This weekend’s Top 5 Teams of the Weekend has a distinctly high scoring look to it.
Often we tend to have a real mix of big winners, close call winners, and surprise winners. This week though some of the sides that have particularly impressed us just happen to have scored big points.
Top 5
Barnard Castle
Wins against Merchiston Castle are always tough to gain and must be hard fought. That only serves to make Barnard Castle’s 55-17victory all the more impressive.
With Barnard Castle also through to the quarter finals of the Champions Trophy, they are really impressing this season.
Cranleigh
Cranleigh were certainly expected to beat Skinners’ at the weekend and probably to beat them well. So their 34-0 win is not necessarily a huge surprise but it all adds to the Cranleigh story this season, and it is a story of a very good team playing very good rugby, and crucially, playing consistently.
What is particularly impressive about Saturday’s result though is the nil part of it. Good defence is always vital, and to keep it going strong even when winning comfortably is a very good sign.
Durham
Astonishing. That is just about the only way to describe Durham’s 84-0 win over Hymers College on Saturday, the biggest scoreline of the day and one of the most impressive.
Hymers are struggling this year, no doubt, but scoring 84 points against any side is a huge achievement and speaks for some of the attacking quality that Durham were playing with. An 84-0 win is always astonishing, this one too.
It is the latest in a series of highly impressive results this season for Durham, and they are definitely a side to keep an eye, particularly as they now top the Daily Mail Trophy table.
Epsom College
Like Durham above, Epsom’s scoring of 61 unanswered points is hugely impressive. RGS Guildford are a team that Epsom would expect to beat, but to win by such a margin is impressive.
They are undoubtedly one of the top team’s in the country this season, Thursday’s victory over Eton College was certainly evidence of that, racking up such an impressive points total yesterday also did. Particularly as RGS are a solid enough side, who know how to defend well.
Look out for Epsom this year, especially in the Champions Trophy.
Wellington College
Finally to Wellington College, whose 40-12 victory over Millfield must be the most impressive of the entire weekend.
Wellington College were the slim favourites, but a dominant 40-12 victory must surely have been beyond expectations, even beyond their own expectations. It was all done without star England centre Matt Williams too, which only serves to make it even more impressive.
After losing to Dulwich a couple of weeks ago Wellington have been building nicely, it now looks as though they are coming to the boil and they have broken back into the Top 10 in the Daily Mail Trophy table, expect to see them climb even higher in the next few weeks.
