A more productive outlet for the pupils' exuberance was found in rugby union and the school was the inaugural winner of the Ulster Schools Cup, beating Royal Belfast Academical Institution after three replays. They won it again the next year and continued to dominate the early years of the competition, winning it seven times in the first ten years. Fortunes waned after this, with only three finals contested between the victories in 1885 and 1977, none of which was won by the Royal. However, this lack of success is mitigated by the fact that the school did not compete in the competition for around fifty years following the death of a pupil during a match in 1928.