The U18 and U15 Schools Bowl semi finals all take place this week as eight schools look to emulate the success of King’s Worcester and The Judd in last year’s two competitions.
The Bowl sees sides that were knocked out in the opening round of the Schools Vase competitions face up, in identical regional format, with the finals this year set to take place on Tuesday 17th March, moving from Sixways Stadium, where they were in the past, to Allianz Park.
In the U18s both games are 2pm kick offs on Wednesday and see the two North regional winners meet, St Edward’s College and Ampleforth College, with the two London & South East sides meeting in the other, Worthing College and Maidstone Grammar.
Meanwhile the U15 semi finals see Marling host Warden Park on Wednesday, with Farlingaye welcoming King Henry VIII Coventry on Thursday afternoon.
U18 Schools Bowl Semi Finals:
St Edward’s College v Ampleforth College – Wednesday, 2pm
Worthing College v Maidstone Grammar – Wednesday 2pm
Results so far:
St Edward’s College (North B)
QF: 22-12 v Sandringham
Rd4: 20-3 v Birkdale
Rd3: Castle Rushen – Walkover
Rd2: 28-5 at Oswestry
Rd1: 51-10 at Birkenhead
Vase Rd1: Lost 20-12 at St Anselm’s College
Ampleforth College (North A)
QF: 39-10 v Royal Latin
Rd4: 56-7 at Tyne Metropolitan
Rd3: Rodillian – Walkover
Rd2: 24-3 v Harrogate GS
Rd1: Bye
Vase Rd1: Lost 20-12 v Ripon Grammar
Worthing College (London & South East A)
QF: 20-10 Marling
Rd4: 12-7 at Wallington County Grammar
Rd3: 48-0 at Royal Alexandra & Albert
Rd2: George Abbot – Walkover
Rd1: Bye
Vase Rd1: Lost 24-17 v Eastbourne College
Maidstone Grammar (London & South East B)
QF: 53-0 Windsor Boys
Rd4: 24-17 at King John
Rd3: 20-5 v Chatham & Clarendon
Rd2: 64-5 at St Dunstan’s College
Rd1: 40-0 at Oakwood Park
Vase Rd1: Lost 28-17 v Sutton Valence
Previews:
St Edward’s College v Ampleforth College – Wednesday, 2pm
A huge game as the two North section champions go head to head. Historically Ampleforth College are one of the biggest names in schools rugby, regular top competitors at the Rosslyn Park 7s who produced the likes of Lawrence Dallaglio and the Easterby brothers, Simon and Guy. This is their biggest game in years though, a semi final and a chance of a final at Allianz Park. Their run so far has been relatively plain sailing since their Vase knockout by Ripon Grammar – a bye and a walkover alongside strong victories over Harrogate Grammar and Tyne Metropolitan and an impressive display in the 39-10 victory over Royal Latin in the semi finals.
Up against them though are a St Edward’s College side from Liverpool for whom this is an equally big game, and that will have an excited and vociferous home crowd behind them. Like Ampleforth it was a 20-12 defeat that did for them in the Vase and since then things have gone fairly smoothly, strong displays over Birkendhead, Oswestry, and Birkdale helped them emerge from North B before a gutsy 22-12 victory over Sandringham to win the quarter final. It all bodes for a close game, and a historic one for both sides. Fine margins will likely make the difference here.
Worthing College v Maidstone Grammar – Wednesday 2pm
Perhaps the biggest point to make about both Worthing College and Maidstone Grammar School’s route to this final is that they could so easily have gone deep into the Vase. The sides that knocked them out of the Vase and into this Bowl competition were Eastbourne College and Sutton Valence, each in tight games. Since then Sutton Valence have reached the Vase semis and play on Sunday, the side they beat in the quarter finals – Eastbourne College.
So that is the caliber of team we are dealing with in Wednesday’s Bowl semi final, and Maidstone Grammar in particular have been demonstrating that throughout their Bowl campaign, only once have then conceded more than one score, in the regional final against King John. Their quarter final victory was quite simply astonishing, a 53-0 victory over Windsor Boys’, the sort of result so rarely seen at the business end of competitions and a real sign of this side’s ability. Worthing College have been excellent too though, albeit on fewer games after a bye and a walkover got their campaign started. A dominant victory followed, before two incredibly gritty victories over Wallington County Grammar and then Marling in the quarter finals. These are top teams in Bowl terms, and we could see a cracking semi final.
U15 Schools Bowl Semi Finals:
Marling v Warden Park – Wednesday, 1pm
Farlingaye v King Henry VIII, Coventry – Thursday, 2.30pm
Results so far:
Marling (South West B)
QF: 50-0 v Plymouth College
Rd4: 33-5 v Hampshire Collegiate
Rd3: 66-0 v Monkton Combe
Rd2: 56-0 v Castle School
Rd1: 50-0 at Holmleigh Park
Vase Rd1: Lost 22-14 at The Crypt
Warden Park (London & South East A)
QF: 19-0 at Duke of York’s Royal Military School
Rd4: 14-12 at St Benedict’s
Rd3: 50-0 at Southborough High
Rd2: 33-0 v Heathfield
Rd1: Dorothy Stringer – Walkover
Vase Rd1: Lost 17-14 at Worth
Farlingaye (Midlands B)
QF: 12-10 v Scarborough College
Rd 4: 26-5 at Redborne
Rd3: 24-5 at St Edmund’s College
Rd2: 47-12 at East Bergholt High
Rd1: 50-14 v City of Norwich
Vase Rd1: Lost 45-17 at Thomas Mills
King Henry VIII, Coventry (Midlands A)
QF: 15-0 v Calday Grange Grammar
Rd4: 26-7 at Arden Academy
Rd3: 29-10 at Prince Henry’s High
Rd2: 57-14 v Pitsford
Rd1: 12-7 at Bablake
Vase Rd1: Lost 59-7 at Ashlawn
Previews:
Marling v Warden Park – Wednesday, 1pm
Both of these sides were only knocked out of the Vase by fairly slender margins and since then Marling in particular have been utterly sensational. Truly. They have conceded just one try in this Bowl tournament, in a 33-5 regional final victory over Hampshire Collegiate. That was also their lowest score in this competition, where they have recorded victories of 56-0, 66-0, and 50-0 (twice), one of which was their stunning quarter final win over Plymouth College.
They are looking utterly formidable and at home again they will surely be hugely confident. However this is a huge game for Warden Park, whose route might not have been quite as clinical as Marling’s, but that could well stand them in good stead. A 14-12 victory at St Benedict’s to reach the quarter finals is the sort of spirited display that you need in close knockout contests. Their squad is perhaps the strongest since Harlequins’ James Chisholm led them to the 2012 U15 Cup semi finals and boasts 6 Quins Academy prospects, 5 Sussex U15s, and 2 Welsh Exiles players. Perhaps the key result though for understanding what they bring is their 27-24 defeat to Plate semi finalists John Fisher, this is a good side. Marling clearly are too, and that should make for an epic contest on Wednesday.
Farlingaye v King Henry VIII, Coventry – Thursday, 2.30pm
The Bowl action concludes on Thursday afternoon with King Henry VIII Coventry heading to Farlingaye with the two sides by then knowing who they will be meeting in the final at Allianz Park on Tuesday 17th March, with Marling and Warden Park meeting on Wednesday in advance of this game.
Farlingaye’s progression has been relatively smooth since their Vase exit, with strong victories over City of Norwich, East Bergholt, St Edmund’s College, and Redborne taking them through the Midlands B section. The quarter finals were a different prospect though and they had to dig oh so deep at home to Scarborough College for a 12-0 victory to seal this semi final spot. Up against them are a King Henry VIII Coventry side whose Bowl campaign kicked off in what they would surely describe as ideal fashion, a tight 12-7 victory over old rivals Bablake. Since then things have been reasonably smooth, a big win over Pitsford before good results against Prince Henry’s and Arden Academy took them into the quarter finals. There they defeat a good Calday Grange Grammar side without conceding a point, a superb effort. It should be a good matchup between these two Midlands sides, one that really could go either way.