Sedbergh won their third HSBC Rosslyn Park National School Sevens title, their first since 2008, beating Woodhouse Grove in the final by a single try.
Conditions had been bad all week, with mutterings of Glastonbury doing the rounds, but rain overnight on Thursday left the pitches right at the very ragged edge.
Both Sedbergh and Woodhouse Grove dealt with the conditions better than anyone else, adapting their games to the more rugged style that conditions demanded.
They had both been scoring plenty of tries though, however as the rain and hail closed in ahead of the final it became inevitable that it would become a scrap.
An early Rob Stephenson try earned Sedbergh a 7-0 lead, which they admirably held onto for the rest of the game, giving them that first title since their 2008 win against John Fisher.
In truth Sedbergh were the best side on show, they beat reigning champions Coleg Sir Gar in the semi after beating Merchiston Castle, John Fisher and Mount St Mary’s earlier in the day.
Woodhouse Grove played with incredible heart and passion though, and after coming through the ‘Group of Death’ on Thursday they were visibly buoyed, defeating Hartpury, Hampton and St Joseph’s en route to the final.
It was an unusual knockout format this year with a first elimination round followed by four quarter final groups of three, the winners of which progressed to the semi finals.
It meant four very quality loaded groups, with Whitgift, Truro College and Coleg Sir Gar probably the most competitive. Sir Gar topped that group to reach the semi finals are recovering wonderfully well after only progressing to the knockouts as the best runners up.
Hartpury College and Hampton School had also been impressive all day, however Woodhouse Grove’s gritty determination and skilful play halted both of their progress.
In the Plate competition, Oaklands College took the win, beating Mount St Mary’s in the final after losing 19-7 to Hampton in the 1st elimination round to leave the Surrey 7’s champions competing for the Plate.
Ultimately though this was all about the Cup competition, the biggest sevens tournament in schoolboy rugby, once again living up to its reputation despite the conditions, for with the organisers must take great credit.
It would have been a dream for Woodhouse Grove to win in their first ever final but ultimately Sedbergh played with the confidence of a team that knew they could win, and ultimately their big game experience and adaptability to the conditions deservedly paid dividends.
In many ways it was just rewards for the men in brown, they have had a torrid season, disrupted by illness, injury and weather so to come away at the end of it with a trophy will have brought a smile back to the face of this school that is so rich in rugby heritage.
Open Knockout Results:
Champions – Sedbergh
Final
Sedbergh 7-0 Woodhouse Grove
Semi Finals
Hartpury 12-15 Woodhouse Grove
Sedbergh 28-5 Coleg Sir Gar
Quarter Final Groups
AA
Hartpury 24-0 Gwyr
Hartpury 24-19 Hurstpierpoint
Gwyr 5-19 Hurstpierpoint
BB
Woodhouse Grove 12-7 Hampton
Woodhouse Grove 21-12 St Joseph’s
Hampton 22-28 St Joseph’s
CC
Sedbergh 31-0 Merchiston Castle
Sedbergh 29-10 John Fisher
Merchiston Castle 12-22 John Fisher
DD
Truro College 33-5 Whitgift
Truro College 5-22 Sir Gar
Whitgift 15-19 Sir Gar
Plate
Final
Oaklands 31-5 Mount St Mary’s
Semi Finals
USA High School All American 10-15 Oaklands
Mount St Mary’s 29-14 Bishop Wordsworth
