There were some stunning results in this weekend’s schoolboy rugby calendar, with some big names taking stunning victories, and a few taking some hefty beatings too.
Our weekly Daily Mail Trophy prediction competition was as stunning as any that we can remember, with all five games producing memorable results for one reason or another.
Perhaps the most incredible of all was Millfield’s humbling of RGS High Wycombe, a side that had run Wellington College very close away from home last week. Millfield beat last year’s NatWest Cup semi finalists 67-7, a truly incredibly scoreline that owed much to the brilliance of full back Darren Atkins, and one that acts as an incredible statement of intent, and of the quality, from the Somerset school.
That was one of two games on our list that really seemed to capture the imagination of our readers, the other being Wellington College v Dulwich College, one of the best sides of the last few years against the three time NatWest Cup champions.
Wellington were favourites, or at least by our judgement, but Dulwich held them to an incredible 13-13 draw, and in fact led 13-7 at the break, leaving real positives for both sides. For Dulwich to have been able to dig in and achieve that result, and for Wellington to have the ability to big their way out of trouble to an extent and to secure the draw.
The result is an exact repeat of this fixture two season’s ago, and that year Dulwich College went on to an unbeaten season and their second successive NatWest Cup triumph, they will be hoping that this season pans out similarly. After that result, they might just find a few more people backing that possibility.
The game that really stood out for its historical context this weekend was Radley College v Sherborne. It was Radley’s centenary game and as such was played out infront of hundreds, if not thousands, of spectators.
Unfortunately for Radley it was not to be the result that they had hoped for as Sherborne played their way to a 26-7 victory, however one suspects that it will still be a game that players from both sides will remember for many years to come.
One side who will be hoping not to remember this weekend is Uppingham. They fell to a heavy 51-0 defeat to Bedford and face Daily Mail Trophy champions Woodhouse Grove on Tuesday in the inaugural Schools Champions Trophy competition.
Bedford will be delighted though, they have been among the top few schools recently and will have been looking to secure a big early victory in order to publicly prove their quality again this season.
Another great game in our prediction competition was the local derby between King’s Worcester and Solihull. Last year Solihull had a brilliant season, while King’s Worcester suffered a little. However yesterday King’s proved that they are back with a bang, securing a 20-13 victory, their third of the season to date.
Elsewhere St Joseph’s College continued their high scoring start to the season with a 43-5 victory over Bishop’s Stortford High School, while Grammar School at Leeds did likewise, winning 66-7 at home Ampleforth College to keep their fear factor very high.
Chetenham College surprisingly fell 39-12 to a Monmouth side who are fast building a very solid reputation this season. Epsom College are continuing exactly where they left of last year, beating Tonbridge last week and this week beating Harrow 46-17.
Equally impressive was John Fisher’s 59-8 decimation of Campion, while not many would have expected Bryanston to fall to Merchiston Castle.
If there was any result that shocked the system this weekend though it was that Woodhouse Grove, the undefeated 2013 Daily Mail Trophy champions, lost 27-17 to St Peter’s York – a stunning result.
If there is one thing that is always reliable in schoolboy rugby though, it is that when Stamford play at home, Stamford win. And so they did this weekend, beating Oundle 31-8, an impressive result under any circumstances.
Which result do you think is the most impressive/surprising this weekend? Let us know what you think via @FifteenRugbyXV or via the comment box below.
Daily Mail Trophy Prediction Competition Results:
Bedford 51-0 Uppingham
King’s Worcester 20-13 Solihull
Millfield 67-7 RGS High Wycombe
Radley College 7-26 Sherborne
Wellington College 13-13 Dulwich College
Previewed Fixtures – Results:
Bedford Modern 46-14 Haileybury
St Paul’s 39-8 Marlborough College
Stowe 37-0 Oakham
Warwick 13-8 Bromsgrove
Wimbledon College 10-17 KCS Wimbledon
Abingdon 33-37 Berkhamsted
Ashville College 8-52 Pocklington
Bishop Vesey’s 6-13 RGS Worcester
Bishop’s Stortford HS 5-43 St Joseph’s College
Bishop’s Wordsworth 22-25 Whitgift
Blundell’s 27-8 Bristol Grammar School
Brighton College 39-11 Hurstpierpoint
Caterham 18-12 Sutton Valence
Cheltenham College 12-39 Monmouth
Christ’s Hospital 22-31 Regate GS
Clifton College 22-5 King’s College Taunton
Cranbrook 62-0 Sevenoaks
Cranleigh 43-3 St John’s Leatherhead
Dame Allan’s 21-29 Newcastle School for Boys
Dean Close 14-22 Colston’s
Denstone College 65-7 Adams GS
Eastbourne College 6-38 Tonbridge
Ellesmere College 66-0 Old Swinford Hospital
Epsom College 46-17 Harrow
Grammar School at Leeds 66-7 Ampleforth College
Hampton 20-9 RGS Guildford
Hymers College 29-17 Bradford GS
John Fisher 59-8 Campion
King’s Canterbury 14-5 Worth
Kingswood 57-5 KES Bath
Langley Park 10-49 Skinners’
Leicester Grammar School 5-40 Northampton School for Boys
Lord Wandsworth College 10-12 Portsmouth GS
Lymm High School 34-14 St Joseph’s College, Stoke
Magdalen College 13-12 Bloxham
Manchester GS 7-44 King’s Macclesfield
Merchiston Castle 49-5 Bryanston
Mount St Mary’s 0-52 Stonyhurst
New Hall 0-24 The Perse
Pangbourne College 26-17 Aylesbury Grammar School
Prior Park 21-21 Malvern College
QEH 0-53 Sir Thomas Rich’s
Ratcliffe College 19-32 Princethorpe
Reed’s 38-14 St George’s, Weybridge
RGS Lancaster 5-22 QEGS Wakefield
RHS 27-17 Bishop’s Stortford College
Sandbach 16-51 Kirkham GS
Seaford 24-3 City of London Freemen’s
Sedbergh 41-29 George Watson’s
Shiplake College 7-23 Reading Blue Coat
Stamford 31-8 Oundle
St Benedict’s 90-0 Watford GS
St Edward’s, Liverpool 12-20 St Ambrose College
St Edward’s, Oxford 24-30 Rugby
St Peter’s York 27-17 Woodhouse Grove
Stockport GS 55-17 King William’s College
Trinity 60-0 Glyn
RGS Newcastle 41-17 Durham (Friday)
Still to come:
Oratory v Eton College