We have had another fantastic weekend of schools rugby, with some really tight games all over the country.
The rain came absolutely hammering down at times, influencing a huge number of fixtures in a pretty major way but that influence also meant that scores were kept close and that the excitement factor was high.
Bodies were tired after a busy midweek too, but the quality of rugby remained high right across the country.
Focus On
Our focus on fixtures provided some real entertainment, not least from Brighton College who showed their outstanding quality in an excellent 29-8 victory over Epsom College, who in midweek had secured their Champions Trophy semi final spot.
Clifton College were also in absolutely stunning form on Saturday, they faced a strong Cheltenham College side but put in a sensational performance at home to secure a 43-14 victory.
In East Anglia there was a fantastic clash as Langley hosted St Joseph’s College. There was plenty of tension ahead of this one as Langley had narrowly won a meeting between the two in the Cup prior to half term. St Joseph’s were itching to get one back on the Norfolk side, and did so in a real thriller, winning 38-29.
In Wiltshere there was a classic schools rugby fixture as Marlborough College hosted Radley College. Both have had good seasons to date, but Marlborough were probably the narrow favourites, however it was Radley that came away with the victory, winning a really tight and tense game of rugby 10-8, a magnificent victory.
There was another really tight one over in Somerset as two exceptionally sides met, Millfield and Blundell’s. Millfield were the favourites but in another fantastically close game of rugby Blundell’s were the ones to come away with victory, digging exceptionally deep for a memorable 15-14 victory away from home.
Northamptonshire saw a massive derby game as Oundle hosted Oakham, and once again it was another unbelievably tight game. Oakham came away with the win, 17-15, but both sides emerged with huge credit after such a close game of rugby.
None were as close as the game in South West London though as St Paul’s welcomed Tonbridge, the visitors full of confidence after their victory over Harrow last week. The two simply could not be separated as they ended in a 13-13 victory, deservingly giving the sides a share of the spoils.
One side that did secure a commanding victory was the St Joseph’s Festival champions, RGS Newcastle. They hosted St Peter’s York and carried through that form from the Festival to secure a 36-3 victory. The game also served as a Schools Cup third round tie, and they will now face Woodhouse Grove in the regional final, for a place in the national Schools Cup quarter finals.
Unfortunately the result from QEGS Wakefield v Barnard Castle is yet to be confirmed, while Hampton v Wellington College was cancelled to allow both sets of players to recover after tough Champions Trophy fixtures in midweek.
Around the Grounds
Elsewhere there were some outstanding performances all around, and some really interesting ones with a view to some upcoming Cup ties, not least Warwick winning 29-0 away at Bedford and Bromsgrove enjoying an outstanding 40-12 home win over Sir Thomas Rich’s. Bromsgrove host Warwick in the Schools Cup on Tuesday in what is sure to be a massive game between the two most recent champions.
Stonyhurst College were also in outstanding form, winning a massive game at Ampleforth College by an excellent 40-6 margin. Berkhamsted meanwhile were victorious at Stamford, 19-0.
Denstone College were also in outrageously strong form, beating Trent College by a brilliant 64-0 margin away from home. Downside are also a side consistently impressing, they beat Prior Park 52-12 away from home.
There was an exciting draw in Hertfordshire as Haileybury were held to a 10-10 draw by visitors Reed’s. There was a thriller on the South Coast too, Seaford College ended up relatively comfortable victors but there was a real points fest at Portsmouth Grammar, Seaford performing particularly well though for a 45-20 victory.
Dean Close were looking strong at Malvern College, winning 50-7, while Whitgift secured a good 27-0 win at RGS High Wycombe. Whitgift face Eltham College in the Schools Cup this week and Eltham remain unbeaten this season after yet another sensational victory, they beat Sevenoaks 62-10.
Also unbeaten are Rugby School, who were in brilliant for once again in a 38-5 victory over Stowe. Norwich’s fantastic run continues too, they add to their litany of outstanding performances with a 50-14 victory at Gresham’s.
Sedbergh also remain unbeaten as they enjoyed another strong 54-13 victory at RGS Lancaster, while one of the country’s other top sides, Woodhouse Grove, also remain unbeaten after a 34-19 win over Grammar School at Leeds. King’s Macclesfield also had a dominant win, 49-0 over Cheadle Hulme. Kirkham Grammar, meanwhile, won a well contested game against Queen Ethelburga’s 36-20.
At the other end of the scale, St Edward’s Oxford got their first win of the season, and they did so in strong fashion with a 15-0 victory over an Uppingham side that has been playing some strong rugby this year.
Sherborne were on form, beating Canford 31-8, while Dulwich College continue to look excellent with a 38-10 victory at John Fisher. Cranleigh were also victorious, 27-12 at RGS Guildford.
There was a massive game in Scotland between two of the most famous rugby schools in the country, Merchiston Castle and George Watson’s College. A thrillingly tight game of rugby unfolded, but it was the visitors that prevailed, George Watson’s taking a 29-22 victory.
Friday
There was some awesome rugby on Friday too, not least in the classic clash at Broadstreet RFC as King Henry VIII Coventry and Bablake drew 17-17, a fitting way to end a fantastic game of rugby in front of plenty of support for both sides.
St Peter’s Gloucester enjoyed a tight 22-17 victory over The Crypt, while in the Schools Vase Samuel Whitbread went into the regional final in Midlands A, where they will face Aylesbury Grammar, after a 20-3 victory at Bishop’s Stortford College.
You can see a selection of images from the weekend’s rugby here: Gallery – Saturday 10th November.
A reminder that we welcome any photos, videos, and reports from your school’s games – the more the merrier! You can send them in to us via any of the methods below:
Twitter: @FifteenRugbyXV
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Instagram: @fifteenrugbyxv
Email: writers@fifteenrugby.com
Schools Rugby Weekend Results – Saturday 10th November:
Focus On
Brighton College 29-8 Epsom College
Clifton College 43-14 Cheltenham College
Hampton v Wellington College – Cancelled
Langley 29-38 St Joseph’s College
Marlborough College 8-10 Radley College
Millfield 14-15 Blundell’s
Oundle 15-17 Oakham
QEGS Wakefield v Barnard Castle – Result too late
RGS Newcastle 36-3 St Peter’s, York (Schools Cup)
St Paul’s 13-13 Tonbridge
Saturday
Ampleforth College 6-40 Stonyhurst College
Bancroft’s 5-52 RGS Colchester
Bedford 0-29 Warwick
Bishops Stortford HS 39-17 Ipswich
Bristol GS 22-11 King’s Worcester
Bromsgrove 40-12 Sir Thomas Rich’s
Chislehurst & Sidcup GS 19-24 Maidstone GS
Churcher’s College 13-23 Pangbourne College
Christ’s Hospital 38-3 Reigate GS
City of London Freemen’s 17-0 Emanuel
Coopers’ Coborn 21-51 Richard Hale
Crossley Heath 36-31 Silcoates
Culford 33-7 Woodbridge
Dame Allan’s 27-7 Newcastle SfB
Dollar Academy 61-7 Strathallan
Dundee HS 15-12 Loretto
Ellesmere College 12-20 Calday Grange GS
Exeter 14-7 Truro
Framlingham College 43-7 King’s Ely
Glasgow Academy 12-29 George Heriot’s
Glenalmond College 26-29 Robert Gordon’s College
Gresham’s 14-50 Norwich
Haberdashers’ 15-25 Watford GS
Haileybury 10-10 Reed’s
Harrow 25-17 Northampton SfB
Hereford Cathedral School 19-8 Wrekin College
Hurstpierpoint College 49-8 Trinity
Hymers College 5-34 Pocklington
John Fisher 10-38 Dulwich College
KCS Wimbledon 5-29 Skinners’
KES Bath 22-7 QEH
KES Birmingham 54-7 Princethorpe College
KES Southampton 26-5 Lord Wandsworth College
King’s Canterbury 22-0 Worth
King’s Macclesfield 49-0 Cheadle Hulme
King’s Rochester 50-0 Kent College
Kingswood 5-40 Colston’s
Lancaster RGS 13-54 Sedbergh
Langley Park 20-24 Campion
Loughborough GS 15-31 Nottingham HS
Magdalen College 19-5 Aylesbury GS
Malvern College 7-50 Dean Close
Merchiston Castle 22-29 George Watson’s College
Mill Hill 8-22 Shiplake College
Monkton Combe 32-17 King’s Bruton
Monmouth 34-14 King’s College, Taunton
Pate’s GS 19-31 KES Stratford
Portsmouth GS 20-45 Seaford College
Prior Park College 12-52 Downside
Queen Ethelburga’s 20-36 Kirkham GS
Ravens Wood 60-5 Robert Clack
RGS Guildford 12-27 Cranleigh
RGS High Wycombe 0-27 Whitgift
RGS Worcester 5-7 Old Swinford Hospital
Royal Hospital School 26-20 The Leys
Rugby 38-5 Stowe
Sevenoaks 10-62 Eltham College
Sherborne 31-8 Canford
Sir Joseph Williamson’s 28-6 Judd
Stamford 0-19 Berkhamsted
Stewart’s Melville 15-12 Edinburgh Academy
St Albans 50-0 QES Barnet
St Columba’s College 5-52 St George’s, Harpenden
St Dunstan’s College 5-52 Wallington CGS
St Edward’s College 34-20 Rydal Penrhos
St Edward’s, Oxford 15-0 Uppingham
St George’s College, Weybridge 31-7 Tiffin
St Lawrence College 17-27 Duke of York’s RMS
Sutton Valence 22-17 Caterham
Taunton 39-5 Bryanston
Trent College 0-64 Denstone College
Wellingborough 3-29 Bloxham
West Buckland 34-17 Plymouth College
Windsor Boys’ 12-47 UCS
Wirral GS 14-10 Manchester GS
Woodhouse Grove 34-19 Grammar School at Leeds
Worksop College 20-0 Ashville College
Wycliffe College 0-17 Wellington School
Wymondham College 10-45 Wisbech GS
Friday
Bishop’s Stortford College 3-20 Samuel Whitbread (Schools Vase)
King Henry VIII, Coventry 17-17 Bablake (at Broadstreet RFC)
St Peter’s, Gloucester 22-17 The Crypt
Results too late:
Bradford GS v Giggleswick
Durham v Yarm
Enfield GS v Dame Alice Owen’s
Eton College v Abingdon
Felsted v New Hall
Kelvinside Academy v Hutchesons’ GS
King William’s College v Liverpool College
Latymer Upper v Gunnersbury
Merchant Taylors’ v Wilmslow HS
St Ambrose College v Lymm HS
Wimbledon College v Dartford GS
