After the weekend that preceded it, this midweek of schools rugby had a lot to live up to and yet somehow it managed it.
There were fantastic games right across the board with fixtures on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, including live streams right here on NextGenXV on Monday and Wednesday – and there is another tonight as Merchant Taylors’ host Reading Blue Coat, which you can watch below.
Monday
RGS Worcester 20-17 King’s Worcester (Sixways, Modus Cup) – Live Streamed
The action all kicked off on Monday with what was an epic 15th Annual Modus Cup. The game swung this way and that, RGS starting strong before King’s came back, only for RGS to then score a brilliant try and an even better touchline conversion that would ultimately seal the game.
It was an incredible occasion, well worth reliving below, with thousands of fans packed into Sixways Stadium despite the atrocious weather condition. One of the great adverts for schools rugby.
Tuesday
Culford 39-10 Farlingaye (Schools Bowl)
Fettes College 29-33 George Watson’s College
Seaford College 29-49 Marlborough College (Schools Cup)
West Buckland 36-14 Mount Kelly (Schools Bowl)
On Tuesday the Schools Cup roared into view with Marlborough College becoming the first side through to the quarter finals with a thrilling 49-29 victory over Seaford College, you can read Peter Crawshaw’s report of that game here: Marlborough into Cup Quarters.
There was also Bowl action, West Buckland beating Mount Kelly 36-14 to reach the South West A Regional Final, and Culford playing catch up from Round 2 with a 39-10 victory over Farlingaye in Midlands B.
Meanwhile in Scotland George Watson’s College won a thriller against Fettes College, 33-29, to secure their place at the top of their Scottish Schools Conference.
Wednesday
Cardinal Newman 15-20 The Judd (Schools Cup)
Chatham & Clarendon 15-19 Oakwood Park
Chosen Hill 12-12 Cleeve
Claires Court 33-8 Brentwood (Schools Vase)
Cokethorpe 32-7 Aylesbury Grammar
Dartford Grammar 47-7 Saints Cecilia’s (Schools Bowl)
Derby Grammar 0-50 Hill House
Durham 20-8 Hymers College (Schools Vase)
Farnborough 6th form College 6-3 Shiplake College (Schools Bowl)
Forest 40-12 Burnham Grammar
Hampton 5-45 Harrow (Schools Cup)
Harrogate Grammar 68-7 Scarborough College (Schools Bowl)
Hereford Cathedral 12-44 Princethorpe College (Schools Vase)
Hurstpierpoint College 12-15 Epsom College (Schools Plate)
Itchen College 0-57 Ryde
John Hampden Grammar 14-24 Coopers’ Coborn (Schools Bowl)
KES Five Ways 31-12 KES Lichfield (Schools Bowl)
Kirkham Grammar 10-10 Hartpury College U17
King’s Macclesfield 42-10 Stockport Grammar (Schools Cup)
Lord Wandsworth College 26-7 Barton Peveril College
Loughborough Grammar 13-14 Dr Challoner’s Grammar (Schools Vase)
LVS Ascot 12-47 Leighton Park
Monmouth 74-12 Richard Huish (Schools Plate)
Mount St Mary’s College 42-11 Rishworth (Schools Vase)
Oakham 27-24 Stowe (Schools Cup) – Live Streamed
Oundle 13-26 St Albans (Schools Vase)
Queen Mary’s Grammar 6-21 KES Camp Hill
Ravens Wood 22-17 Wallington County Grammar (Schools Vase)
Royal Wolverhampton 31-29 Newcastle-Under-Lyme
Runshaw College 17-57 Stonyhurst
Salesian 5-55 Halliford
Sir Thomas Rich’s 14-31 Blundell’s (Schools Cup)
Solihull 52-10 Cheadle Hulme (Schools Plate)
St Ambrose College 10-5 Ellesmere College (Schools Vase)
St Anselm’s College 37-7 Ullswater (Schools Vase)
St John’s Leatherhead 24-29 Reigate Grammar (Schools Vase)
St Peter’s, Gloucester 20-10 Backwell (Schools Bowl)
Sutton Valence 27-22 Skinners’ (Schools Vase)
The Leys 39-19 St Columba’s College (Schools Bowl)
Tiffin 10-40 Hayes
Trinity Sevenoaks 22-26 Canterbury Academy
Wimbledon College 19-12 St Benedict’s (Schools Plate)
Windsor Boys’ 55-0 Ranelagh
Woodhouse Grove 15-22 RGS Newcastle (Schools Cup)
Worthing College 5-41 Samuel Whitbread Academy
Wednesday saw the Schools Cup dominated the headlines, and nowhere more so than at Oakham School where they and Stowe put on an absolute masterclass of drama on Doncaster Close. Oakham were in control early on only for Stowe to come roaring back, but somehow, someway, the two time champions found away to turn that Stowe momentum around and claim a quite magnificent 27-24 victory that fires them into the quarter finals. You can watch a replay of that game below:
Four others joined Oakham in the quarter finals on Wednesday, and perhaps none more impressively that Harrow. They travelled to Hampton, who were, like Harrow, unbeaten, a heavyweight clash if ever there was one. Yet in a sign of just what a force this Harrow side is they beat their hosts by a stunning 45-5 margin that must have put the rest of the tournament on notice.
King’s Macclesfield were also sensational, and have quietly been utterly brilliant all season, they defeated Stockport Grammar to progress as the North B quarter finalists. RGS Newcastle will be the North A quarter finalists after a seriously hard-working regional final victory away at Woodhouse Grove, winning 22-15.
Blundell’s will be the South West B quarter finalists after an outstanding Regional Final performance against Sir Thomas Rich’s, winning 31-14 to reach the last 8. You will be able to watch Sir Thomas Rich’s in action on Thursday when they take on Cheltenham College at Gloucester’s Kingsholm Stadium live here on NextGenXV.
https://youtu.be/oMChcsNZWco
The Judd have had to wait a while for their rearranged Round 2 fixture against Cardinal Newman, but on Wednesday that finally happened and a serious game of rugby broke out. Cardinal Newman tested them like nobody else has been able to this season, but The Judd held firm for a 20-15 victory that sees them into the Regional Final in London & South East A against reigning champions Trinity. That should happen next week, as should the only other remaining regional final, Finborough v Bedford in Midlands B.
Wednesday also saw the first tranche of Regional Finals in the Schools Plate, Solihull booked their quarter final slot with a magnificent 52-10 defeat of Cheadle Hulme in North B. In London & South East A, meanwhile, it will be Epsom College that are the quarter final representatives after their tight 15-12 victory at Hurstpierpoint College.
From London & South East B it is Wimbledon College, they defeated St Benedict’s 19-12, while Monmouth are the South West B quarter finalists after a stunning 74-12 defeat of Richard Huish. The remaining Regional Finals are due to take place next week.
The Vase saw plenty of action in midweek, St Anselm’s College v St Ambrose College will be the regional final in North A after St Ambrose defeated Ellesmere College 10-5 and St Anselm’s beat Ullswater 37-7. North B meanwhile will see Durham host Mount St Mary’s, Durham defeated Hymers College 20-8 on Wednesday while Mount St Mary’s College, the reigning champions, were 42-11 victors over Rishworth.
Midlands A saw both regional finalists confirmed, Princethorpe College defeated Hereford Cathedral 44-12, while Dr Challoner’s Grammar School won a really tight one at Loughborough Grammar, 14-13.
Midlands B has some catching up to do, but St Albans did beat Oundle 26-13 in their delayed third round game. Meanwhile in London & South East A it will be Claires Court v Reigate Grammar in the regional final after Claires Court beat Brentwood 33-8, a brilliant performance, and Reigate Grammar won a thriller at St John’s, 29-24.
In London & South East B it is going to be Sutton Valence v Ravens Wood. Last year’s finalists, Sutton Valence, won a cracker against Skinners’ 27-22 and Ravens Wood defeated Wallington County Grammar 22-17.
The Bowl also saw some action, Harrogate Grammar will be in the North B regional final after a stunning 68-7 defeat of Scarborough College, while KES Five Ways booked their Midlands A regional final spot with a 31-12 defeat of KES Lichfield. The Leys, meanwhile, will be in the Midlands B regional final, they defeated St Columba’s College 39-19.
In London & South East A Coopers’ Coborn secured their regional final spot with a 24-14 defeat of John Hampden Grammar, while in London & South East B Dartford Grammar will join Duke of York’s Royal Military in the regional final after a 47-7 defeat of Saint Cecilia’s.
South West A saw St Peter’s Gloucester secure their place to play West Buckland in the regional final thanks to a 20-10 defeat of Backwell, while in South West B it will be Farnborough 6th form College in the regional final after the tightest of 6-3 victories over Shiplake College.
Of course there was plenty going on outside of the knockout games, not least in a tense 10-10 draw as Kirkham Grammar School went head to head with Hartpury College Bulls. Elsewhere Hill House were outstanding, beating Derby Grammar 50-0, while, Ryde were similar, beating Itchen College 57-0, and Windsor Boys too, 55-0 v Ranelagh.
Hayes enjoyed their first ever Daily Mail Trophy outing as they beat Tiffin 40-10, while Canterbury Academy won a great game at Trinity Sevenoaks 26-21 and Royal Wolverhampton won 31-29 in an epic with Newcastle-Under-Lyme. There was a draw at Chosen Hill, Cleeve coming to town and keeping it tight at 12-12.
Samuel Whitbread Academy continue to impress, winning 41-5 at Worthing College, so too Halliford, who won 55-5 at Salesian. Stonyhurst’s preparations for their classic against Ampleforth this weekend could not have gone much better, winning 57-17 at Runshaw College, meanwhile Leighton Park won 47-12 at LVS Aston and Forest School won 40-12 at home to Burham Grammar. KES Camp Hill were 21-6 victors at Queen Mary’s.
Lord Wandsworth College won 26-7 against Barton Peveril in the County Cup, while there was a great performance from Cokethorpe to beat Aylesbury Grammar 32-7, and a fantastic game between Chatham & Clarendon and Oakwood Park, finishing up 19-15 in Oakwood Park’s favour.
Thursday
Bryanston 19-23 Ivybridge Community College (Schools Vase)
Cathedral School, Llandaff 27-14 Beechen Cliff
Edinburgh Academy 10-17 Stewart’s Melville
Monkton Combe 22-26 Portsmouth Grammar (Schools Bowl)
Thursday saw Ivybridge Community College win a cracking game against Bryanston, 23-19, to progress to the regional final of the Vase in South West A.
Meanwhile in the Bowl, Portsmouth Grammar won an epic at Monkton Combe 26-22 to progress to the South West B regional final, where they will face Farnborough 6th form College.
In Scotland Stewart’s Melville beat high flying Edinburgh Academy 17-10 away from home, a seriously impressive result, while in Wales Cathedral School Llandaff defeated English side Becchen Cliff’s non-ACE players 27-14.
Still to Come:
Crossley Heath v King’s Grantham (Schools Bowl)
