Despite being the final weekend of the season for a number of schools, this weekend was surely one of the mot important and exciting of the term.
The Champions Trophy final took place on Friday, while the Daily Mail Trophy was decided on Saturday, along with a number of exciting games that came without trophies.
As such picking out Top 5 School Teams of the Weekend was once again a tricky task, but here is our selection.
Top 5 School Teams of the Weekend
Berkhamsted
Berkhamsted went into Saturday as the firm favourites against London Oratory, and they proved that in style with a brilliant 64-0 victory. This game was about far more than just that though, victory makes it three years in a row that Berkhamsted have gone unbeaten at home. They are now moving into the realms of Stamford territory, though they have a while to go until their 5 year record. It is a quite brilliant achievement from Berkhamsted, and it will take a special side to stop them next year.
St Peter’s York
St Peter’s had a fantastic season last year, but they have surpassed that this year with a sublime season. They are undefeated outside of Cup competitions, only losing to QEGS Wakefield in the NatWest Cup, and that stunning form has seen them in the Top 10 of the Daily Mail Trophy. A 66-0 victory over Bradford Grammar was the icing on the cake on Saturday, and took them up to third in the tale, a position they will likely cement if they beat Pocklington on Saturday, which they will surely be highlight confident of doing.
Tonbridge
Tonbridge put in a huge display at Allianz Park on Friday afternoon in the Champions Trophy final. Facing the reigning champions, Bedford, was a monumental task but Tonbridge dug incredibly deep and put in a truly outstanding display to secure the title with a 17-10 win. It was everything that has been good against Tonbridge this season, with great power, awareness, and mental strength. It was a superb example of schoolboy rugby, and a fantastic victory for Tonbridge, one that will go down in the school’s history.
Warwick
Warwick headed into Saturday knowing that their most important game coming up would be Wednesday’s huge NatWest Cup quarter final against QEGS Wakefield. It would have therefore been understandable were they to be slightly distracted on Saturday, however against Oakham, the Champions Trophy semi finalists, that was a dangerous prospect in what was expected to be a close game. That Warwick were utterly focused was impressive, that they put in a crushing 45-13 performance against the men from Rutland was truly outstanding and a sign of the quality in the Warwick ranks.
Wellington College
Wellington College last year faced St Paul’s with a week to go in the season knowing that a win would seal back to back Daily Mail trophy titles. They lost that game, though they picked up the title a week later. This week they were faced with exactly the same situation, except this time it was for a third title in a row. Unlike last year Wellington were utterly ruthless, dispatching of St Paul’s by a 30-13 scoreline to claim an amazing third Daily Mail Trophy title in a row. It was a fitting tribute for Head Coach Kevin Brennan, who was in charge of his last home game with the 1st XV after 9 incredibly successful years, without doubt his sides will go down as some of the greatest there have been in schools rugby, Saturday was very much the icing on that cake.
