As we do at the end of every season we rank who in our opinion are the Top 20 best rugby playing schools in the world. For the first time since 2019 we have been able to rank schools from all nations and while tasks such as these are never easy we hope that it as always will be taken in the right spirit.
Please note the following:
*Northern Hemisphere schools are ranked on the 2021/22 season
*Southern Hemisphere schools are ranked on their 2022 season
*We look at a schools performance in their own country, there can of course be debate on which countries have the strongest systems but we look at it in the context of how they performed specifically in their own country
To see our previous global rankings place click here
20. WESTLAKE BOYS
NEW ZEALAND
An epic season for the perennial North Harbour champs. A clean sweep with a 12-0 record in their division, the team then followed that up with a fantastic final win over Manuwera 36-24 to book their place in the Blues final.
In what was arguably the shock of the school rugby season in New Zealand, the team went on to defeat Kelston last years global number 1 in a tightly contested final and qualified for the Top 4 for the first time in their history.
It was a step too far for the boys however when they encountered a rampant Napier Boys team going down by a significant margin but the light at the end of the tunnel was their playoff with against a highly rated John McGlashan outfit finishing third in the national championship.
Truly a generational achievement for the school and one they can be truly proud of.
19. GARSFONTEIN
SOUTH AFRICA
Garsies started off the season with a bang, their epic win over Affies will long be remembered by this gifted young team and they pulled off a historical feat by winning the Pretoria Cup by beating the aforementioned Affies as well as Waterkloof and Menlopark, an historic first for the school.
Wins over the likes of Paul Roos and an unlucky draw against Paarl Boys in a match they could of won were highlights of the season. The rugby culture and program is growing quickly at the Pretoria based outfit with many believing next years team is going to be something truly special, watch this space.
18. ROTORUA
NEW ZEALAND
A team that showcased so much during the season only to fall short at the final hurdle. Rotorua were able to break Hamilton Boy’s stranglehold on the Super 8 with their first title win in many years.
Hot favourites to take the Chiefs championship they unfortunately came unstuck against a highly motivated Tauranga Boys team and thus crashed out of contention for a national title.
17. MONUMENT
SOUTH AFRICA
For many years we have said the problem with Monnas is the sheer quantity of fixtures they play, this alongside the fact they lose a number of national players toward the tail end of the season drastically effects their changes in the Noord Vaal Cup.
The team put in some outstanding displays during the season including comprehensive wins over Garsfonteina and Oakdale but come unstuck against some of the larger programs in the country. However toward the end of the season their form peaked with a run of 8 straight victories including a tight final win over Garsies in the Noord Vaal Cup final, a massive achievement for the boys.
16. ANGLICAN CHURCH GRAMMAR
AUSTRALIA
A fantastic season for Churchie with them sharing the GPS trophy with Nudgee and Southport based on GPS rules although they finished second on the table with a 117 points difference.
The team was noted for playing attractive rugby throughout the season and ended the GPS season with a 7-1 record.
15. CLIFTON COLLEGE
ENGLAND
A program that has grown in leaps and bounds, Clifton look to be improving and building themselves into a powerhouse of English rugby.
A 90% win rate says a lot about their season with wins over Wellington College and Hartpury being highlights no doubt. Their only loss in the season was against a powerful Millfield unit who were the form team in England.
14. ST MICHAELS
IRELAND
The Leinster Schools senior cup draw needs a serious look at how they conduct their draws, the fact that Blackrock College and St Michaels were drawn in the first round robbed the competition of what should have been the ultimate grand final.
Their regular season results spoke volumes of the teams potential and in terms of playing personnel their contribution towards the Ireland Under 18 team further showcased the teams ability. Here is coming that the 2022/3 edition of the Schools Cup will allow for a draw that showcases seeding over just a random draw.
13. NAPIER BOYS
NEW ZEALAND
A school with an extremely proud rugby history, Napier Boys have been consistent high achievers in the Super 8 competition with the team acquitting themselves well against tough opposition in one of the premier schools competitions in the country.
After the Super 8 regular season finished few could have predicted the trajectory the season would have taken with the team defying the odds and winning the Hurricanes competition for a record 4th time. This win would qualify them for the Top 4 competition.
An outstanding performance against Westlake who conquered the mighty Kelston boys followed and a dream final awaited the boys against Hamilton Boys, it seemed as if the team was peaking at exactly the right moment.
The final against Hamilton Boys was certainly a war of attrition with Napier losing in a tightly contested final, after reading many takes on the game it appears as though although not national champions that Napier are certainly the “people’s champions” for 2022.
12. AFFIES
SOUTH AFRICA
Affies seemed to be a program in the doldrums at one stage. A school capable of producing generational teams seemed to have struggled over the last few years and one wondered what would be needed for the school to take its place among the giants of school rugby once again.
The 2022 season went a long way to doing that, two losses all season to Garsfontein and Grey College were naturally disappointing but memorable wins over the likes of Paarl Gim, Paul Roos and Oakdale showcased the teams ability to stand with those at the very top.
When one looks at the lower age groups it certainly appears that Affies stock is on the rise and we see no reason why they will not be fighting for top spot over the next few years.
11. ST JOSEPHS, HUNTERS HILL
AUSTRALIA
AAGPS champions once again, Joeys are arguably the leading rugby program historically in Australia and with over 100 Under 18 internationals produced it shows just why.
Their dominance in competition is hardly a surprise to many with another 100% record securing maximum points and having an average points difference of 11 showcases their results against extremely strong opponents.
Who is likely to challenge their dominance in the future? Only time will tell.
10. SEDBERGH SCHOOL
ENGLAND
Few would argue that over the last decade especially Sedbergh have been the strongest program in the English schools game with countless internationals produced not only for England but other UK teams as well.
Yet another season with a win rate of over 80% the only teams to prevent them from yet another 100% season were fellow school rugby giants Wellington College and Sedbergh. We are however told that this years team is one to watch and do not be surprised to see them shoot up next years list.
9. ST PETERS, AUCKLAND
NEW ZEALAND
A season that promised so much yet in the end did not deliver, but let that not take away from the magnificent rugby that was played by this team.
Few can argue that historically New Zealand is the strongest rugby nation and the fact that the Auckland 1A competition has produced the most All Blacks is a testament to the strength of this competition. There is hardly a year in which one team achieves a 100% record, such is the quality of opposition but St Peters managed to do this achieving an 11-0 record during the regular season.
A tight win over De La Salle in the semi-finals of the Cup portion of the competition meant them facing last years champions Kelston, a team they had easily defeated 22-3 in the earlier part of the season. A win seemed a formality but Kelston had ideas of their own overcoming the team 24-22 to book their playoff fixture against Westlake in the Blues competition. The results in New Zealand have shown there are no easy games in the local school rugby scene.
8. PAARL BOYS
SOUTH AFRICA
This was to be an interesting season for Paarl Boys with the return of their prodigal son, Sean Erasmus as head coach.
Erasmus is a Paarl Boys legend having led the school to three consecutive unbeaten seasons as head coach before he was snapped up by the Lions. His return increased expectations and while there were bumps in the road overall you can say he delivered on his mandate.
Some losses to teams such as Rondebosch were unexpected by a Paarl derby win as well as big wins over the likes of Monument, Paul Roos and Boland Landbou were highlights of the season and although the scoreline suggests differently they pushed Grey College all the way until the final whistle.
With Erasmus likely staying at the school for a long time tenure the future looks bright for the winelands outfit.
7. NUDGEE COLLEGE
AUSTRALIA
No global top schools ranking is complete without including Nudgee College, one of the most consistent performers in terms of schools rugby where they have dominated the GPS competition in Queensland historically.
Finishing top of the GPS log on points difference, this season was like many one where they dominated many of their opponents with just one loss during the regular season. Countless internationals have come through this program and it does not look to be slowing down anytime soon.
6. BLACKROCK COLLEGE
IRELAND
There are fewer schools more dominant on a national level historically than Blackrock College. They showcased their pedigree but claiming yet another Leinster Schools Senior Cup, their 70th in the competitions history and doing so by knocking out the might St Michaels in the first round.
To put into perspective just how dominant this school has been consider than the school with the second most titles is Belvedere College with a mere 12 titles. Blackrock continue to contribute heavily towards Ireland’s national and youth teams and show no signs of slowing down.
5. GREY COLLEGE
SOUTH AFRICA
The South African school rugby environment was fiercely competitive this year with no high level team having an unbeaten record throughout the season. Grey’s record this season stands at 14-11-1-2 and with a 78% win rate it showed the season was by no means a disgrace but a controversial draw with Oakdale and a loss to a form Paarl Gim team that could have gone either way contributed to their relatively low ranking when one considers they were ranked our global number 1 in 2018 and 2019.
A loss to Paul Roos meant they went from the number 1 ranked team in the country to second but it should be remembered that they were missing several SA Schools player during this defeat, it takes nothing away from Paul Roos who played their hearts out but it does at the end of the day effect the rankings.
We are hearing great things about next years team, so watch this space where Grey will surely do all they can to reclaim their number 1 crown.
4. HAMILTON BOYS
NEW ZEALAND
Our number 1 ranked team in 2020, Hamilton Boys endured a difficult season with them losing the Super 8 title to Rotorua thus ending a long run of dominance.
It is a testament to the character of the coaching staff and the players that they went on to achieve what they did. Losing the Super 8 meant arguably a more difficult route to the final but they went about their business and won the Chiefs championship and qualified for the Top 4 competition.
A comprehensive with over South Island champs John McGlashan in the semi-finals meant that their familiar face was in the final where they would face off against Super 8 foes Napier Boys, the Hurricanes champions. In a tightly contested final Hamilton would walk away with bragging rights and are now joint equal all time winners with 5 national titles in their history.
There are certainly fewer more impressive school rugby programs in the world than Hamilton Boys.
3. PAARL GIM
SOUTH AFRICA
A betting man would have predicted that the Paarl Gim class of 2022 would have finished as the number 1 ranked team globally by some distance, such were the expectations thrust upon the team.
Packed with talent, this years group had never tasted defeat at schools level and had a squad where at least 10 of the players had the ability to make the South African Under 18 team. The team however were ravaged by injury, and many of those injured were amongst the best in the country within their position.
With all that being said their 3 losses of the season were by literal inches and many would argue it was sheer misfortune that resulted in those losses. Affies made an epic comeback winning by 3 points in a game Gim looked destined to win while their loss to Paul Roos was the result of an interception in the dying minutes of the game.
Perhaps the biggest heartache was their derby day game against Paarl Boys where a try many felt should have been disallowed resulted in a 2 point loss for Gim. Their win over Grey College showed what a fantastic unit this was and had it not been for injury and some bad luck they would of gone down as the generational unit they deserved to be.
2. BARKER COLLEGE
AUSTRALIA
The CAS competition often lives in the shadow of the more famous AAGPS, perhaps unfairly as there have been some quality outfits who have come out of the CAS with this year that outfit being Barker College.
Their pre-season win over St Josephs, Hunters Hill set the bar high for the school and they duly delivered dominating the CAS winning the competition and remaining unbeaten. Their own blemish this season was a loss to Scots College but that was certainly eased by a historic win over Nudgee College in a cross state fixture where they as CAS winners took on the GPS champs and secured a 25-0 win making them what can be deemed the unofficial Australian national champions.
1. MILLFIELD SCHOOL
ENGLAND
What an extraordinary season for the boys from Street! Millfield enjoyed a remarkable season under famed coach John Mallett ending the season unbeaten with an official record of 18 games played, 17 won and a draw.
To put that draw into context the fixture was against Brighton College in the St Josephs Festival where the games are significantly shorter than regular season games. It should be remembered that Millfield in fact still went on to win this competition defeating the same team 10-7.
Perhaps the most memorable part of the season was the treble win over Sedbergh, Wellington and Whitgift a rare feat for any English school.
Millfield is a school which not only produces quality rugby players but legends of the game with the likes of Sir Gareth Edwards and JPR Williams having donned the famous jerseys. A proud history that carries on to this day and our pick for the best rugby school on the planet for 2022.
