By 
STRABANE RFC picked up where they left off in Ulster Championship 3 after the Christmas break by recording a 24-0 bonus point win over Donaghadee on Saturday.
Having hauled themselves back into the promotion picture just before the festive period with a vital home win over Coleraine, Neville Magee’s men continued that forward momentum in County Down at the weekend when two tries from Ruan de Beer and touchdowns apiece for Alru Gous and Jake McDevitt along with two William Conversions earned them an important five points.
“It’s a good start to 2026. It was good to get the five point win and kick off the year with a bang!,” beamed head coach Magee, who was pleased to see his side put pressure on leaders, Virginia, who they play in a fortnight’s time.
He added: “We’re on 39 points now and Virginia are on 44, so we’re to play them and a good win against them would see the teams equal, so that will be the next one.
“It was good to get away to Donaghadee, away from home and get a bonus point win against a good side, who were hammering our line at times. We kept them out, so to get away from there with five points and them with zero is good for us.”
Before they tackle Virginia in County Cavan, Strabane will entertain Coleraine in the semi-final of the Gordon West Cup this coming Saturday when his troops will be determined to book a trip to Ravenhill.
“With a bit of silverware and a day out at Ravenhill [up for grabs] the guys are champing at the bit for this game on Saturday,” Magee said. “It’s something to look forward to. Home advantage is important because teams always seem to play better at home and with Coleraine having come here a few weeks ago when they fell to defeat, hopefully they’ll be coming back for something similar!”
