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THEY’RE friends off the pitch and colleagues on it but for just over an hour tomorrow morning, Ryan Mitchell and Stewart McCain will put that to the side as Omagh Academy and Enniskillen Royal Grammar School go toe-to-toe in the last-16 of the Danske Bank Schools Bowl at Campsie Playing Fields before they join forces immediately afterwards in a bid to help Omagh Accies defeat Portadown that afternoon.
Mitchell, who took on the role of teacher in charge of rugby at Omagh Academy at the start of September, is, like McCain, hoping to get one over his friend and club-mate on Saturday, but he’s keen to put the focus on the players rather than the coaches.
“It’s more about the players, it’s two good groups of players going against each other on Saturday,” he observed.
And he’d be correct in that view. Omagh were massively unlucky not to qualify for the Schools Cup proper after winning the last three of four group games against Regent House, Belfast High School and Bangor Grammar after losing to Ballyclare High in their opener, while ERGS won their first two encounters against Foyle College and Larne Grammar before injuries struck and they lost narrowly to both Coleraine Grammar and Friends.
And the matches between the Academy and Enniskillen have also been close thus far, with each enjoying a win apiece, which is why Mitchell is glad Omagh has home advantage on this occasion.
“We beat them before Christmas and we had some good wins in the group stage, but then, they beat us in the first game of the season as well,” he observed. “Both teams have had a win against each other so I think the thing that gives us a bit of confidence is the home draw.
“Whenever you get last-16 you want a home draw, especially on the back of our group stage games in the cup, home to Regent and home to Bangor, really suited us.
“The home thing gives us confidence but the guys still have to go out and do it on Saturday.”
Both teams will have to manage their emotions on the day and Mitchell admits that could be key come full-time, which is why his focus is on his players enjoying the experience of playing in a knockout derby.
“It’s always been the case when you get to this stage of the season and it’s knockout rugby there’s added pressure with that, but we’ll just be talking about them enjoying the experience of it being a local derby, knockout rugby and those being the days you’ll talk about for years, so really enjoy it,” he explained.
“The nerves side of things will only be natural but I think it’s a case of just prepping as well as we can and really, pressure is a funny thing. Our guys will put pressure on themselves to perform anyway because they are a good group who want to do well and they do that to themselves each week if it’s cup rugby or not cup rugby.”
McCain is also keen to focus on his players and the two teams rather than the relationship between the two coaches and he too is aware of the possibility of nerves playing a big part in proceedings.
“At the end of the day, it’s two teams with a lot of young kids playing, so you’re never quite sure how either team is going to take to a derby game or a big occasion, so it would be great to get the nerves settled,” he said.
“The guys are going to be up for it, but you have to be in control, you can’t do anything silly or be too up for it that you make silly mistakes, so it’s a tough one and with kids, you have to keep them in the right frame of mind. You don’t want to get them too over-hyped or agitated. It’s about going out and enjoying a game of rugby, try to throw the ball around and play some nice rugby. If we can do that, we’re in with a chance.”
Attentions turn to Accies
As soon as the final whistle blows at Campsie Playing Fields on Saturday, both Mitchell, who plays on the wing for the Accies and McCain, who is head coach, will turn their attentions to beating Portadown in Ulster Championship One.
And while both would gladly take the same outcome they achieved against the same opposition two weeks ago in the Towns Cup when they won 31-7, McCain knows they face a tough test on Saturday afternoon.
“It will be a tough one,” he acknowledged. “We obviously beat them a couple of weeks ago. Maybe they were a wee bit more focused on the league than the cup, while we had a good performance.
“We have had a week off whereas they had a good win against Bangor. Sometimes it’s nice to get a wee bit of momentum going, but we have to show up, do the basics really well and whenever we get the ball into the 22, take our chances.
“We hammer the guys every week about doing the basics really well, accurately with pace and intensity and if we can do that we have a chance. We have a good team, we have a lot of good players there, who are really hungry and committed to the team, so if we can do the basics well and also take risks – go out and throw the ball around and enjoy it – it’s anyone’s game.
“They’re coming down, second in the league, so there’s no doubt it’s going to be a tough game but hopefully the home crowd can play a role in that as well.”
