JONATHAN DRENNANon the Belfast school that, as well as winning a record 33 Ulster senior cups, has provided seven of the province's senior squad

THE FIRST smear of polish is just visible on the Ulster School’s Cup that Methodist College Belfast won for a record 33rd time on St Patrick’s Day. Barely two months on from that momentous day at Ravenhill, the school’s director of rugby, Nicky Wells, is sitting in his office plotting next year’s campaign.

It’s 7.15 am on a Monday morning and as the sun slowly rises over the school in south Belfast, Wells prepares to guide next year’s eager charges through a gruelling weights programme which started two weeks after the cup was lifted.

Wells is humorous and good company. His school has provided seven former pupils for Ulster’s remarkable charge for the Heineken Cup this season, which gives him great pride.

“It’s incredible. Every single one of those boys deserves it, with guys like Paddy Jackson, Paul Marshall, Adam Macklin, Niall Annett and Craig Gilroy, I can tell you it’s down to the sheer hard work they’ve put in over the years. The sacrifices those boys have made in their lives are enormous. They just worked and worked and look where it’s got them. It gives me great satisfaction that as a school we gave them an environment where they could go on to these great things.”

Wells’ predecessor in the coach’s dugout is his father, David (72). The Tyrone native spent over 40 years patrolling the school’s first XV pitch at Pirrie Park, before taking voluntary semi-retirement to take charge of the young first formers getting their first taste of rugby.

“Whenever a new group of youngsters enters the school we impress upon them the tradition that’s gone before them and we say you’re the little men who are going to carry it on further, the reputation rests with you,” says Wells

Methodist College Belfast, more commonly known as Methody, have established themselves as the dominant rugby school in Ulster. The school have provided a few notable players for the province before, most notably Ireland and Lions secondrow Jeremy Davidson, but never on this scale. For a province that has recently been unjustly accused of relying too heavily on foreign imports, schools like Methody are vital for Ulster’s future.

Niall Malone works for the Ulster branch as an elite development officer and as a Methody old boy and former Ulster and Ireland outhalf, is well qualified to assess the school’s recent success.

“Against Munster we had five Methody players out on the pitch at one stage, which is incredible. Methody has always had this professional approach to rugby and now every school is copying them. All the Methody boys in the Ulster squad took a different journey, whether it was Paddy (Jackson) playing Irish under-19s at school, or Craig (Gilroy) grafting his way up through Bangor rugby club when he left, they’ve all done brilliantly.”

Ulster scrumhalf Marshall remembers his time at Methody with affection and smiles when recounting the memories.

“I was never a star, I was in and out of the team from a young age, I was on the B team in my first year, then started to make the A team regularly a few years later. But playing for Davy Wells in a schools’ cup winning team was what kept me going, that’s all I wanted to do at that age.”

Marshall showed tenacity, asking to train with the first team when he was a raw 15-year-old fullback for the third XV and he modestly attributes his recent success to his rugby education on Methody’s playing fields.

“Our coaches wanted people with the right attitude and I knew I could at least fulfil that. Being honest, there were a lot better players than me at Methody, but I just wanted to get better as a player so badly, and I think people recognised that and ultimately helped me to get where I wanted to be in my rugby career.”

At 26, Marshall is approaching relative veteran status within a young squad and surrounded by former schoolmates. He laughs when he remembers current Ulster outhalf Jackson (20) constantly interrupting his lunchtime prefect duties.

“Paddy was quite a few years below me, and I first came across him in the playground; he was this small 10-year-old who was in Fullerton (Methody’s primary school) always asking all about rugby; it’s crazy to think how we’re both on the big stage now.”

Jackson is barely out of school and he still finds his new-found fame as Ulster’s outhalf startling.

He is on his way to Banbridge rugby club to hand out prizes for a mini rugby competition. He laughs, “Rory Best shafted me this morning, so I have had to travel down, but it’s brilliant for me to be able do it; I find signing autographs a bit strange, but also flattering. I remember getting a prize off Jeremy Davidson for mini rugby at that age and I’ve never forgotten that.”

After initially growing up in England due his father’s work, the Jackson family’s return to Belfast paid dividends for the school and ultimately his province.

“In England it was all about football, but as soon I went to Fullerton and then Methody, rugby dominated things. I was lucky to get into the A team from the start, and rugby became an obsession.”

Methody prides itself on its high academic standards, one alumni, Ernest Walton, was a Nobel prize winner for splitting the atom and the school regularly send pupils to Oxford and Cambridge. Jackson admits he found the academic rigours of Methody tough at times.

“When it came to playing in schools’ cup, the atmosphere around the school is something I will always remember, but when it came to the work in the classroom, the teachers didn’t really care about the rugby. I think although I came out with good grades in the end, the more I got into rugby, the more my studies suffered.”

Jackson played under the captaincy of current Ulster prop Macklin, before captaining the school in his final year.

“I think these amazing experiences I got in school started something, I always knew playing rugby was what I wanted to do ultimately. I don’t want to sound arrogant at all, but with rugby, I sort of just knew I could do it, but I didn’t think it would work out as well as it has.”

For the semi-final victory over Edinburgh at an almost-filled Aviva Stadium, Jackson was drafted in as a surprise starting outhalf. At such a young age, he appeared the calmest man in the stadium. Did it feel that way?

“No, not really,” he smiles. “I’m glad I look calm, because like anyone before a big game, you get all sorts of nerves. But I remember speaking to Neil Doak (Ulster backs coach) before the kick-off and he asked me how was I feeling. I told him I was a bit nervous and he said just imagine you’re out there playing at Pirrie Park, and that’s just what I did.”

Thousands of nervous Ulster fans, eagerly counting down the seconds to kick off at Twickenham on Saturday, will hope each of their province’s former Methody pupils imagine they are still throwing the ball around the muddy field at Pirrie Park, having the time of their lives.