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 5th Round, and ahead of that it looks like John Fisher are hitting form at just the right time, they beat Brighton College 21-15Â 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)
