The pair were due to meet in the 2020 Schools’ Cup final, but after years of hard work and sacrifice from both sets of players, they were cruelly denied their opportunity on the biggest stage due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, half-a-decade later, they’ve now worked their way back to Ravenhill and while Wallace have sights set on winning the competition for the first time after previously losing out in five finals, Royal School Armagh can call upon the lessons of history in pursuit of further glory. Armagh’s ‘Class of 2004’, who were led by ‘Captain Fantastic’ John McCall and also included future Ulster star Willie Faloon, wrote their names into the history books in some style, dispatching educational powerhouses Methody, Inst, Ballymena Academy and Campbell College on route to ending a 27-year wait for competition success. That triumph is still spoken about in the corridors on College Hill and there’s a through line from past glory to present hope with current Director of Rugby Jonny Gillespie leading the current crop to the big dance 21 years to the day after pulling the strings at out-half. Armagh were able to break the Belfast Schools’ Cup stranglehold on that afternoon, ending nine consecutive years of the famous trophy making a familiar trip back to the capital, and there’s a similar significance this time around. Schools from Belfast have won the last 12 editions – a run which will cease regardless of victor – and Kenny Hooks, the former Ireland international who masterminded Armagh’s previous success, reflects back fondly. "We had the toughest possible route against Methody, Inst, Ballymena and Campbell,” he said. “They are recognised as some of the biggest and most successful schools in the country so to beat them all on the way to winning was a remarkable achievement. "It doesn't happen that often, so you do appreciate it that bit more - you don't take it for granted. "It's a special thing for the school, for the boys and the area. We'd support from right across the community last time and it'll be the same this time.” It was a couple of years prior where Armagh perhaps harboured their greatest Schools’ Cup hopes in over two decades, fielding a team that included Gareth Steenson – an out-half who would go on to amass 2,630 points for Exeter Chiefs while helping them claim both domestic and European honours – and future Ireland international Tommy Bowe. While star quality also ran through the 2004 squad, it was the intangibles, such as hard work and dedication, that helped inspire a magical run. "As individuals maybe it wasn't the most talented team as two years before we'd a team with Gareth Steenson and Tommy Bowe both playing, but this group had no weaknesses in the team,” added Hooks. “They had all-round ability and the hunger to win was there. "They had star quality with a lot of very talented individuals, but the most important thing was the dedication and hard work they put in. "They had a real hunger to win, were willing to work hard and had great leadership. They didn't need to be told what to do and could make decisions themselves. "They knew the game and were prepared to work beyond the training sessions, doing their own bits and pieces - there was no chasing after them to do weights or train. They wanted to win." Thousands will be in attendance at Ravenhill on St Patrick’s Day, but very few aware of the true sacrifice required to make it this far, from early morning weight sessions to running drills in bleak winter cold in order to enjoy a day in the sun. The Schools’ Cup dream is one that often balances on a tightrope, always only one slip away from disaster, and Ethan Allen, who scored for Armagh in 2004, was aware of what was on the line. "It did feel like a massive moment,” he recalled. “It's all everyone was talking about. "Having a good Schools’ Cup run is all anybody wanted and it's what you spent all season waiting for. The whole year was all about the Schools Cup...after Christmas it was Schools Cup time. "It was kind of cruel in one sense because your season could be over after one game. "In the final, we had an Australian guy called Phil Pollock who was working with us...I remember at Ravenhill warming up and you're watching the crowd fill in. "He told us to go for a jog down the whole length of the pitch and back. We were right in front of the Campbell crowd and we got jeered and whatever else...when we came back he said 'there you go, that's the worst they can do'." Members from that squad are now dispersed all over the world with some living in Australia, others in Canada, but there’s still a special bond that was formed through both success and tragedy after the passing of team-mates McCall and Todd Graham. Last year, Hooks retired from teaching at the Royal School Armagh having originally joined in 1983, and when it came to throwing a retirement party, members of that Schools’ Cup-winning side made sure they were present. Allen and Co would be all too happy to hand the baton over to this group of Armagh stars and he hopes they can seize the opportunity. "They've a chance to do exactly what we did,” added Allen. “It has been many years since the school won the trophy at Ravenhill. "I was at Kenny's retirement do and I remember one of the guys saying to me 'you're still dining out on that aren't you?!'. I hope they take the chance, enjoy it and it'll be their turn to be the team to beat."