Senior League matchagainst Ballynahinch. Just five days after theirheroic performance down in Tullamore, Armagh hosted Ballynahinch at a packedPalace Grounds. A win for Armagh wouldplace them top of the table however Ballynahinch had a crucial game in handagainst City of Derry. The game also markedthe last match for Coach Andy Hughes whohad announced his plan to stand down at theend of the season. The match itself was another epic which had the supporters onedge throughout. Remarkably Armagh defeated their more senior opponents, (19-10)and for the first time in the club’s history,

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City of Armagh Second XV also had a good season. They did struggle at times to get consistent teamselections and the result was a seventh place finish in the Second XV League. The season highlight wasa terrific run in the Town’s Cup. The first shock they pulled off was beating a much fancied Omagh teamwho had reached the Junior Cup Final. Led by captain Conleth Oliver, Armagh won a close encounter16-12.

In the next round Armagh were drawn at home to Bangor, one of the leading teams in Qualifying Oneand finalist in the All Ireland Junior Cup. Once again Armagh confounded the pundits and pulled off ashock 30-24 victory. Forwards and backs combined to put in one of the performances of the seasonwith team manager, Gary Morton delighted with the outcome. The team did bow out of the cup in thequarter final away at Clogher Valley who went on to reach the final.

City of Armagh Thirds and Fourths also had successful seasons both on and off the pitch. The Third XVablely guided by Trevor Girvan, finished second in Junior League 5 to a very strong Ballymena 5s. Elevenwins out of fifteen was a great credit to the players and the team also had a brilliant run in the ForsterCup, reaching the semi-final. At home to Ballymena 5s, with many ex-senior players in the Ballymenaranks, Armagh lost 14-19, one of the toughest matches the eventual cup winners had all season.

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David Loughran performed heroics ingetting the 4th XV team out and it wasa great credit that far fewer matcheswere cancelled this season by Armaghteams. Probably the highlight of the3rds and 4ths season was their tour toManchester. Like all good tours theplayers enjoyed themselves off thepitch and won a high scoring match,45-35, hosted by Didsbury RFC.

Armagh Ladies were not to be outdone this seasonwhen it came to success. With continued encouragement from Senior Vice-President, Shirley AnnDonaldson, a greater number of girls at under 18 andunder 15 levels attended training regularly. Credit goesto the coaching team for their efforts, Neil Rafferty, HarryDoyle, Peter O’Hanlon and Robert Dougan, with valuable assistance also from Zoe Templeton.

The under 18s participated in the Ulster League whileboth age groups attended various blitzes. The highlightof the season was the Under 18 girls winning the UlsterYouth Shield, following a narrow 10-7 victory over Monaghan, the first ever silverware for the Club in ladies rugby! Seven Armagh girls were also included in the Ulster U18 squad, Molly Lavery, Carla Rafferty, MornaO’Hanlon, Stacey Fluke, Lisa Henry, Beckie McCauleyand Vicky Irwin, which was great recognition for the Club.In addition, Vicky Irwin has also been honoured with aplace in the Ireland U18 7s squad, a fantastic achievement. Every club has its ‘unsung heroes’ and Armagh Ladies would like to thank John McCord for allthe assistance he has given off the pitch throughout theseason and also thanks to Paul McCord for helping withrefereeing on numerous occasions.

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Armagh Youth also continue set the bar high when it comes to success under the direction of Youth Convenors Richard Black and Anton Finn. This season it was pleasing to see the Under 14s, under thecoaching team of Niall Chapman, Brett Nelson, Philip Doyle and Philip Agnew, reach the final of the Ulster Cup at the Kingspan Stadium. The young players showed great skill and ability all season withterrific wins in the Cup against Civil Service and Portadown and Coleraine in the semi-final. Unfortunatelythey came up against a very strong Carrick team in the final, which was played in atrocious conditions.

In the U14 Premier League, Armagh finished in third place with only 2 defeats in 16 matches, anotherterrific achievement the boys can be proud of. In addition, Stephen Murphy, Aaron Whyte, Cormac Houlahan, Sam Murray and Dylan Nelson were all selected for regional representative squads, a great credit to the Club.

Our U16s had another superb season,following on from their League and Cupdouble success last year. Anton Finn, assisted by Gervaise O’Brien and HarryDoyle saw their team yet again, gothrough the league campaign undefeated, scoring 608 points in 16matches. The team is now unbeaten inthe league since October 2013. Seasonhighlights would be the home and awayvictories against old rivals Virginia butalso an extremely hard fought home winagainst a very strong Rainey side. Having clinched the League play-offswith convincing wins over Ballynahinchand Enniskillen, the team then focusedon winning the U16 cup after defeatingrivals Rainey in an incredibly tight semi-final, 14-12.

The final was a repeat of the U15 Finalwith Virginia tough opponents. Alsoplayed in a constant downpour, it was Virginia who squeezed home by thetightest of margins, 5 - 0.

City of Armagh RFC can be proud tohave two teams appearing in Youth Finals at the Kingspan.

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During the year, the U16 squad also went on tour to Cork, following several successful fundraising eventsby parents and supporters. Two matches were arranged and Armagh emerged triumphant, beating Presentation Brothers Cork and Kinsale by over 50 points in the two games.

Another highlight of the year was the Civic Reception for the squad in recognition of their success fromthe Lord Mayor of Armagh.

Representative call-ups to the Ulster Squad were achieved by Barry Finn, Paul Mullan, Shea O’Brienand Cormac Fox in the Under 18s. In the Ulster U17 squad we had Shane McKeever, Evin Crummie andAaron Kennedy while in the Under 16 squad, Nathan Rodgers, Ryan Morton and Tiernan O’Neil wereselected. All in all, fantastic representation from City of Armagh which bodes well for the future successof the club.

Mini Rugby at Armagh continues to go from strength to strength with 260 boys and girls registered and48 local schools have pupils represented. With such good numbers and 2 - 3 teams in each age-groupMini Rugby Convenor, Colin Morrison is delighted to call upon over 40 coaches and volunteers to ensure the minis section operates smoothly. A fun 5K run was organised at the start of the season andthis was a great success and the annual Halloween Party remains as popular as ever. Teams travelled to Ballynahinch, Banbridge and further afield. Indeed Armagh Under 10s were invitedto Ashbourne RFC for the National Aviva sponsored minis event before Christmas. Our Under 12s alsohad the honour of playing at the Kingspan Stadium at half-time during the Ulster v Toulon match in October.

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The Armagh Blitz in April is now the largest in the whole of Ireland with 13 clubs attending and 1300 kidsparticipating. City of Armagh had the pleasure this year of hosting a party of 100 children and adults fromSlirling County RFC in Scotland who stayed in Armagh for 3 nights. The mini section is indebted to allthe sponsors who assisted with the Blitz and throughout the season.

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Top Try scorer Wilson Cup Neil Faloon

Services to youth rugby Smith Cup Niall Chapman

U20 Player of the Year Johnston Cup Kyle Faloon

Club Player of the year Black Cup Trevor Girvan

Performance on and off the field. Hyde Cup Harry Doyle

Clubman of the year Livingstone cup Willie Smyth

School Player of the year Faloon Cup Michael Thompson

Youth player of the year McCall Award Vicky Irwin

Best Team of the year. Moffitt Cup 1st XV

Best Youth team Nesbitt Trophy U16s

Fundraiser of the year Paddy Smith Cup Raymond Donnelly

Creative Player of the year Bill Jennings Cup Manihera Eden

Player of the year 1st XV Neil Faloon2nd XV Gareth McNeice3rd XV David Bingham4th XV Robert Dougan

President’s Award Ladies committee

Club Awards 2014-2015

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Mini Awards

PLAYER OF THE YEAR MOST IMPROVED PLAYER BEST NEWCOMER

P2 Will Anderson Eoin McCusker Ryan McKeever

P3 Sean Sands Daniel Jenkins Shea Clarke

P4 Ryan McGahan Charles Hefferon Robert Hamilton

P6 Davyd Wilson / Darragh Lennon Darcy Rice Kristopher McKenzie

P7 Ruari Nugent Lee Nesbitt Luke McKeever

U12 RJ McCall Caleb McKeown Jay Hall

New U12 Award for Endeavour Lee & Adam Wilson

Youth Awards

U14Best New-comer Sean HannawayMost Improved Player Cormac CampbellPlayer of the Year Aaron Whyte

U16Best New-comer Cormac McClincheyMost Improved Player Dean ChamberPlayer of the Year Barry Finn

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Latest News

Alex McCloy has been appointed new Head Coach as part ofthe Club’s new coaching team for next season. Originally from Ballymena, Alex played for his home club, before moving to Belfast Harlequins. He then took up his first coachingrole and spent four seasons with Ulster Rugby as their full-timeSenior Performance Analyst & Head of Analysis. He was also aCoaching Consultant for the Rotherham Titans in England.

Willie Faloon has also been appointed to the coaching team atCity of Armagh. A local resident, Willie attended the RoyalSchool and his professional rugby career took him to Ulster andthen to Connacht. Willie has just signed a new contract to returnto Ulster for the 2015-16 season.

Club President, Raymond has emphasised that both appointments underlines the Club’s determination to continue to progress as a club, both on and off the field. The First XV, following promotion, will be playing in the new re-structured Division 2B in the All Ireland League and we will be aiming forfurther success. The new coaching team, however, will have responsibility to ensure all our adult teams are successful andthere will be continued support for our Ladies, Youth and Minisections.

City Of Armagh RFC appoint new coaching team for 2015-16

City Of Armagh RFC launches new APP for your phone or tablet

Andy Rowan has created an App for City of Armagh Rugby Club, thefirst by a club in Ulster. The App will let you check out News, Fixtures,Events, Teams, Leagues and loads more!

To download the App to your phone, ipad or tablet computer, go to the Apple App Store or Google Play and download TEAM APP

Register and sign upto City of Armagh Rugby Club

It’s all FREE!

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Social Events

City of Armagh Rugby Clubwelcomed Film & TV Star,

Sam Neill to a Wine & Dineevent in the clubhouse. Star

of Jurassic Park and 60other films, Sam spoke

about growing up in Northern Ireland and his

expanding wine businessnow in New Zealand

- Two Paddocks.

SPORTS BREAKFAST

In April, over 425 members and guests from across the whole Armagh area attended a fundraisingbreakfast in conjunction with Armagh Rotary Club. Held in a massive marquee at the Palace Grounds,many sports stars attended from rugby, soccer and GAA. A delicious breakfast was provided by theYellow Door Deli and served by pupils from the Royal School rugby squad. Thank you to everyone who attended or helped with sponsorship and made the event such a success.

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Social Events

ANNUAL DINNER

This year’s Club Dinner in February was another terrific success with 120 membersand guests attending. Junior Vice President,John McKibben represented the UlsterBranch and the Guest Speaker was formerIrish International, Alan Quinlan.

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VIP Guests

Willie Faloon

IRFU President Louis Magee

Luke Marshall, Adrian Logan, Raymond Donnelly, Ian Henderson & Les Kiss Andy Ward

Lord Mayor’s pre-match reception at the Council Headquarters for Club representatives and Irish

Ladies Internationals, Ashleigh Baxter andGrace Davitt.

Ireland Assistant Coach, Les Kiss

Cheers from Tommy Bowe, Rory Best and Stephen Ferris

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Thank You to our Sponsors

Thank You also to our Match Sponsorsand other Sponsors

throughout the season