Saturday was a day that produced some outstanding games with wall to wall international rugby, but down at school level things were no less exciting, or predictable.

Friday set things up nicely with five evening games, where Yarm, Merchant Taylors, and Beechen Cliff picked up victories, with Trinity getting yet another big score, 57-0 over Langley, and Reed’s winning at Esher RFC against Wimbledon College, 20-12.

Prediction Competition

This week’s Daily Mail Trophy Prediction Competition saw five hugely competitive looking fixtures that more than delivered on that promise.

Woodhouse Grove built on their fantastic victory over Grammar School at Leeds last week by beating Durham 26-20. After a dodgy first half of term the 2013 Daily Mail Trophy champions are now unbeaten since half term.

Hampton v Dulwich College had the look of a great game of rugby in the build up, Dulwich had been unbeaten up until a last gap defeat to Whitgift last week, while Hampton were really starting to hit form after a horrible injury crisis.

Dulwich led 7-0 at half time but a brilliant comeback in torrid conditions from Hampton saw them turn that around for a 15-7 victory, with big NatWest Cup fixtures coming up, that is a big statement from Hampton.

Speaking of the NatWest Cup, it looks like Dulwich and John Fisher will meet in the 5^th Round, and ahead of that it looks like John Fisher are hitting form at just the right time, they beat Brighton College 21-15  on Saturday, a brilliant effort against a Brighton side who have been playing well.

Up in Cumbria Sedbergh were looking to bounce back after they fell to a defeat against Kirkham Grammar School last week. Their task was not an easy one, the outstanding Warwick School were the visitors, and the West Midlands side arrived determined to make it two losses on the trot for their hosts.

Sedbergh weathered the storm though, secured a five point 22-17 victory over the visitors. It was no straightforward victory though, and by all accounts this was a game that could have gone either way.

Sedbergh’s only other defeat this year had been to Whitgift, who had lost to Warwick, and Millfield were Whitgift’s opponents on Saturday. Millfield play Grammar School at Leeds in the Champions Trophy final on Wednesday so there was speculation as to how competitive they would be on Saturday.

The answer was simply – massively competitive. They were over the long trip from Somerset to Croydon in a flash, running out dominant winners by a 41-10 scoreline, the perfect preparation for Wednesday’s final.

Previewed Fixtures

Campion v St Benedict’s looked an intriguing fixture when we previewed it, both have looked strong all season and so it proved as they played out a real ding dong affair, with St Benedict’s coming away as 34-26 winners.

Stamford are under real pressure now to pull of an unbeaten season having passed their most stringent tests already, with that in mind, Denstone were always going to be a tricky opponent. So it proved as Denstone ran their visitors perilously close, just falling to a 14-10 defeat. For Stamford though, the run continues, and what a top side they are proving to be.

QEGS Wakefield and Bradford Grammar School played out an absolute classic, QEGS surged into the lead but Bradford chopped their way back brilliantly to win 21-19 in a Yorkshire derby that will be remembered as a classic.

Elsewhere

Abingdon and Bedford Modern continued their fine seasons, both scoring over thirty points as they marched to victory. Clifton College were in fine form against Bristol Grammar, winning 24-7, while Bryanston had something to cheer about too, they beat Portsmouth Grammar 30-5.

Bromsgrove prepared for their NatWest Cup tie against Warwick with a superb 49-3 victory over Colston’s, and Kirkham Grammar School were once again in ridiculously good form, beating Mount St Mary’s 61-5.

In the Reading derby, Reading Blue Coat beat Reading School 43-5, while over at Pate’s Grammar School the hosts were in outstanding form as they put St Peter’s Gloucester to the sword with a 41-0 victory.

All in all yet another brilliant weekend of schools rugby!

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Schools Rugby Results:

Prediction Competition

Durham 20-26 Woodhouse Grove

Hampton 15-7 Dulwich College

John Fisher 21-15 Brighton College

Sedbergh 22-17 Warwick

Whitgift 10-41 Millfield

Previews

Campion 26-34 St Benedict’s

Denstone College 10-14 Stamford

QEGS Wakefield 19-21 Bradford GS

Other Fixtures

Abingdon 31-5 RGS Guildford

Bedford Modern 32-0 St Albans

Berkhamsted 43-0 Haberdashers

Bishop’s Stortford HS 12-29 Uppingham

Bristol GS 7-24 Clifton College

Bryanston 30-5 Portsmouth GS

Caterham 20-29 Skinners’

Churcher’s 0-15 Seaford College

City of London Freemen’s 25-15 Reigate GS

Colston’s 3-49 Bromsgrove

Emanuel 0-19 Worth

KES Birmingham 10-40 Loughborough GS

King’s Canterbury 12-32 Tonbridge

King’s Worcester 25-17 Bablake

Kingswood 54-3 King’s College Taunton

Lymm HS 40-17 Wirral GS

Manchester GS 17-12 Altrincham GS

Mount St Mary’s 5-61 Kirkham GS

Pate’s GS 41-0 St Peter’s Gloucester

Reading Blue Coat 43-5 Reading School

RGS Colchester 24-19 Eltham College

RGS Newcastle 52-3 Dame Allan’s

Solihull 27-12 Nottingham HS

St George’s Weybridge 28-12 Hurstpierpoint College

St Joseph’s College 51-8 Royal Hospital School

Stockport GS 53-12 Bolton

The Perse 12-3 Norwich

Wellingborough 8-10 Princethorpe College

Friday

Beechen Cliff 17-14 KES Bath

Merchant Taylors 15-0 Shiplake College

Trinity 57-0 Langley Park

Wimbledon College 12-20 Reed’s

Yarm 24-19 Newcastle Schools for Boys

Still to come

Crypt GS v Sir Thomas Rich’s

KCS Wimbledon v St John’s Leatherhead (St John’s win)