On Wednesday afternoon there was no so much local rivalry but, intra school rivalry when Royal Belfast Academical Institution III faced a home tie with Royal Belfast Academical Institution IV at Osborne.

It was overcast, windy, grey and cold as the teams took the pitch. The threatened rain started at kick off and only varied in intensity throughout the game making it a thoroughly miserable experience for players, this photographer, and the intrepid band of parents, who came to support.

With the ball like the proverbial bar of soap, the game was littered with scrums from knocks on. Both teams fought to conquer the conditions, which only worsened.

Eventually, the 3s put together a series of short forward drives for Zack Surphlis to go over . . .