Millfield started off their 7s season with a bang on Sunday, winning the South Coast 7s at Portsmouth Grammar School.
Despite losing to the host school in the group stages, Millfield recovered in style to beat Sherborne 33-17 in the quarter finals and Reigate Gramamr School 31-0 in the semis.
The final was an altogether stiffer test though as they faced a Brighton College side who were full of exciting rugby and had topped Group B. A thrilling game ensued, with Millfield just edging it by a point, 22-21, to claim the Cup.
Last year’s champions, Wellington College, claimed the Plate, which last year was won by Millfield. Wellington topped their group but lost 12-7 to Reigate Grammar in the quarter finals, sending them into the Plate. There they beat Sherborne in the semi finals before claiming the silverware with a 29-14 win over Canford in the final.
The Cup and Plate were for the teams finished in the top two in their groups, there were four groups of four. The bottom two in each went to the Shield quarter finals, which followed a similar format, with the quarter final losers transferring to the Bowl semi finals.
St Paul’s Catholic College, on of the AASE Colleges, claimed the Shield with a 35-12 win over Peter Symonds’ College in the final. The two had both come from Group B, with Brighton winning it and Reigate coming second, though interestingly Peter Symonds’ had actually finished above St Paul’s having beaten them 22-7 in the group.
KCS Wimbledon claimed the Bowl, they beat RGS Guildford 33-0 in the final, having been knocked out of the Shield quarters by local rivals Wimbledon College in a thrilling game, 20-21. A bye in the Bowl semis, as Pangbourne College dropped out, saw KCS reach the final well rested and they duly collected the silverware.
The South Coast 7s has a reputation as being one of the toughest 7s tournaments on the circuit, and no wonder with so many top teas competing. It is almost always a good early indicator of who will be there or thereabouts as we all look ahead towards the HSBC Rosslyn Park National School 7s, so it is definitely worth keeping an eye on Millfield and Brighton College, two sides who always have excellent 7s sides, while Reigate Grammar’s win over a young Wellington College side (albeit missing several players) is noteworthy.
For Millfield it is the perfect start to the 7s season, they pride themselves on their 7s which is almost always played the ‘right’ way, making it a pleasing spectacle for those pitchside.
Across the board though it looks like we are in for another thrilling 7-a-side season.
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).
South Coast 7s Results:
Cup Final
Millfield 22-21 Brighton College
Semi Finals
Reigate GS 0-31 Millfield
Brighton College 38-7 Epsom College
Quarter Finals
Wellington College 7-12 Reigate Grammar School
Millfield 33-17 Sherborne
Brighton College 28-14 Canford
Portsmouth Grammar School 12-28 Epsom College
Plate Final
Wellington College 29-14 Canford
Semi Finals
Wellington College 24-7 Sherborne
Canford 12-7 Portsmouth Grammar School
Shield Final
St Paul’s Catholic College 36-21 Peter Symonds’ College
Semi Finals
St Paul’s Catholic College 35-12 Whitchurch High School
Peter Symonds’ College 19-17 Wimbledon College
Quarter Finals
Lord Wandsworth College 7-50 St Paul’s Catholic College
Whitchurch High School 21-12 RGS Guildford
Peter Symonds’ College 40-0 Pangbourne College
KCS Wimbledon 20-21 Wimbledon College
Bowl Final
KCS Wimbledon 33-0 RGS Guildford
Semi Finals
KCS Wimbledon v Pangourne College – Bye
RGS Guildford 31-24 Lord Wandsworth College
Final Group Standings | ||||
Pos | Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D |
1 | Wellington College | Brighton College | Portsmouth Grammar School | Sherborne |
2 | Canford | Reigate Grammar School | Millfield | Epsom College |
3 | Lord Wandsworth | Peter Symonds’ College | KCS Wimbledon | Whitchurch HS |
4 | Pangbourne College | St Paul’s Catholic College | RGS Guildford | Wimbledon College |
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