The U18 Schools Cup quarter finals all take place this Wednesday as the eight teams bid to reach the semi finals in March.
As usual the tournament was split into eight regions at the start, with the eight quarter finalists being the winners of those regions. The quarter finals were drawn with the North and Midlands sides on one half of the draw and the London & South East and South West sides in the other, making the semi finals the first truly national stage of the tournament.
The teams are now just two victories away from the final at Twickenham Stadium, one of the great experiences in all of schoolboy rugby, and the competition is utterly fierce.
Quarter Finals
RGS Newcastle v Northampton School for Boys – Wednesday, 2pm
This pair have three finals between them, RGS Newcastle reaching it in 1994 and 2010, while in 2013 Northampton School for Boys reached the showpiece event. Both will believe they can do so again this year but first they will have to get through this brutally tough quarter final and what will be an equally tough semi final. RGS Newcastle have been fantastic this season, performing well at the St Joseph’s Festival that they won last year and only three sides have beaten them this year, Sedbergh, St Peter’s, and Lancaster RGS. NSB’s record is perhaps even more impressive, only Wellington College have got the better of them and they have stepped up the quality of the fixture list to a level beyond that of previous years. Both sides have been excellent in this Cup run, NSB making a highly challenging Midlands B section look almost simple, while RGS came through North B in style too, proving their mettle in Round 3 too when they came through a really tight game against one of the best around, Barnard Castle. It all suggest an epic quarter final on Wednesday afternoon.
Prediction: RGS Newcastle
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Warwick v QEGS Wakefield – Wednesday, 2.15pm
Sometimes a draw feels almost inevitable and that is certainly the case when it comes to Warwick and QEGS Wakefield in the Schools Cup, in recent times the have seemed almost inextricably linked. Last year they met in the U15 final, Warwick winning 19-0, in 2018 they met in the U18 final, Warwick winning 29-7, while in the 2017 quarter final Warwick were 13-11 victors. In 2016, meanwhile, they met in the semis at U18 level, QEGS winning, and QEGS also won the U15 final. QEGS claimed the North A title but they will want so much more, they have reached five U18 finals and are yet to win, get past Warwick and they will believe. Perhaps Warwick already believe, how could they not after their nail-biting 13-12 victory over Bromsgrove to seal the Midlands A crown. Should they reach the final it would be a 6th time, and a remarkable 4th in a row. This is truly a game between two legends of this great tournament.
Prediction: Warwick
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Sherborne v KCS Wimbledon – Wednesday, 2pm (Live Stream below)
Sherborne are a side that must have genuine sights on a true shot at this title after a truly remarkable season to date. Only Millfield and Clifton College have beaten them, two remarkable sides, and in this Cup run Sherborne have been truly outstanding. Each and every side that has come up against them has been swept aside with relative ease. At the quarter final stage though everything changes, the pressure and intensity are all up, and KCS Wimbledon will certainly bring intensity.
This is a huge opportunity for them, they have had to work hard along this running, winning gritty games against St George’s College, Mill Hill, and John Fisher. This Cup run has been the backbone of their season and they will doubtless be eager to use it to extend that season through to next term. The game will also be live streamed, perfectly placed following on the from the Champions Trophy final between Wellington College and Rugby and you can watch it above.
Prediction: Sherborne
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Abingdon v Whitgift – Wednesday, 2.30pm
The reigning champions head to Abingdon School on Wednesday for what will undoubtedly be their toughest test of this campaign to date. Whitgift breezed through their London & South East B section, conceding just two tries in their four games and never once conceding double figures of points. It reflects a wonderful season so far in which only Sedbergh, Wellington College, and Millfield have beaten them, three of the biggest names in schoolboy rugby. Abingdon meanwhile came through South West B and did so in the face of fierce opposition, particularly from Dauntsey’s, RGS High Wycombe, and a Canford side playing some truly awesome rugby this year. This will be yet another step up for them and yet with every challenge in this tournament they have risen to meet it. Only Sherborne and St Paul’s have got the better of them this season, and it all suggests that we are in for an epic quarter final on Wednesday afternoon.
Prediction: Whitgift
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U18 Schools Cup Quarter Final Draw:
RGS Newcastle (North B) v Northampton School for Boys (Midlands B) – Wednesday, 2pm
Warwick (Midlands A) v QEGS Wakefield (North A) – Wednesday, 2.15pm
Sherborne (South West A) v KCS Wimbledon (London & South East A) – Wednesday, 2pm
Abingdon (South West B) v Whitgift (London & South East B) – Wednesday, 2.30pm
U18 Schools Cup Fixtures & Results:
North A
Round 1
Stonyhurst College 55-15 Stockport GS
Lancaster RGS 50-0 Ermysted’s GS
Giggleswick 0-32 QEGS Wakefield
Cheadle Hulme 42-7 Bradford GS
Silcoates 3-52 Manchester GS
Wilmslow HS 26-16 Merchant Taylors’, Crosby
King’s Macclesfield 36-21 Calday Grange GS
Wirral GS 50-0 St Mary’s College
Round 2
Stonyhurst College 0-32 Lancaster RGS
QEGS Wakefield 13-0 Cheadle Hulme
Manchester GS 17-15 Wilmslow HS
King’s Macclesfield 16-22 Wirral GS
Round 3
Lancaster RGS 17-20 QEGS Wakefield
Manchester GS 23-26 Wirral GS
Round 4
QEGS Wakefield 35-7 Wirral GS
North B
Round 1
RGS Newcastle 64-13 Dame Allan’s
Durham v BYE
East Durham College 35-12 Hartlepool 6th form College
Barnard Castle w/o Carmel College
St Peter’s, York 24-22 Grammar School at Leeds
BYE v BYE
Woodhouse Grove 50-0 Prince Henry’s GS
Hymers College 12-40 Pocklington
Round 2
RGS Newcastle 43-10 Durham
East Durham 7-61 Barnard Castle
St Peter’s, York v BYE
Woodhouse Grove 34-21 Pocklington
Round 3
RGS Newcastle 19-17 Barnard Castle
St Peter’s, York 26-27 Woodhouse Grove
Round 4
RGS Newcastle 34-7 Woodhouse Grove
Midlands A
Round 1
Lymm HS v BYE
Sir John Dean’s 17-37 Ellesmere College
Wrekin College 0-40 Old Swinford Hospital
Bromsgrove 38-7 King’s Worcester
Mount St Mary’s College 42-17 Worksop College
Trent College 12-38 Loughborough GS
Bishop Vesey’s GS 17-23 Solihull
Warwick 24-5 Bloxham
Round 2
Lymm HS 51-5 Ellesmere College
Old Swinford 17-26 Bromsgrove
Mount St Mary’s 17-3 Loughborough GS
Solihull 9-19 Warwick
Round 3
Lymm HS 0-13 Bromsgrove
Mount St Mary’s 10-13 Warwick
Round 4
Bromsgrove 12-13 Warwick
Midlands B
Round 1
Northampton SfB 45-12 Stowe
Oundle v BYE
Bedford Modern 0-50 Samuel Whitbread Academy
BYE v BYE
Bishop’s Stortford HS 0-34 Felsted
BYE v BYE
Royal Hospital School 10-14 St Joseph’s College
Norwich v BYE
Round 2
Northampton SfB 51-3 Oundle
Samuel Whitbread v Bye
Felsted v Bye
St Joseph’s College w/d Norwich
Round3
Northampton SfB 36-7 Samuel Whitbread
Felsted 30-26 Norwich
Round 4
Northampton School for Boys 34-12 Felsted
London & South East A
Round 1
Watford GS 17-19 Mill Hill
UCS 29-15 St Benedict’s
KCS Wimbledon 26-19 St George’s College, Weybridge
St Clement Danes v BYE
Tiffin 5-43 Emanuel
Wimbledon College 40-0 ACS Cobham International
John Fisher 21-12 Reed’s
City of London Freemen’s 31-7 Christ’s Hospital
Round 2
Mill Hill 28-26 UCS
KCS Wimbledon w/o St Clement Danes
Emanuel 8-25 Wimbledon College
John Fisher 40-5 City of London Freemen’s
Round 3
Mill Hill 12-22 KCS Wimbledon
Wimbledon College 17-22 John Fisher
Round 4
KCS Wimbledon 32-15 John Fisher
London & South East B
Round 1
Campion 27-7 Eltham College
Seevic College 61-0 Colfe’s
Whitgift 78-0 St Olave’s GS
Trinity 15-10 Langley Park
Ravens Wood 50-0 Richard Challoner
Judd v BYE
Cardinal Newman 5-50 Simon Langton GS
Sevenoaks v BYE
Round 2
Campion 14-19 Seevic College
Whitgift 65-8 Trinity
Ravens Wood 55-12 Judd
Simon Langton 40-0 Sevenoaks
Round 3
Seevic College 7-30 Whitgift
Ravens Wood 18-26 Simon Langton
Round 4
Whitgift 56-6 Simon Langton
South West A
Round 1
Dean Close 7-20 Sir Thomas Rich’s
BYE v BYE
Sherborne 45-3 Downside
QEH v BYE
Bridgwater & Taunton College 0-56 Taunton
King’s College, Taunton 28-12 Richard Huish
Ivybridge Community College v BYE
Colston’s v BYE
Round 2
Sir Thomas Rich’s v Bye
Sherborne 34-14 QEH
Taunton 50-0 King’s College, Taunton
Ivybridge Community College 25-14 Colston’s
Round 3
Sir Thomas Rich’s 10-44 Sherborne
Taunton 48-7 Ivybridge Community College
Round 4
Sherborne 53-0 Taunton
South West B
Round 1
Dauntsey’s 35-21 Marlborough College
Abingdon 45-5 Reading Blue Coat
Pangbourne College 10-47 RGS High Wycombe
Dr Challoner’s GS 7-12 The Crypt
Lord Wandsworth College 18-17 Portsmouth GS
Seaford College w/o East Sussex College
Canford 32-5 Bishop Wordsworth’s
BYE v BYE
Round 2
Dauntsey’s 13-15 Abingdon
RGS High Wycombe w/o The Crypt
Lord Wandsworth College 7-60 Seaford College
Canford v Bye
Round 3
Abindgon 24-23 RGS High Wycombe
Seaford College 5-41 Canford
Round 4
Abingdon 27-21 Canford
