The RBS 6 Nations may have started this weekend, and in some style, but for there was just as much excitement to be found on the school rugby fields across the country too.
A handful of fixtures took place on Saturday, before the 7s took over on Sunday with time for the ISRFC Lambs to squeeze in a second fixture of the season too.
Saturday
Saturday saw some huge games of rugby, perhaps none more so than Warwick v Sir Thomas Rich’s. Sir Thomas Rich’s beat Millfield a few weeks ago, while Warwick are in serious preparation for their NatWest Cup semi final on the 4th March. Warwick’s certainly look as though they are well set for that game, beating Sir Thomas Rich’s 18-5 despite missing a number of players due to U18 Academy League commitments with Worcester Warriors.
Only a couple of weeks ago Warwick had lost to Hampton, so Whitgift would have been expecting a big performance as they hosted the South West London side on Saturday. They got a big performance, but the hosts held out for a 17-13 win.
Another of Warwick’s recent opponents were RGS High Wcycombe. They travelled to John Fisher for what is always an exciting and passionate encounter. Earlier in the season RGS had won this fixture but John Fisher got their revenge with a 22-17 win.
Staying in the south east, there was a good win for St Joseph’s College over Campion, securing a 24-14 victory. City of London Freemen’s meanwhile were in stunning form, beating Glyn 46-0. Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar kept up their good form with a 22-12 win over Dartford Grammar, while Latymer Upper were 36-7 winners over Ardingly College.
One of the most impressive performance of the weekend was a brilliant 59-0 win for Queen Ethelburga’s over a St Ambrose College side with a pretty decent record up to that point this season.
In the Midlands Loughborough Grammar were 24-10 winners away at Old Swinford Hospital, while King Henry VIII Coventry went down 33-7 to Welbeck.
In Scotland there was a strong 19-0 win for Dollar Academy over Ayr’s Wellington School.
Sunday
Sunday saw the ISRFC Lambs return to action after their intense 27-25 win over the Irish Exiles a fortnight ago. They travelled to Wales this weekend but faced a Crawshay’s Welsh XV in fine form or a horrible day unsuited to the Lambs’ ‘fast and free’ style of play, losing 34-17.
On the 7s circuit there were two massive tournaments filled to the brim with some of the top schools in the country, with huge 7s reputations, the Shiplake College 7s, and Portsmouth Grammar School’s South Coast 7s.
Bedford won last week’s Seaford College 7s and backed that up in outstanding style to claim the Cracknell Cup at the Shiplake 7s with a 33-21 win over Eastbourne College in the final. You can see our roundup of the Shiplake 7s here: Bedford claim back to back 7s titles.
Over at the South Coast 7s Millfield showed their class to win a thrilling competition featuring some of the traditional heavyweights of the school 7s circuit. The Somerset side met Brighton College in a thrilling final, just edging out their opponents for a 22-21 win. You can see our roundup of the South Coast 7s here: Millfield secure South Coast 7s title.
If you have any photos, videos, or reports from the weekend’s school rugby, please do send them in via email (writers@fifteenrugby.com ), Facebook (www.facebook.com/FifteenRugby ), or via Twitter (@FifteenRugbyXV).
Schools Rugby Weekend Results:
Saturday
Ardingly College 7-36 Latymer Upper
Campion 14-24 St Joseph’s College
City of London Freemen’s 46-0 Glyn
Dartford GS 12-22 Chislehurst & Sidcup GS
Dollar Academy 19-0 Wellington School
John Fisher 22-17 RGS High Wycombe
King Henry VIII, Coventry 7-33 Welbeck
Old Swinford Hospital 10-24 Loughborough
Queen Ethelburga’s 59-0 St Ambrose College
Shrewsbury 19-37 Bishop Vesey’s
Warwick 18-5 Sir Thomas Rich’s
Whitgift 17-13 Hampton
Sunday
ISRFC Lambs 17-34 Crawshay’s Welsh XV
Shiplake College 7s – Final – Bedford 33-21 Eastbourne College
South Coast 7s at Portsmouth Grammar School – Final – Millfield 22-21 Brighton College
Still to Come:
Cooper’s Coborn v Brentwood
Edinburgh Academy v Stewart’s Melville
Trent College v Leicester GS
