This weekend is an absolute massive one for schools rugby, with some of the most crucial 7s tournaments of the season plus the U18 and U15 Schools Cup and Vase semi finals.

The NextGenXV live streaming cameras will be head to Colston’s on Sunday to take in their annual Colston’s 7s, while we will also have a presence at Birkenhead Park RFC for the North of England Schools 7s. You can watch the Colston’s 7s via our YouTube channel or through the embedded video below.

There is schools action right across Friday, Saturday, and Sunday though, plus an England U18 international on Saturday, making this one of the key weekend’s of the school season! You can see the England U18 team here: England U18 to take on France.

Friday

The weekend’s action begins on Friday and the big one is the U18 Schools Cup semi final between Barnard Castle and Kirkham Grammar School at Kendal RUFC. Make no mistake, these are two absolute giants of the school game and they are among the very best in the country. Barnard Castle are legends of the Schools Cup, finalists in 2003, 2004, and 2007, they will be hoping for one better this year. They have had to do it the hard way though, with Hymers College, RGS Newcastle, St Peter’s York, Woodhouse Grove, and Oakham their route to this semi finals, arguably the toughest route of anyone in the tournament.

Now though they face Kirkham Grammar School, unquestionably a great side and a side that went through the fifteen-a-side season unbeaten. Their route saw them take on Rishworth, Lancaster RGS, Manchester Grammar, and Cheadle Hulme in a North A section that they dominated, before a seriously impressive 27-0 victory over Bedford in their quarter final. This is going to be an absolute blockbuster of a game up at Kendal RUFC, the only Cup or Vase semi not at Sixways given its mutual inconvenience for both sides, with a place in the final at Twickenham up for grabs.

There is also U15 semi final action, in the form of the U15 Bowl, where Dr Challoner’s Grammar host Poole Grammar in what should be an absolute a cracking game to see who will reached the final at Saracens’ StoneX Stadium. A massive game for both, that will mean absolutely everything to those pulling on the shirt on Friday.

There is also non-cup action as Wellington School head to club side Wellington RFC for a friendly fixture under the lights that ought to be a fantastic occasion.

Saturday

15s

On Saturday the dominant action is that of the Schools Vase semi finals at U18 and U15 level, all four sets of games will be taking place at Worcester Warriors’ Sixways Stadium.

In the U18 Vase there are some really exciting teams involved, Ipswich School are going to be one to watch. There rise this year has been absolutely remarkable, and their resolve to come through a ding dong of a quarter final at Coventry College, 24-22, was outstanding. They are taking on Mount St Mary’s College, another school that have risen hugely and are performing outstandingly well. It should be an excellent game and one that could easily be a Cup knockout game, such is the quality of both sides.

The other U18 Vase semi final is another cracker, Reading Blue Coat v Sutton Valence. Our live stream cameras have covered Reading Blue Coat’s Regional Final against Bryanston and their Quarter Final against Wallington County Grammar, both of which you can see below. In both games they were absolutely sensational, stunning their opposition with fast starts and then some hugely resilient defensive work too, they are a brilliant side to watch. Up against them though are another rising star of the school scene, Sutton Valence, who have contributed so many players to the Saracens U18 side and even to the England U18 wider squad, number 8 Nathan Michelow will in fact be missing as he is playing for England U18 against France on Saturday. It sets up for a classic clash.

Over in the U15 Vase Langley Park and Torquay Boys Grammar go head to head both schools have produced some wonderful rugby this year, not just en route in this tournament but across the season and they will be keen to put on a show at Sixways on Saturday. So too will Sandbach and Hitchin Boys, who meet in the day’s other U15 Schools Vase semi final, and who are both rumoured to be bringing plenty of supporters to the home of Worcester Warriors as they look to cap a fantastic season with a trip to Twickenham in a couple of week’s time.

Saturday also sees some fifteen-a-side action in Scotland, with Hutchesons’ Grammar, so impressive before Christmas, taking on Cumnock Academy, Robert Gordon’s College heading to take on Howe of Fife, and St Leonards welcoming Morrison’s Academy.

7s

Scotland also sees 7s action on Sunday with the Caritas 7s series beginning in Edinburgh. The likes of George Watson’s College, Dollar Academy, Edinburgh Academy, and George Heriot’s are among those involved ahead of what is a big week for Scottish Schools rugby, with the Scottish Schools Cup Finals taking place on Wednesday 9^th March.

Sunday

7s

It is a massive weekend of 7s in England on Sunday, and our live cameras will be at Sunday’s Colston’s 7s, which you can watch at the top of this page. Sixteen teams will be there in total and you can see you preview, including the live schedule, here: Colston’s 7s Preview.

There is also the massive North of England School 7s, one of the key tournaments of the entire 7s season and one of the most prestigious of the lot. Whoever goes far absolutely has to be considered among the favourites at the Rosslyn Park HSBC National School 7s at the end of the month. NextGenXV will have a presence at the competition, and you can view our preview for it here: North of England School 7s Preview.

Oakham School are also hosting a 7s tournament on Sunday, with competitions at both U18 and U16 level. There will be twenty teams in the draw for both, and at U18 level Bedford are looking to retain the title that they have won on all put one occasion since the tournament’s inception in 2013. You can view our preview here: Oakham 7s Preview.

Finally on the 7s front to Worth School and the Worth 7s. Like Oakham, they are hosting tournaments at both U18 and U16 level. The U18 tournament has twenty teams competing, with the likes of Brighton College and Wellington College among those that are going to be huge threats, while at U16 level there are ten teams. You can check out our preview here: Worth 7s Preview.

15s

There are three fifteen-a-side games on Sunday and all three are absolutely massive as they are the two U15 Schools Cup semi finals and the last remaining U18 Schools Cup semi final, all at Sixways.

Trinity and Sherborne will be going head to head in the U18 Schools Cup Semi Final, it will be the last game of the day and by the time it kicks off they will know their potential opponents for the final at Twickenham Stadium, since Barnard Castle and Kirkham Grammar School meet on Friday night.

The NextGenXV live stream cameras were at the quarter finals for both Trinity and Sherborne, and you can watch highlights of Trinity’s quarter finals above, and Sherborne’s below. Trinity put in a hugely impressively display against the Daily Mail Trophy champions Berkhamsted to reach this point, a performance that showed their quality and marked them out immediately as a side that will believe they can go all the way. They were sensational and have been all tournament, not least in victories over Epsom College and the reigning champions, Whitgift, to get to this stage of the competition. In the likes of Josh Bellamy and Conor Byrne they have some sensational talent in their arsenal too.

Sherborne are not short of top class player either in number 8 Arthur Green and outside centre Will Parry, whose utter dominance of their quarter final against Harrow really dragged this Sherborne side into a second semi final in a row. The Cup has been where this group has really shone, with victories over Colston’s, King’s Taunton, Ivybridge, and Canford ahead of that quarter final against Harrow, after covid had really blasted the early part of their season apart. Harrow was the definitive performance, it was a dogfight of a game, and Sherborne came out on top in a way that was hugely impressive. It will be a classic at Sixways.

There should be classics in the U15 semi finals too where Ipswich take on QEGS Wakefield and Radley College take on Wellington College. In many ways both of these games are similar, with a Schools Cup legend going up against a side looking to claim a maiden title.

QEGS Wakefield are busing down hundreds, if not thousands, of fans for Sunday’s 11am kick off. They know this competition inside out at both U18 and U15 level, in the mid end of the last decade they were a real dynasty in this competition, reaching the final in 2013, 2014, and 2015, winning in 2015. They are looking for a return to Twickenham in a competition that they have been competitive in right from its inception. In Ipswich they face a side that is newer on the scene at this business end of the season but which, as we have said so often, are a true rising star in schools rugby. It is going to be a huge one, and one with so much on it for both teams.

It is similar in the later kick off, and while Radley College are very much an established name on the schools rugby circuit, they are still also a side that is looking to reach a first U15 final. They have been utterly brilliant though, indeed rugby at Radley across the age-groups is looking in rude health at the moment. Up against them though are a Wellington College side for whom that is also almost always true. They have won five U15 Schools Cup titles, and as QEGS’ runs to the finals ended, so a fresh batch of Wellington College finals began, losing to Sedbergh in 2016 before winning the title in 2017 and 2019, they will be so hungry to add another in 2021.

All in all, it should be a trio of absolutely brilliant fixtures at Sixways on Sunday, a massive schools rugby occasion, played out in front of thousands of spectators in the sort of atmosphere, surround, and fixture that will last a lifetime in the memories of those on the field.

If you have any photos, video, reports, or any other content from the week’s rugby then please do send it in via our social media channels or admin@nextgenxv.com and if you are interested in us live streaming one of your games or an event then please do get in touch!

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Friday

Barnard Castle v Kirkham Grammar – U18 Schools Cup Semi Final, Kendal RUFC

Dr Challoner’s Grammar v Poole Grammar – U15 Schools Bowl Semi Final

Wellington RFC v Wellington School

Saturday

15s

Howe of Fife v Robert Gordon’s College

Hutchesons’ Grammar v Cumnock Academy

Ipswich v Mount St Mary’s – U18 Schools Vase Semi Final, Sixways

Langley Park v Torquay Boys Grammar – U15 Schools Vase Semi Final, Sixways

Reading Blue Coat v Sutton Valence – U18 Schools Vase Semi Final, Sixways

Sandbach v Hitchin Boys – U15 Schools Vase Semi Final, Sixways

St Leonards v Morrison’s Academy

7s

Caritas 7s/Edinburgh 7s: Dollar Academy, Edinburgh Academy, George Heriot’s, George Watson’s College, Glasgow Academy, Glasgow High, Kelvinside Academy

Loughborough Quadrangular: Bablake & King Henry VIII, KES Birmingham, Loughborough Grammar, Nottingham High

Sunday

15s

Ipswich v QEGS Wakefield – U15 Schools Cup Semi Final, Sixways

Radley College v Wellington College – U15 Schools Cup Semi Final, Sixways

Trinity v Sherborne – U18 Schools Cup Semi Final, Sixways

7s

Colston’s 7s – See Preview Here

North of England 7s – See Preview Here

Oakham 7s – See Preview Here

U18

U16

Worth 7s – See Preview Here

U18

U16

Schools Cup/Plate/Vase Bowl Schedule (U18 & U15):

U18 Schools Cup Semis

Barnard Castle v Kirkham Grammar – Friday 4^th, Kendal RUFC

Trinity v Sherborne – Sunday 6^th, Sixways, 2pm

U18 Schools Plate Semis

KCS Wimbledon 28-10 Caterham – Wednesday (Click for Highlights)

Stowe 41-0 Stockport Grammar – Wednesday

U18 Schools Vase Semis

Ipswich v Mount St Mary’s – Saturday 5^th, Sixways, 2pm

Reading Blue Coat v Sutton Valence – Saturday 5^th, Sixways, 3.40pm

U18 Schools Bowl Semis

Eastbourne College 23-8 Glyn – Wednesday

Nottingham High School 22-12 RGS Colchester – Wednesday

U15 Schools Cup Semis

Ipswich v QEGS Wakefield – Sunday 6^th, Sixways, 11am

Radley College v Wellington College – Sunday 6^th , Sixways, 12.30pm

U15 Schools Plate Semis

The Oratory v Reading Blue Coat – Tuesday 1^st, 2.30pm

The Perse v Stamford – Thursday 3^rd, 2pm

U15 Schools Vase Semis

Sandbach v Hitchin Boys – Saturday 5^th, 11am

Langley Park v Torquay Boys Grammar – Saturday 5^th, Sixways, 12.30pm

U15 Schools Bowl Semis

Dr Challoner’s Grammar v Poole Grammar – Friday 4^th, 2pm

Hill House v Haberdashers’ Aske’s – Wednesday 2^nd, 3pm