This week is yet another monster of a midweek of schools rugby, with sevens tournament and major Cup games all taking place.
Almost all the action is on Wednesday and it features some of the key moments in the year, not least the Edwin Doran Surrey Schools Senior 7s and the Solihull 7s, as well as a day of games at BT Murrayfield Stadium as the U18 and U16 Scottish Schools Cup and Shield finals take place.
Wednesday
Scottish Schools Cup/Vase
The U18 Scottish Schools Cup Final sees Stewart’s Melville take on Merchiston Castle, two of the most prestigious names in all of schools rugby, and two sides with great history in this competition. Indeed they are the last two champions of this competition. 2021 was lost to Covid, but in 2020 Stewart’s Melville claimed the title with a 24-14 victory over George Watson’s College, while in 2019 Merchiston Castle claimed the Cup with an absolutely barnstorming performance against St Aloysius’ College, 40-7.
It promises to be an absolute cracker of a game, they met once before this season back in early October, with Stewart’s Melville travelling to Merchiston for a game that ended up being incredibly tight. It was the away side that claimed it though, 7-3, and they might just feel that gives them the edge on Wednesday, though Merchiston have been in rare form and will not be too worried about a result five months ago – game on.
Over in the U16s there are two more giant names in school rugby going head to head as Dollar Academy and George Watson’s College go head to head. Dollar have great history in the U16 Cup, reaching three finals, including in 2020, but they have never won one, they will be hoping that this year they can make that final step. George Watson’s, on the other hand, know the winners circle well. Five times they have won this U16 title and they have never lost a final, and having won in back to back years in 2018 and 2019, they will be itching to get their hands on the trophy again on Wednesday and having won well against Dollar they will be feeling confident, however or Dollar this is a huge opportunity to make history, and they will not be letting that prior result influence them one bit other than to serve as motivation.
Over in the Shield, at U18 level Loretto and Queen Victoria School go head to head in what is a very special day for Queen Victoria School as their U16s are also in their Shield final, facing North Berwick High.
Both Loretto and Queen Victoria stormed through their semi finals, so it should be a cracker of an U18 final, and it could have been the same final at U16 level too. However Loretto have withdrawn from that, which has allowed North Berwick High to make their mark on the final.
7s
Wednesday is a huge day for schools 7s, featuring one of the absolute key tournaments of the year in the form of the Edwin Doran Surrey School 7s. Sunday gave us the likely contenders for the Rosslyn Park HSBC National School 7s from the North after the North of England Schools 7s, while Wednesday will give the same indications about the contenders in the South as they take on the challenge of the Surrey 7s.
It is one of the most challenging competitions on the circuit, and you can read all about it in our dedicated preview here: Edwin Doran Surrey Schools Senior 7s Preview.
There is also major 7s action in the Midlands at the Solihull 7s. Hosted by Solihull School it is a key pre-Rosslyn Park event in the region, with previous winners including the likes of Bromsgrove, RGS High Wycombe, Warwick, and Solihull themselves. You can check out our preview of that tournament here: Solihull 7s Preview.
Elsewhere though there is plenty of other 7s going on too, the Kent 7s featuring the likes of Harris Academy, Cranbrook, Chislehurst & Sidcup Grammar, Sevenoaks, Ravens Wood, Eltham College, Langley Park, Maidstone Grammar, King’s Canterbury, Colfe’s Tonbridge, and Schools Vase finalists Sutton Valence looks as though it will be absolutely fantastic – and with the likes of Tonbridge and Sutton Valence in there, among others, very very high level.
Claires Court host the ISA 7s, and are joined by Princethorpe College, Finborough, Scarisbrick Hall, St James, and St David’s, while over at the Essex 7s New Hall are among the challengers with Coopers’ Coborn, USP College, Hedingham, Brentwood, and King John.
Hymers College host the Hymers 7s, with Grammar School at Leeds, Ampleforth College, Barnard Castle, Bradford Grammar, Pocklington, RGS Newcastle, Woodhouse Grove, St Peter’s York and Birkdale among the guests, while at the Cheshire 7s Birkenhead School are among the challengers along with Cheadle Hulme, Stockport Grammar, St Ambrose College, St Anselm’s College, and Wirral Grammar. Durham meanwhile are at the Durham County 7s with Yarm, while at the Hampshire 7s are Portsmouth Grammar School, Embley, KES Southampton, Lord Wandsworth College, Ryde, and Churcher’s College.
Thursday
Thursday sees the Wycliffe 7s at Wycliffe College take place, where alongside the hosts are the likes of KES Bath, Dean Close, QEH, Cathedral School Llandaff, Bristol Grammar, and Prior Park College, many of whom appeared in our live stream of the Colston’s 7s on Sunday, which you can watch below.
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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Wednesday
Dollar Academy v George Watson’s College – U16 Scottish Schools Cup Final
Loretto v Queen Victoria – Scottish Schools Shield Final
North Berwick High v Queen Victoria – U16 Scottish Schools Shield Final
Stewart’s Melville v Merchiston Castle – Scottish Schools Cup Final
Cheshire 7s
Durham 7s
Essex 7s
Hampshire 7s
Hymers 7s
ISA 7s
Kent 7s
Solihull 7s – See Preview
Surrey 7s – See Preview
Thursday
Wycliffe College 7s