The draw for Wednesday’s Hampton School Founders’ Day 7s has been announced.
Ten teams will compete split between two groups of give, with the winners of each group competing in the Cup Final, while the two runners-up will meet in the Plate final.
The tournament has seen a bit of a shake up this season, two new teams come in, St Paul’s Catholic College and UCS, while Hampton’s 2nd VII will also compete. For the first time the competition is also seeded, with the four sides from the Cup and Plate finals last year given 1st and 2nd seedings, with one of each in each group. For the first time points difference rather than tries scored will be the deciding factor should two teams finish level on points.
Hampton won the competition for the first time last year with a quite brilliant performance throughout the afternoon, they therefore head up an exciting Group 1. Joining them are last year’s Plate winners, John Fisher, who have always been strong performers at this competition, winning the Cup in 2010 and most recently in 2015.
Completing the Group are Campion, winners in 2008 and runners-up in 2009, St Joseph’s College, who perhaps surprisingly have never reached the final despite some excellent teams, and the new boys St Paul’s Catholic College from the AASE League.
Group 2 is headed by last year’s runners-up, Cranleigh, who of course famously built on that performance to finish the 7s season by winning the HSBC Rosslyn Park National School 7s. They most recently won this competition in 2012, backing up their 2011 victory, while in 2013 they won the Plate.
Joining them are last year’s Plate runners-up, St Benedicts, last year was their best ever performance here so they will be hoping to build on that. Standing in their way will be a mighty Brighton College side who went through the fifteen-a-side season unbeaten. They have a strong record in this competition, winning it in 2014 and winning the Plate in 2015. UCS are in Group 2 in their first appearance in the competition, and the group is rounded off by Hampton’s 2nd VII.
The competition begins at 13.10 on Wednesday 22nd February, culminating in the two finals at 16.50.
| 2017 Hampton School Founders’ Day 7s Draw | |
| Group 1 | Group 2 |
| Hampton | Cranleigh |
| Campion | UCS |
| St Paul’s Catholic College | Hampton 2nd VII |
| St Joseph’s College | Brighton College |
| John Fisher | St Benedict’s |
| Schedule | ||
| Time | Group 1 | Group 2 |
| 13.10 | Hampton v Campion | Cranleigh v UCS |
| 13.30 | St Paul’s CC v St Joseph’s | Hampton 2nd v Brighton College |
| 13.50 | Hampton v John Fisher | Cranleigh v St Benedict’s |
| 14.10 | Campion v St Paul’s CC | UCS v Hampton 2nd |
| 14.30 | St Joseph’s v John Fisher | Brighton College v St Benedict’s |
| 14.50 | Hampton v St Paul’s CC | Cranleigh v Hampton 2nd |
| 15.10 | Campion v St Joseph’s | UCS v Brighton College |
| 15.30 | St Paul’s CC v John Fisher | Hampton 2nd v St Benedict’s |
| 15.50 | Hampton v St Joseph’s | Cranleigh v Brighton College |
| 16.10 | Campion v John Fisher | UCS v St Benedict’s |
| 16.50 | Plate Final – Pitch 2 | |
| 16.50 | Cup Final – Pitch 1 | |
