One of the biggest pre-season indicators ahead of the new schools rugby season will come on Saturday at King’s Macclesfield.
Twenty schools will come together from all around the country for an intense and exciting pre-season festival on Saturday.
The teams will play over four groups, with group 1 consisting of Reed’s, Rydal Penrhos, Solihull, and schools rugby giants, QEGS Wakefield, as well as one of the strongest sides in the country for the last few year’s, Kirkham Grammar School.
The game to look out for here seems likely to be that big Kirkham Grammar v QEGS Wakefield game, which kicks the Festival off a 10.00am on Saturday.
Group 2 sees Sandbach and RGS Lancaster make the short trip, along with Giggleswick, while Denstone College, so strong a couple of years ago, also make the trip. Bristol Grammar School, who last year boasted two thirds of the England U18 front row, make the long trip up for this exciting pre season competition.
Over in Group 3 there is a huge midlands fixtures between Oakham and Warwick, that game will kick off at 12.15pm. Joining those two are fellow midlanders Old Swinford Hospital, as well as Manchester Grammar and King’s Bruton.
The hosts, King’s Macclesfield, are in Group 4. They open their day at 11.45am against Oundle, before fixtures against KES Bath (12.45pm), St Joseph’s College (2pm), and Trent College (2.30pm).
All in all it should be a good quality tournament, and a useful last chance for teams to get their final preparation in ahead of the start of the full season. For those of us on the outside looking in, it ought to give us a good chance to gauge the relative strengths of each of the twenty schools in attendance.
If you have any videos, photos, or reports from the King’s Macclesfield Festival, feel free to send them in via Twitter (@FifteenRugbyXV), Facebook (www.facebook.com/FifteenRugby), Instagram(@fifteenrugbyxv), or through email (writers@fifteenrugby.com)
King’s Macclesfield Festival Groups and Fixtures:
Group 1 Teams
Kirkham GS
QEGS Wakefield
Reed’s
Rydal Penrhos
Solihill
Group 1 Fixtures
10am – Kirkham GS v QEGS Wakefield, Solihull v Rydal Penrhos
10.30am – Reed’s v Rydal Penrhos
11am – Kirkham GS v Solihull, QEGS Wakefield v Reed’s
12.15pm – QEGS Wakefield v Solihull
12.45pm – Kirkham GS v Reed’s, QEGS Wakefield v Rydal Penrhos
1.30pm – Reed’s v Solihull
2pm – Kirkham GS v Rydal Penrhos
Group 2 Teams
Bristol GS
Denstone College
Giggleswick
RGS Lancaster
Sandbach
Group 2 Fixtures
10am – Bristol GS v Giggleswick, Denstone College v RGS Lancaster
10.30am – Denstone College v Giggleswick, Sandbach v RGS Lancaster
11am – Bristol GS v Sandbach
11.45am – Bristol GS v Denstone College, Giggleswick v RGS Lancaster
12.15pm –Denstone College v Sandbach
12.45pm – Bristol GS v RGS Lancaster
1.30pm – Giggleswick v Sandbach
Group 3 Teams
King’s Bruton
Manchester GS
Oakham
Old Swinford Hospital
Warwick
Group 3 Fixtures
10.30am – King’s Bruton v Warwick
11am – Manchester GS v Oakham, Old Swinford Hospital v Warwick
12.15pm – King’s Bruton v Manchester GS, Oakham v Warwick
1.30pm – Manchester GS v Warwick, Oakham v Old Swinford Hospital
2pm – King’s Bruton v Old Swinford Hospital
2.30pm – King’s Bruton v Oakham, Manchester GS v Old Swinford Hospital
Group 4 Teams
KES Bath
King’s Macclesfield
Oundle
St Joseph’s College
Trent College
Group 4 Fixtures
11.45am – King’s Macclesfield v Oundle, KES Bath v Trent College
12.15pm – Oundle v St Joseph’s College
12.45pm – King’s Macclesfield v KES Bath, St Joseph’s College v Trent College
1.30pm – KES Bath v Oundle
2pm – King’s Macclesfield v St Joseph’s College, Trent College v Oundle
2.30pm – King’s Macclesfield v Trent College, KES Bath v St Joseph’s College
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