This week sees the U18 and U15 Schools Cup, Plate, Vase, and Bowl finals take place for the first time since 2019.
The 2020 finals were lost to Covid just days before, with the pandemic then wiping out the entire 2020/21 competition, but after seven months of competition the final two days of play are now upon us.
The U18 and U15 Cup and Vase finals will take place at Twickenham Stadium on Wednesday 16th March, while on Tuesday 15th March Saracens’ StoneX Stadium will host the finals of the U18 and U15 Plate and Vase competitions.
The silence off the pitch from the organisers may have been utterly deafening over recent controversies, but that should not detract from the main events on Tuesday and Wednesday that are sixteen different schools getting their chance to play these finals, creating memories that will last a lifetime. Nevertheless, once the finals are done the questions will be raised again; for the organisers cannot be allowed to believe that if an issue is avoided or questions ignored that it will simply die down. For the future of the competitions and those who play in them, we will keep asking.
What happens on the field is most important though! On that score there are some absolute crackers set to unfold over the next couple of days.
U18 Cup: Kirkham Grammar v Trinity – Wednesday, Twickenham Stadium
The flagship game for the National Schools’ competitions, the U18 Schools Cup final, and what a final it looks set to be with Kirkham Grammar School for the North and Trinity from London & South East going head to head in a true heavyweight tussle.
Both have been utterly brilliant this season, Kirkham Grammar School are undefeated on the fifteen-a-side field – and are having a good old crack at 7s too despite having this competition to prepare for as well, they reached the semi finals of last week’s Edwin Doran Surrey Schools Senior 7s. In this tournament they have been sensational, storming through the initial regional stage of the semi final before a strong 27-0 with over Bedford in the quarters and a tight and tense 18-13 semi final victory over Cup legends Barnard Castle – that particular game will serve them well ahead of this one, because Trinity are very much in the Barnard Castle class.
Trinity are unbeaten since early October and have taken down some of the biggest names in school rugby to get here, the holders, Whitgift, the Daily Mail Trophy champions, Berkhamsted, back to back semi finalists, Sherborne, the superb Epsom College and the Ealing Trailfinders affiliated Cardinal Newman. They have got to this point the hard way, and the scary part is that in the end they have been fairly comfortable throughout, despite the class of the opposition that has been put in front of them.
It makes Wednesday afternoon’s showpiece game absolutely mouth-watering, arguably one of the strongest finals in years and one that will give us a new name on the trophy. From 2010 to 2021 only four teams won the U18 Schools Cup, Whitgift 3 times, Dulwich College three times, Bromsgrove twice, and Warwick twice, plus Whitgift and Warwick shared the cancelled 2020 title. That run is over, we will have a new name. Neither of these two sides has reached the final before, now they have a chance to win it all.
Memories will be made that last a lifetime. These are the moments.
U18 Plate: Stowe v KCS Wimbledon – Tuesday, StoneX Stadium
The quality of the Cup final is told in the story of the quality of Tuesday’s Plate final between Stowe and KCS Wimbledon. The Plate is contested by sides that lose in the opening round of the Cup. That these two were knocked out at that stage speaks volumes for the quality in the Cup final for these have been two of the finest teams in the country this year.
Both featured in our Top 5 School Team of the Weekend videos during the main fifteen-a-side season, and both achieved high Daily Mail Trophy finishes, KCS Wimbledon in 8th and Stowe in 12th. Indeed Stowe only lost once all season, in the opening round of the Cup – even then it was a 29-22 thriller at Rugby. Since then they have been dominant, not least in the semi final of this competition, beating Stockport Grammar 41-0. KCS have been brilliant too though, only losing twice, a narrow one to Harrow in the opening round of the Cup, and then against Trinity – who of course are now playing in the Cup final.
These are two seriously good sides. Had either gone deep in the Cup there would have been no raised eyebrows. Tuesday’s final will be as good as many a Cup final, and it is not to be missed.
U18 Vase: Mount St Mary’s College v Sutton Valence – Wednesday, Twickenham Stadium
It is somewhat of a theme of this year’s competitions that each tiers final looks as though it would fit right at home in the tier above, such is the quality. The U18 Vase final is no different, a long Plate run could easily have happened for either of these sides, they are that impressive.
Mount St Mary’s are unbeaten as they head into this final. It has been an extraordinary season and this game caps it magnificently. The feather in the cap was the semi final though, putting fifty points past Ipswich was an extraordinary effort – this was an Ipswich side that had been mixing it with the very best in the business. Mount St Mary’s are not to be underestimated.
Nor are Sutton Valence though, their players have been littering the Saracens U18 side and number 8 Nathan Michelow was capped by England U18 a fortnight ago. A tight loss to Haileybury is the only defeat of the season for this group, they have been exemplary. Not least in the drier warmer conditions in September, where they never scored fewer than sixty points. Twickenham’s pristine surface could well play into their hands. It should be another cracker.
U18 Bowl: Nottingham High v Eastbourne College – Tuesday, StoneX Stadium
Tuesday’s Bowl final should be a cracking game too, for both of these sides the Bowl has been their momentum builder all season and as their run has progressed to too has their form alongside it.
Now as both head towards StoneX and the final, they are flying with confidence. In the semi finals Eastbourne College were outstanding against Glyn, winning 23-8, but so were Nottingham High School, who beat an RGS Colchester side that has contributed heavily to Northampton Saints U18 22-12.
It should be a fantastic game of rugby on Tuesday, but more importantly it should be a magnificent occasion for each and ever player involved as they run out on the StoneX pitch. A very special day indeed.
U15 Cup: QEGS Wakefield v Wellington College – Wednesday, Twickenham Stadium
If someone asked you to pick two U15 Schools Cup finalists based on nothing but historical data, there’s a fair chance you’d pick these two.
Wellington College reached the first ever final in 1988, won their first (a share with Bedford) in 1994, before reach finals in 1996 and 1999 ahead of a second title in 2000. They were back again for a third title in 2008 before another final in 2010, followed by three finals in four years in 2016, 2017, and 2019, winning in 2017. That’s 10 finals and four titles, a stunning record.
Few can compete, but QEGS are one that can come close, their first final was in 1998 when they shared the title with RGS High Wycombe, they were then back in the final in 2006 before reaching three in a row in 2013, 2014, and 2015. All were against Warwick and though the first two were losses, they got over the hump in 2015 to claim the spoils. Five finals and two titles. Only RGS High Wycombe and Warwick can really compete with these two historically in this competition.
This year, both sides are looking good. Only Denstone have got the better of QEGS who have dug so deep on this run progressing narrowly against Sedbergh, St Peter’s York, Warwick, and then in the semi final Ipswich. They have shown resilience beyond their years to get to this point.
They will need it again in the final though because this Wellington College side is outstanding, only two of the very best, Sedbergh and Harrow, have got the better of them and even then things were close. Their semi final was expected to be close too, but this superb group but together an epic performance to beat Radley College 36-7.
Wednesday is going to be a cracker of a game in arguably the truest test of the whole of the Schools Cup competition pool.
U15 Plate: Stamford v The Oratory – Tuesday, StoneX Stadium
It should come as no surprise to anyone that Stamford have reached this point, they have good players for a start, but in coach Mark Nasey they have a man that knows winning Cup rugby like the back of his hand. As Head Coach of Warwick he guided them to three U18 Schools Cup finals from 2007 to 2017, winning in both of those years and losing out to Dulwich College in 2014, though their U15s did win that year. This game might be at StoneX, but that knowledge base is going to be huge for this Stamford side that have been so good all year – only Oundle, way back in September in the opening round of the Cup, have got the better of them, and even then by just two points. This is a special group.
So too are The Oratory though, who aside from their opening round knockout in the Cup have only lost once more, against Teddies Oxford. Their run in this competition has been strong, but their performance against Reading Blue Coat was a crucial Plate performance in the semi final a fortnight ago, digging deep and showing real quality to come through.
This game would not look out of place in the latter stages of the Cup, and in this competition that is as big a compliment as any that can be paid to the two finalists.
U15 Vase: Hitchin Boys’ v Torquay Boys’ Grammar – Wednesday, Twickenham Stadium
It has not been an easy ten days or so for Torquay Boys’ Grammar, dragged into a wider regulation debate in which they were merely an innocent bystander (and indeed a side that understood the rules and played to them superbly, despite those rules’ inherent absurdity). The boys deserve all the credit in the world for getting this far and should be celebrated enormously for doing to. On the field their semi final was an absolute cracker of a game.
So too was Hitchin’s victory, they have truly impressed on this run, and it culminates for both sides on this appearance at Twickenham – just four days after the England team themselves did. That is what the day and the competition is all about. For the two groups of players the achievement in simply being there is to be celebrated, and in being there the job is to enjoy it, to savour it. What happens on the pitch will happen, but win, lose, or draw, the experience is everything.
U15 Bowl: Hill House v Poole Grammar – Tuesday, StoneX Stadium
The first game of final week will be the U15 Bowl Final, Hill House and Poole Grammar will kick things off at Saracens’ StoneX Stadium on Tuesday morning and will do so to what will be a raucous atmosphere as both are rumoured to be bringing plenty of travelling support.
The quality should be superb too, Hill House were excellent in their 17-3 defeat of Haberdashers’ in their semi final, while Poole Grammar were also on fine form in a gritty game against Dr Challoner’s Grammar.
Tuesday will be a tough game, but as an experience for these two groups of young players, running out on to a professional pitch to kick off a huge week of finals in front of an excitable crowd, it will be the experience of a lifetime so far.
