Munster Schools Cup players along with SEAT ambassadors Donnacha Ryan and Alan Quinlan gathered in Blackwater Motors, Fermoy this week to launch the SEAT Munster Schools Senior and Junior Cups competitions, ahead of the Senior Cup’s opening round fixtures this week. 2015 marks the 106th Munster Schools Cup and the second year that SEAT, the official car partner to the Munster team, has been involved in the competition.
For the second year running, sponsor SEAT will be naming the 2015 SEAT Team of the Munster Schools Senior Cup at the end of the competition. A team of 15 outstanding players will be selected by the Munster Rugby Schools Committee who will have representatives attending all Schools Senior Cup matches. SEAT will also present a Fair Play award, which will recognise good or sporting behaviour or other actions by players, schools and officials involved in the SEAT Munster Schools Cups.
Commenting at the launch, Neil Dalton Head of Marketing & Product SEAT Ireland said; “We are delighted to be officially launching the SEAT Munster Schools Senior and Junior Cup competitions. This competition has a proud tradition and we along with our dealers throughout Munster are looking forward to another exciting season of schools rugby, and would like to wish the best of luck to all of the competing schools in this year’s competitions”.
Bertie Smith, Munster Branch Senior Vice President also commented, “I am really looking forward to both the Munster Senior and Junior Schools’ Cups over the next number of weeks. Last year I saw most of the games in both competitions and I was highly impressed with the way all teams were positive in the way they played the games. There was a very high level of skill on display both individually and on a team basis. A number of those Senior players from last year have gone on to play at Under 20 level with Munster, at AIL level with their clubs and we hope to see some of them appearing for Ireland Under 20 in both the 6 Nations Championship and the World Cup this year.
“I do not expect anything less from the current batch of players that will be very well prepared by their coaches to represent their respective schools this year. I expect a high level of competition and that a number of the players will go on to play professionally with Munster in the footsteps of current players who displayed their talents in the Junior and Senior Cups in recent and not so recent years. I know that these players owe a lot to the grounding they got in tight and competitive school cup games – such household names as Paul O’Connell (Ardscoil Rís), Peter O’Mahony and Simon Zebo (PBC), Conor Murray, Keith Earls and Donnacha Ryan (St. Munchin’s), Duncan Casey (Glenstal Abbey), Donncha O’Callaghan and Billy Holland (CBC) and Dave O’Callaghan (Midleton College).
“I wish all schools and especially the players the very best of luck in the next few weeks.”
