School 7s season is upon us, with the Seaford College 7s among the very first to take place, kicking off on Sunday.
Sixteen sides will meet, though one is still to be confirmed, split into four groups of four. The winners of each group will head to the Cup semi finals, with the winners of those playing the Cup final, the losers playing in the Plate final.
Second placed sides in the groups will meet in the Shield semi finals, with the winners progressing to the Shield final, and losers the Bowl final. Third place finishers reach the Trophy semi finals, with the winners there meeting in the Trophy final and loser competing for 11th/12th, finally those finishing bottom of the groups compete in the Vase semi finals, with the winners there playing the Vase final, losers playing for 15th/16th positions.
Like the Shiplake College 7s, drawn a few weeks ago, the semi final draw will not be made until after the Group stages an increasingly popular and sensible way of drawing tournaments now.
Bedford are the reigning Seaford 7s champions, they beat Haileybury 33-12 in last year’s final. The champions are drawn in Group C this year. They will have Reading Blue Coat and Epsom College for company, plus a yet to be named fourth side in the group.
Haileybury will really fancy their chances of going one better this year after a stunning fifteen-a-side season. They are drawn in Group B alongside Merchant Taylors’, Langley, who could be a surprise package, and Portsmouth Grammar School.
The hosts, Seaford College, sit in Group A, where Churcher’s, St Benedict’s, and last year’s Schools Cup finalists Bishop Wordsworth’s are their competition. It looks as though it could be a highly competitive group.
Group D is headlined by the Champions Trophy winners, Dulwich College. Alongside them are Hurstpierpoint College, who enjoyed that memorable win over Brighton College last term, and well as Emanuel and New Hall.
The group stages will commence at 10am on Sunday 28th January, finishing at 12pm for lunch. Play resumes at 1pm for the first semi finals, the second batch taking place at 1.40pm.
The first of the finals begins at 13.40, the Vase, 11th/12th, and 15th/16th, ahead of the Trophy and Bowl finals at 2pm. At 2.20pm the Plate and Shield finals take place, before the competition closes with the Cup Final at 2.40pm.
Seaford 7s Draw – Sunday 28th January
| Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D |
| Seaford College (1) | Merchant Taylors’ (5) | TBC (9) | Hurstpierpoint College (13) |
| Churched’s College (2) | Langley (6) | Bedford (10) | Dulwich College (14) |
| St Benedict’s (3) | Portsmouth Grammar (7) | Reading Blue Coat (11) | Emanuel (15) |
| Bishop Wordsworth’s (4) | Haileybury (8) | Epsom College (12) | New Hall (16) |
Order of Play:
| Stage | Timings | Pitch 1 | Pitch 2 | Pitch 3 | Pitch 4 | |||
| Group Stages | 1000 | 1 v 2 | 3 v 4 | 5 v 6 | 7 v 8 | |||
| 1020 | 9 v 10 | 11 v 12 | 13 v 14 | 15 v 16 | ||||
| 1040 | 5 v 7 | 6 v 8 | 1 v 3 | 2 v 4 | ||||
| 1100 | 13 v 15 | 14 v 16 | 9 v 11 | 10 v 12 | ||||
| 1120 | 1 v 4 | 2 v 3 | 5 v 8 | 6 v 7 | ||||
| 1140 | 9 v 12 | 10 v 11 | 13 v 16 | 14 v 15 | ||||
| 1200 | Lunch | |||||||
| Semi-Final | 1300 | Trophy SF 1 | Trophy SF 2 | Vase SF 1 | Vase SF 2 | |||
| 1320 | Cup SF 1 | Cup SF 2 | Shield SF 1 | Shield SF 2 | ||||
| Finals | 1340 | Vase Final | 11th v 12th Final | 15th v 16th Final | ||||
| 1400 | Trophy Final | Bowl Final | ||||||
| 1420 | Plate Final | Shield Final | ||||||
| 1440 | Cup Final | |||||||
