ALMOST from day one of this season’s Leinster Schools Senior Cup campaign, Clongowes Wood and St. Michael’s were lined up as two of the big favourites to make this afternoon’s St. Patrick’s Day decider at the RDS (3.30).

ULSTER’S Ian Humphreys has signed for his home province on a two-year deal. The former Ballymena Academy pupil has been playing for English side Leicester Tigers since the summer of 2005 when he left club side Belfast Harlequins.

IRELAND will get one last shot at redemption when they take on Italy in the final outing of the U18 Six Nations Festival at Cork Institute of Technology today (2.30pm).

Ireland U-18 Schools coach Peter Melia has made sweeping changes to his team ahead of their final outing against Italy tomorrow in the U-18 Six Nations Festival.

Michael Kelliher and David McSharry will form a new centre partnership for the Ireland U18 Schools team that takes on Scotland tomorrow and are two of six changes, two of which are in personnel, to the side that lost to Wales in their opening game of the U18 Six Nations Festival.

Ireland U-18 6 Wales U-18 25

PBC CORK’s Brian O’Hara has the honour of leading Ireland out before his hometown crowd for their opening game of the U18 Six Nations festival tonight (Musgrave Park, 7.30pm).

PBC Cork’s Brian O’Hara will have the honour of leading the Ireland U-18 Schools team in his home town when they play Wales tomorrow evening in their first game of the U-18 Schools Six Nations festival in Musgrave Park.

THE week long Six Nations Under-18 rugby tournament, which gets underway in Cork tomorrow, is estimated to be worth in excess of €500,000 to the economy of the city.

The Ireland school selectors have named their 26-man squad for the forthcoming Six Nations U-18 Festival that will be held for the first time in Cork over the Easter period.

A CONTROVERSIAL France try, seven minutes from time, denied Ireland a famous victory in an entertaining schoolboy Under-18 international at Temple Hill last night.

NINE Munster representatives start for the Ireland Schools Under-18 side in tonight’s tasty friendly against their French counterparts at Temple Hill (7pm).

Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern today visited Ballymena in the heart of Ian Paisley’s constituency without any loyalist protest.

Ireland U18 12 England U18 23, Burnbrae RFC, Glasgow

The Ireland schools team defeated Italy 22-5 in the first game of the Schools tournament in Glasgow, Scotland.

The Ireland Schools selectors have named a 26-strong squad to take on Japan U19s this weekend and also to represent Ireland at the 6 Nations U18 tournament to take place in Glasgow from April 8 to 14.

Police and representatives from schools in a town blighted by sectarian violence in the North today met an internet company about tackling hate messages on its site.

Tony Blair today told Catholic and Protestant teenagers brought together by the sectarian murder of Michael McIlveen that they had set an example which should be followed by the North's politicians.

The following are the Ireland Schools teams to play Ireland U19s and Ireland Youths over christmas.

Ulster Schools 10 Munster Schools 0

The Ireland Under 19 team & replacements to play their opening game in the IRB Under 19 World Championship against New Zealand Under 19 on Saturday, March 27 in Durban, South Africa has been named.

Royal School Armagh qualified for the Ulster Schools Senior Cup final against Campbell College at Ravenhill on St Patrick's Day by virtue of their 16-10 semi-final win over Ballymena Academy.

ULSTER COACH Alan Solomons has hit out at plans to reduce the Celtic League programme ahead of this evening’s Irish derby clash with Munster at Ravenhill (7.30 kick-off).

Munster 19 Ulster 13

The Irish Schools selectors have named an unchanged side (from the one that started against England) for the game against Welsh Schools in Narbeth on Sunday April 27 (2pm).

The Irish Schools team will attempt to continue their run of victories when they take on the England Schools in St Mary's RFC in Dublin on Saturday at 3pm.

CLONTARF, Lansdowne and Ballymena will be joined by either Buccaneers or Belfast Harlequins in the top four play-offs for the AIB League title this weekend.

Ulster Schools number eight Chris Henry inspired his Wallace High School to a 11-11 draw at Royal School Armagh.

The trial for the Ireland School's side takes place in Blackrock College, Williamstown, on Saturday at 2pm with several of last year's Ireland XV featuring on the Paul Nash (St Mary's College)-led Probables side.

A teacher has been suspended from one of Northern Ireland’s top grammar schools following a police probe into child pornography, it emerged today.