The draw for the 2017 South Coast 7s has been made, with Wellington College looking to defend their title.

Hosted at Portsmouth Grammar, the tournament takes place on Sunday 5^th February and brings together 16 of the top teams on the circuit.

Wellington College won last year’s title, beating Sherborne 10-7 in the final, and the two sides are kept apart again in this year’s draw. Wellington College in Group A, and Sherborne in Group D.

The sixteen sides are split into four groups of four, with the top two in each group going into the Cup quarter finals and the bottom two into the Shield quarter finalists.

Losers of the Cup quarters go into the Plate semis, while the winners of those quarter finals are in the Cup semi finals, similarly in the Shield, quarter final losers go into the Bowl semis, with winners in the Shield semis.

Joining Wellington College in Group A are Lord Wandsworth College, Pangbourne College, and the very dangerous Canford VII, who could be an early challenge to Wellington.

Sherborne’s company in Group D meanwhile includes last year’s Shield winners, Whitchurch High School. Whitchurch beat KCS Wimbledon 19-0 I last year’s Shield final, and are joined in Group D this year by Wimbledon College and an Epsom College side who will very much fancy their chances of progressing to the Cup knockouts.

Last year’s Plate was won by Millfield, who beat Reigate Grammar School 22-17. Millfield are drawn in Group C, where they will face the hosts, Portsmouth Grammar School, RGS Guildford, and last year’s Shield runners-up, KCS Wimbledon.

Reigate meanwhile are in Group B, where AASE side St Paul’s Catholic College will pose a threat, so to Peter Symonds’ College. However the real side to look out for in Group B are Brighton College, whose unbeaten fifteen-a-side season suggested that a strong 7s season might well be a possibility too, particularly given their Colts’ success at Rosslyn Park last year.

The Bowl will not have a defending champion this year, with neither Hartpury College, nor the side they beat in the final, The Oratory, attending this year.