Ballymena and Campbell ready to renew rivalry in battle for Shield

LAST night’s heavy rain may well be to the advantage of the massive Ballymena Academy pack when they face Campbell College in the Danske Bank Medallion Shield final at Kingspan Stadium this afternoon (2.30pm).

Ballymena could look to keep the game tight, as a wider pitch may be to Campbell’s benefit.

One anxious spectator will be John Andrews, who coached the Firsts when they lost to Campbell in the Schools’ Cup quar- ter-final last month. He will have son Harry at No.8 and nephew Frankie in the second-row.

“We already have a 34-14 win over our opponents before Christmas but we expect they will have improved a lot in the meantime,” he said.

Campbell coach Gareth Fry said: “If we can match them physically the earlier result could well be reversed. Ballymena start favourites but from our point of view that is a good thing.”