The Campbell College 1st XV will walk out at Affidea Stadium for the Danske Bank Schools’ Cup Final carrying more than expectation and tradition on their shoulders.

This year’s campaign has been dedicated to the late Hubert John McKinney, whose influence on Campbell rugby spanned generations. John McKinney served the College for 43 years and helped shape its rugby identity through his coaching, standards and care for the boys he guided. As 1st XV Coach and later Master in Charge of Rugby, he led the College to four Schools’ Cup victories and supported countless pupils as they progressed to provincial and international honours. His presence on the touchline, his instinctive feel for the game and his unwavering belief in young players left a legacy that continues to be felt across the club.

Head Coach Ritchie McMaster and the 2026 squad chose to dedicate this Cup campaign to John. It was a decision taken quietly and respectfully, stitching ‘HJMCK’ onto every jersey: “Everything we do still bears John’s mark,” McMaster said. “The standards, the mentality and the expectation of how Campbell boys play the game are rooted in what he taught us. Wearing his initials is our way of keeping him with us.”

For the players, the tribute has been a source of motivation and perspective throughout the campaign. Many trained under John in their junior years, and all understand the weight of the jersey they wear and the man who helped define it. The initials HJMCK remind them that they play not only for themselves, but also for the generations of Campbell teams that came before them, and for a schoolmaster who devoted his life to their development.

The Schools’ Cup Final is always an important occasion in the College calendar; this year, it carries an added sense of meaning. As the 1st XV take to the field, they do so in honour of a coach and gentleman whose influence will endure long after the final whistle.

John’s initials sit proudly on the players’ jerseys, just as his legacy remains central to the story of Campbell rugby.

Ne Obliviscaris.