ROYAL Belfast Academical Institution are on course to retain the Danske Bank Schools' Cup after a thrilling 27-19 semi-final win over a gallant Ballymena Academy side at Kingspan Stadium on Monday.
Inst will meet the winners of Tuesday's second semi-final between Campbell College and Dalriada at the same venue (2.30pm) as they bid to record their first back-to-back triumphs in the competition since 1948.
As expected, Ballymena made the holders work extremely hard for their win, as they led 7-0 after a bright opening quarter and then fought back bravely after trailing 24-7 early in the second-half. However, after reducing the deficit to eight points with fewer than 10 minutes remaining, they were unable to add to their tally in the closing stages of a terrific contest as Inst defended well in the face of unrelenting pressure.
"We scored some cracking tries and that proved the difference between the teams, but the score flattered us a little and, if you concede three tries in a semi-final, you haven't played well," said a relieved RBAI coach Dan Soper.
"Maybe we relaxed a little when we were 27-12 up, I probably did so myself, but they came back at us very well and were the better side in the second-half."
Ballymena caused Inst all sorts of problems with their kicking game early in the game and only a last-gasp intervention prevented number eight Azur Allison from crossing the line in the eighth minute as he was bundled into touch.
The underdogs took a deserved lead in the 13th minute when prop David Forsythe barged over under the posts and fly-half Bruce Houston added the extras after Inst had conceded their first try in this season's competition. However, within four minutes, the holders were gifted one of their own when Ballymena scrum-half Michael Stronge's pass was intercepted by David Whitten and he showed terrific pace for a number eight to touch down, leaving James Hume with an easy conversion to tie things up at 7-7.
In the 24th minute, RBAI went ahead for the first time in the match when an inside pass from scrum-half Rhys O'Donnell released winger and team captain Conor Field, who went over, although Hume mad a mess of the conversion.
Three minutes before the break, Inst fly-half Michael Lowry and then winger Mark Keane set off on a couple of great breaks, but the latter's pass went astray and the chance was missed. But the same two players combined within 60 seconds. This time, Keane set up Lowry, whose pace proved too much for the Ballymena defence and he crossed the line for Inst's third try of the game, which Hume converted to make it 19-7 at half-time.
RBAI looked to have put the game beyond the Academy's reach seven minutes after the restart when Hume's pass found Keane and he dashed over in the corner for an unconverted try to put more daylight between the sides. But Ballymena hadn't read the script and they responded 13 minutes later when, after several phases, Stronge recycled possession on two occasions, the second of which left full-back Mark Thompson with time and space to touch down to reduce the arrears to 24-12.
Hume's 58th minute penalty eased the Inst supporters' nerves, but Ballymena rallied strongly as they finished the game in opposition territory. However, they ran out of time after Stronge put in lock Christopher McLeister for their third try, which was converted by Houston with eight minutes left.
