The Schools Cup competition action will kick off this year with the U18 Schools Vase, with its opening round taking place on the week commencing on the 9th September.
As ever, the competition is structured with eight mini knockout sections, divided regionally, the winners of those sections will then be re-drawn for the quarter finals, which is when the competition goes national.
Sides losing in the opening round of the Vase will be entered into the U18 Schools Bowl, which begins on the week beginning on the 23rd September, the same week as the second round of Vase games.
(Follow these links for the other draws: Champions Trophy, U18 Cup, U15 Cup, U15 Vase)
Samuel Whitbread won the Vase last year and they have thus been promoted to the U18 Schools Cup along with the side they beat in the final, Dauntsey’s. As ever though, that just leaves a gap for the heroics of another school to fill.
Worksop College lost to Samuel Whitbread in the semi finals, leaving Hayes, who narrowly lost to Dauntsey’s in last year’s semi final, as the highest finisher from last season still in the Vase for this year.
Hayes are drawn in London & South East B, where a trip to Darrick Wood will open their campaign. There are some big names in the section, not least Skinners’, who are in Hayes’ half of the draw in that section.
In the sister section, London & South East A, there are some famous names such as Eastbourne College, who travel to Worthing College, London oratory, and Reigate Grammar School, who will effectively head straight to the third round thanks to a couple of byes.
One of the most famous rugby names in the draw is Ampleforth College, former school of stars such as Lawrence Dallaglio and the Easterbys, Simon and Guy. They are in North A alongside the likes of Yarm, Harrogate Grammar, and rising stars Newcastle School for Boys, and they will start their campaign at home to Ripon Grammar, a tricky tie.
North B is one of the most populated sections of the draw, and includes the tricky Isle of Man away trips for some sides. The likes of Rydal Penrhos and Altrincham Grammar will hope to make waves, so too Newcastle-Under-Lyme and Nottingham High School in what looks a very open section.
U18 Schools Vase Round Dates:
Round 1 – w/c 9th September
Round 2 – w/c 23rd September
Round 3 – w/c 7th October
Round 4 – w/c 4th November
Round 5 – w/c 18th November
Quarter Finals – w/c 2nd December
Semi Finals – w/c 2nd March 2020
Final – Wednesday 18th March 2020
U18 Schools Bowl Round Dates (for those knocked out of Vase in R1):
Round 1 – w/c 23rd September
Round 2 – w/c 7th October
Round 3 – w/c 4th November
Round 4 – w/c 18th November
Quarter Finals – w/c 2nd December
Semi Finals – w/c 2nd March 2020
Final – Wednesday 18th March 2020
South West A has some heavyweight names in it, former Cup champions St Peter’s Gloucester have a first round bye, while games like Mount Kelly v Plymouth College look vicious for a Vase opening round.
Things are not dissimilar in South West B, though the bottom half of the draw looks very sparse. Nevertheless, sparse or not, Peter Symonds’ College v KES Southampton looks like a great first round game, while in the top half of the draw St Edward’s Oxford and The Oratory both have the potential to go far.
The Midlands section provided the winning side last year and there is certainly strength there again with the likes of RGS Worcester, KES Stratford, KES Birmingham, and Leicester Grammar in Midlands A, as well as some tasty derby games to kick things off such as Hereford Cathedral School v Hereford 6th form College and Bablake v King Henry VIII, Coventry.
Midlands B meanwhile includes plenty of sides who could take a real run at the tournament through this section, not least 2017/18 champions Langley, who travel to Wymondham College, look of for the likes of Culford, Ipswich, and Woodbridge here too.
All in all it looks as though it should be a strong competition once again, sadly some of the section are a bit under populated and there are plenty of byes, some teams will effectively head straight to the third round, while the bottom half of South West B is very sparse indeed.
Nevertheless, we cannot have it both ways and the Cup draw is unquestionably more populated than in some recent years meaning that plenty have moved up a level. That can only be a good thing, perhaps then it is a case of finding a way to condense the Vase draw, perhaps all sections need not be equal in size?
U18 Schools Vase Draw:
North A
QEGS Penrith v Austin Friars
BYE v BYE
QEHS Hexham v Gateshead College
Yarm v BYE
Newcastle SfB v Tyne Metropolitan College
BYE v BYE
KES Morpeth v Bede Academy
BYE v BYE
BYE v BYE
Ampleforth College v Ripon GS
BYE v BYE
Ilkely GS v Harrogate GS
BYE v BYE
Rodillian v Crossley Heath
Runshaw College v AKS Lytham
Sandbach v BYE
North B
Rydal Penrhos v Bishop Heber HS
Oswestry v Shrewsbury
Liverpool College v Birkenhead
St Anselm’s College v St Edward’s College
King William’s College (Isle of Man) v Castle Rushen HS
Altrincham GS v Sale GS
Bolton v The Grange
BYE v BYE
BYE v BYE
Newcastle-Under-Lyme v Haberdashes’
St Joseph’s College v Thomas Alleynes HS
Birkdale v Lady Manners
Nottingham HS v Priory Ruskin Academy
King’s Grantham v Carre’s GS
Thomas Rotherham College v Hill House
South Hunsley v BYE
Midlands A
Hereford Cathedral v Hereford 6th form College
RGS Worcester v Prince Henry’s HS
KES Stratford v Kenilworth
Princethorpe College v KES Camp Hill
Bablake v King Henry VIII, Coventry
KES Five Ways v KES Birmingham
BYE v BYE
Queen Mary’s GS v KES Lichfield
BYE v BYE
KES Aston v Birmingham Metropolitan College
BYE v BYE
Loughborough College v Ratcliffe College
BYE v BYE
Leicester GS v Robert Smyth Academy
BYE v BYE
Wellingborough v Royal Latin
Midlands B
Aylesbury GS v Sir William Borlase’s GS
Roundwood Park v St Columba’s College
Sir John Lawes v Sandringham
Beaumont v Samuel Ryder Academy
Richard Hale v St Edmund’s College
BYE v BYE
Hitchin Boys v Knights Templar
BYE v BYE
Safford Walden CHS v Hills Road 6th form College
Mark Rutherford v Hichingbrooke
Spalding GS v Gresham’s
BYE v BYE
Wymondham College v Langley
Culford v Thomas Mills HS
Ipswich v Woodbridge
RGS Colchester v BYE
London & South East A
Tring v Hemel Hempsted
John Hampden GS v Chesham GS
Longdean v Parmiter’s
Rickmansworth v QES, Barnet
Isleworth & Syon v Orelans Park
Grey Court v Saint Cecilia’s
Rutlish v Esher College
Glyn v Wallington CGS
George Abbot v Harris City Academy
BYE v BYE
London Oratory v Royal Alexandra & Albert
Reigate GS v BYE
BYE v BYE
Thomas Richardson v College of Richard Collyer
BYE v BYE
Worthing College v Eastbourne College
London & South East B
Davenant v Robert Clack
BYE v BYE
Coopers’ Coborn v BYE
Southend HS v King John
Beth’s GS v Dartford GS
BYE v BYE
Wilmington GS v Gravesend GS
BYE v BYE
Chislehurst & Sidcup GS v St Dunstan’s College
Darrick Wood v Hayes
Skinners’ v Oakwood Park GS
Maidstone GS v Sutton Valence
Chatham & Clarendon GS v St Lawrence College
BYE v BYE
Duke of York’s RMS v BYE
Sir Roger Manwood’s v Kent College
South West A
Mount Kelly v Plymouth College
Torquay BGS v Wellington
Woodroffe v Thomas Hardye
Yeovil College v Gryphon
Wells Cathedral v Backwell
Brostol Cathedral v Frome College
St Laurence v Hardenhuish
Sheldon v Malmesbury
St Peter’s, Gloucester v BYE
Royal Wootton Bassett Academy v Cirencester College
BYE v BYE
Marling v Wycliffe College
BYE v BYE
Holmleigh Park HS v Tewkesbury
BYE v BYE
St Edward’s Cheltenham v The Costswold School
South West B
St Edward’s, Oxford v Lord Williams’
The Oratory v Maiden Erlegh
Forest v Windsor Boys’
Gordon’s v Howard of Effingham
Farnborough 6th form College v Godalming College
BYE v BYE
Kennet v St Bartholomew’s
Park House v BYE
BYE v BYE
Peter Symonds’ College v KES Southampton
BYE v BYE
BYE v BYE
BYE v BYE
Brockenhurst College v Bournemouth
BYE v BYE
Clayesmore v Poole GS
