It is hard to imagine a more unusual start to the schools rugby season than this year’s opening weekend of the season.
With the sad news of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday, it looked initially as though all rugby would be off. By Friday the picture was changing and it looked like all might be on, then football issued a blanket cancellation and suddenly it looked as though rugby was off again.
In the end, the RFU decided that rugby was indeed on at the discretion of those organising fixtures. That left us with an opening weekend in which the majority of schools rugby fixtures went ahead, but only a very slender majority after many had opted already to cancel in the period between the announcement of The Queen’s death on Thursday and the announcement that play could occur on Friday.
Protocols had to quickly be decided upon, much effort from every school was put into ensuring that the tone was adjudged correctly, and then across the country the action began. Despite the sombre mood, once those whistles went there was an unmistakable sense of excitement and joy – that, after all, is really the essence of sport, it’s entire point.
The Schools Championship
The Schools Championship launched in a slightly different manner than originally intended, the plan had been to live stream a Super Sunday event at Sedbergh School, kicking off with Millfield against guest side Clifton College before The Schools Championship opener, Sedbergh v Whitgift.
The games were able to go ahead and the cameras were rolling, however the decision was made not to go live. However the footage will be made available in the next 48 hours.
On the field the action was spectacular, and schools rugby fans are in for a treat when the footage is released. Clifton College were sensational in the face of a dogged Millfield performance to open the day, sealing a 31-19 victory. It was a performance that marked them out as a team that are going to be one of the absolute top teams in the country this season, and their day was capped off when Head of Rugby Matt Salter announced their intention to formally join The Schools Championship for next season.
Into that opener in The Schools Championship, and the atmosphere had built tremendously, with drummers, pipers, and another impeccably observed minute’s silence. Sedbergh came out of the blocks with some fizzing passes to release their electric backline, building out to a 24-3 lead with around fifteen minutes left to play. Whitgift, as determined as ever, struck back to take things to 24-10 and it felt as though they may be a comeback on the cards. However that was the point at which Sedbergh flicked the switch and went into another gear, Tom Burton scored a hat-trick from full back and his side ran in a stunning 8 tries for a 46-10 victory that sees them top The Schools Championship side with a maximum total from this opening fixture thanks to the try-scoring bonus point.
Next up it’s Whitgift v Wellington College on Saturday, and it will all be LIVE on NextGenXV.
Ten to Watch
Brighton College 29-0 Tonbridge
Hampton 24-6 Seaford College (at Cobham RFC)
Ipswich 69-0 Uppingham
Millfield 19-31 Clifton College (at Sedbergh)
RGS High Wycombe 6-7 Berkhamsted
Rugby 14-29 Oakham
Sedbergh 46-10 Whitgift (The Schools Championship)
Stamford 12-10 Stowe
Warwick v Bromsgrove – Cancelled
Wellington College 15-21 Harrow
Our Ten to Watch certainly lived up to expectations, with some absolutely brilliant contests, some truly epic performances, and no little superb schoolboy rugby. Only one of the Ten to Watch was cancelled, Warwick v Bromsgrove – and given that they will meet again this season, a logical enough call to cancel.
The Ten to Watch action began on Friday night at Cobham RFC with Hampton v Seaford College. The rain was absolutely teaming down in Surrey at what was a hugely anticipated game, Hampton have a pretty experienced team, while Seaford have a group that includes a huge number of last year’s incredibly successful Colts side. Seaford perhaps entered as the marginal favourites given last year’s U18 and U16 exploits, but Hampton were the side to emerge victorious with an outstanding 24-6 victory that should pump them full of confidence for the season ahead, justifying the thoughts of 67% of our voters who said that Hampton would win.
Saturday saw a further six fixtures in our Ten to Watch, and one of the standout performances came from the much talked about Ipswich School side. They hosted Uppingham and, though they were favourites (a whopping 89% of you thought they would win), few could have expected domination quite like the 69-0 performance that they turned in, a welcome birthday present for outside half George Herbert. If plenty was expected of them before, now expectations only grow, and the excitement builds for our live stream of their game against Northampton School for Boys this Friday evening.
Brighton College also started with a bang. After a triangular the previous weekend with KCS Wimbledon and Tonbridge, they met Tonbridge again on Saturday and proved to be in absolutely irresistible form. Sealing a 29-0 victory and laying down an impressive benchmark for the year ahead, 66% of our voters may have expected the victory, but maybe not quite like that. Seeing the photos from the game as well, it looked as though it was a particularly poignant remembrance of The Queen on the south coast.
Elsewhere there were some really tight games. Stamford look as though they are going to be a side to keep a real eye on this season after they sealed a tight 12-10 victory over Stowe on Saturday. Stowe are expected to be right up at the top end this year, hence 63% expected them to win, so a performance like that from Stamford suggests a bright season ahead for them.
Things were unbelievably tight at RGS High Wycombe too, where defending Daily Mail Trophy champions Berkhamsted were the visitors. It was absolutely on a knife edge and RGS will have been absolutely gutted not to be able to claim such a big scalp so early on in the season, but in the end the champions claimed it by a hair with a 7-6 victory. 63% of you expected Berkhamsted to win, but the result on field was so much closer to 50/50.
One of the standout results of the weekend was Harrow’s 21-15 victory away at Wellington College. Big things are expected of Harrow this year but a victory at Wellington College on the opening day in front of a big crowd at Bigside is no easy task, very few have ever managed it but this superb Harrow side have proved up to the task and that already makes them very very interesting indeed. Wellington College will be encouraged by a late rally, a timely period ahead of Saturday’s encounter with Whitgift, but Harrow will be on cloud 9. Only 39% backed them on Saturday, a fair few more will be backing them in the week’s to come, that seems certain.
As will Oakham, who travelled to Rugby and in a good contest emerged strong 29-14 victors. Rugby are expected to be a fairly strong side this year, hence 55% of you having them as favourites on Saturday, which bodes very well for Oakham and says plenty about their character to go to such a tough place on the opening day and come home with such a performance.
Our Ten to Watch of course extended through to Sunday and those two games at Sedbergh School mentioned earlier. Clifton College will be absolutely flying after their performance against Millfield, a quite brilliant performance with some moments of wonderful quality scattered throughout. Both side are going to have some huge moments this year, but what a stunning way to start the season for Clifton and in such wonderful circumstances at the launch of The Schools Championship as special guests and defying the expectations of 66% of voters.
It was the launch of The Schools Championship that rounded the whole weekend off too with that magnificent final quarter from Sedbergh against Whitgift as they sealed a quite stunning 46-10 victory, 88% of our voters clearly know a thing or two. The most startling aspect of all, and even Sedbergh would likely admit this, was that neither side was quite at their best, with a good deal of early season rustiness in the air – though in the moments of quality (and there were 8 stunning Sedbergh trys!), the skill levels and potential were evident in abundance. In truth though, the abiding memory of the day will not be what happened on the pitch but what surrounded it, four schools coming together in one venue, eating together on the Saturday night, sitting with players of the same position from other schools, engendering all of the values that we most cherish about rugby. In many ways, the perfect start to the season.
Remaining Fixtures
Friday
Bedford Modern 19-29 St Albans (at Bedford Athletic RFC)
Hartpury College 3rd XV 21-22 Pate’s Grammar
The bulk of what was a busy Friday schedule ended up understandably being called off, but alongside the Hampton v Seaford College game a couple of others did go ahead and what a pair of games they were. Pate’s Grammar and Hartpury College’s 3rd XV had an amazing contest, with Pate’s just edging in 22-21, while St Albans, who have been really growing for a few years now, had a fantastic game against Bedford Modern at Bedford Athletic, winning 29-19 to start the season on a high.
Saturday
Abingdon 38-12 Magdalen College (pre-season)
Altrincham Grammar 20-17 Wilmslow High
Ampleforth College 10-22 Bradford Grammar
Bryanston Triangular: Sherborne beat Bryanston, Cranleigh and Sherborne drew, Cranleigh beat Bryanston
Campion 33-0 Coopers’ Coborn
Canford 14-24 Marlborough College
Caterham 37-7 Sevenoaks
Cheltenham College 31-20 Bloxham
Christ College 33-12 Malvern College
Epsom College 10-15 RGS Guildford
Eton College 39-10 John Fisher
Grammar School at Leeds 26-38 Durham
Haileybury 18-9 Felsted
Hurstpierpoint College 29-27 St John’s Leatherhead
Hymers College 12-36 Barnard Castle
KCS Wimbledon 21-24 Reed’s
KES Southampton 39-19 Portsmouth Grammar
King’s Bruton 5-33 Monkton Combe
King’s Canterbury 15-14 Duke of York’s Royal Military
Lancaster RGS 10-33 King’s Macclesfield
Leicester Grammar 0-43 Wellingborough
Loughborough Grammar 29-3 Ratcliffe College (Schools Vase)
Mill Hill 34-12 Bishop’s Stortford High
Monmouth 29-31 Old Swinford Hospital
Oundle 0-38 Bedford
Pangbourne College 19-10 St George’s College, Weybridge
Princethorpe College 7-63 Solihull
QES Barnet 7-0 Bishop’s Stortford High 2nd XV
Reigate Grammar 51-7 Colfe’s
RGS Worcester 21-22 Collegiate
Scarisbrick Hall 34-12 St David’s College, Llandudno
St George’s, Harpenden 17-7 Merchant Taylors’, Northwood
St Paul’s 52-12 Wimbledon College
Wallington County Grammar 10-31 Tiffin
Windsor Boys’ 12-43 Emanuel
Naturally many of Saturday’s games were lost to the cancelations, however some great games remained and some superb performances were on show, not least from Reed’s who edged an incredibly tight encounter against one of last year’s star teams, KCS Wimbledon. It was an incredibly close game, but Reed’s won 24-21 – in Wimbledon – to get their season off to a flyer. Local rivals St George’s Weybridge didn’t quite get the same edge, they travelled to Pangbourne College, who won a close one 19-10. KCS’ local rivals Wimbledon College came up against an absolutely inspired performance from St Paul’s, who got off to the perfect start to 2022/23, winning 52-12.
St Paul’s were not the only ones to get off to a try scoring start, Reigate Grammar School were flying en route to a 51-7 victory over Colfe’s, and Solihull got off to exactly the start we were wondering if they could in our preview, beating Princethorpe College 63-7. Wellingborough will have also thoroughly enjoyed their start after a 43-0 victory away at Leicester Grammar, a truly outstanding result.
Bedford’s game against Oundle was shifted from Friday to Saturday, but it didn’t worry Bedford too much, they were in excellent early season form for a 38-0 victory. Off to a similarly good start are Campion, with a 33-0 victory over Coopers’ Coborn, while Caterham, fresh from welcoming us for the NextGenXV Podcast, enjoyed their season opener, beating Sevenoaks 37-7.
One of the standout results from the opening round of games came in South West London where RGS Guildford travelled to Epsom College and came home with a brilliant 15-10 victory. RGS are expected to have a pretty decent side this year, but Epsom College are a massive scalp, leaving RGS a side that absolutely everyone is going to be keeping an out for throughout the rest of the season. Another to look out for are Haileybury, whose season has begun well, they were at home against Felsted and took an 18-9 victory. Eton College also impressed in their annual fixture against John Fisher, one of the great schools rugby encounters. This year it went the way of Eton, 39-10, and perhaps little surprise given the effectiveness of their Colts last year.
Christ College Brecon’s U18s were outstanding last year and look as though they might be again this year, they faced a strong Malvern College side and won 33-12. Similarly Cheltenham College, who were at home to Bloxham in what turned out to be a top game, Cheltenham coming out on top 31-20.
Staying in the South West, Marlborough College are off to a good start thanks to a 24-14 victory at Canford, while Collegiate, formerly Colston’s, were also victorious but were in a great scrap away at RGS Worcester, winning 22-21. Old Swinford Hospital were also involved in a thriller, hopping across the border to Wales to take on Monmouth and winning 31-29. Both sides are likely to be strong this year. Going the other way were St David’s College, but it was to be another English victory as BScarisbrick Hall won 34-12.
Sherborne and Cranleigh will both be reasonably happy after a triangular at Bryanston, each beat the hosts and then drew against one another. Meanwhile in a pre-season game Abingdon will be happy with their direction of travel, beating Magdalen College 38-12.
Back towards London Emanuel had a brilliant start away at Windsor Boys’, winning 43-12, while Tiffin will also be happy after a 31-10 victory away at Wallington County Grammar. Further south there were some epics, perhaps none more so than Hurstpierpoint College’s 29-27 victory over St John’s Leatherhead, an absolutely brilliant game. Things were even tighter at King’s Canterbury, where they just edged a competitive Duke of York’s Royal Military side, 15-14, meanwhile KES Southampton will be flying after their 39-19 derby victory over Portsmouth Grammar.
Back towards the capital and Hertfordshire it was a tricky day for Bishop’s Stortford High School after their 2ndXV went down narrowly 7-0 to QES Barnet and Mill Hill beat the 1st XV with a strong 34-12 performance. St George’s Harpenden were meanwhile on good form against Merchant Taylors’, winning 17-7.
Further north the Schools Vase actually got underway as Loughborough Grammar School secured a 29-3 victory over Ratcliffe College to progress to Round 2. Elsewhere Altrincham Grammar won a tight one at Wilmslow High 20-17, while Bradford Grammar travelled to Ampleforth College and came away with a 22-10 victory, a fine start to the season.
Barnard Castle picked up where they left off last year – in form. They beat a Hymers College side that played some really strong stuff according to reports with a great performance of their own, 36-12. King’s Macclesfield also enjoyed a big start to the season, heading to Lancaster RGS and leaving onlookers impressed after a 33-10 victory.
Still to Come:
Northampton School for Boys v Denstone College
Richard Hale v UCS
Sandbach v Lymm High
Sir Joseph Williamson’s v Dartford Grammar
Wells Cathedral v Queen’s College, Taunton
