SCHOOLS’ CUP FINAL: Jamie Kirk drawing on ‘identity’ for RBAI glory bid

Jamie Kirk thinks the school as a whole is deeply committed to the cup tradition. “We are thrilled about the opportunity we have, and our primary goal is to position ourselves to deliver a strong performance,” Kirk added. “The boys who attend Inst are deeply rooted in their rugby identity. Their attachment to both the school and the rugby club is evident around the campus, and I believe this is a true asset.

“In the past few weeks, there have been instances of it. The first XV boys assisted in organizing and cheered on the lads in the under-14 event.

“There are no questions asked when there is a team in a game, that is meaningful. There were boys from last year at the Year 8 tournament at BRA, second XV cup, Medallion Shield. “That, in my opinion, is only one illustration of the culture that permeates the entire institution. It is important to recognize the strength of this bond.

“We are very fortunate to have a lot of dedicated coaches and staff members who want to bring the best for the boys. We will definitely look to harness that and use it in performances. That is probably one of the big rocks to start.”

By kickoff, Kirk’s team is ready to play in whatever weather conditions have emerged.

He stated, “You just don’t want to have one plan of attack because the conditions in the final will play a big factor in the game.” “You must be able to ensure that you are capable of playing the circumstances.

Ballymena deserves praise for their excellent execution of their game plan in the semifinal. We had better weather and were happy with several parts of our performance, but we also felt that we could have done a better job in some areas after doing a lot of reviewing.

“We have a lot of work to do; it is definitely not the case that we feel the semi-final was a complete performance.”

One area where Inst has shown susceptible during their cup run is the lineout.

“The boys find it exciting to take on a team that is highly skilled at set piece, as there is a constant emphasis on it,” he remarked. “They will keep each other accountable for making sure they nail their particular roles in the set piece, as we have discussed as a squad.

“And if we do that correctly, I believe the battle up front will be exciting.”

As the reigning champions, Inst, Kirk wants his team to learn from its mistakes from a year ago.

“There’s probably some familiarity and experience from trial and error of what worked in the preparation last year and what we could have done better for the off-pitch stuff,” he remarked. “In that sense, it does provide you some experience and a chance to consider how the boys can perform on the big day.

“I believe that the guys will also take some confidence from having been there before and knowing a little bit of what to expect because they have been a part of that bigger stage and big occasion.”​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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