It has been another absolutely outstanding weekend of schools rugby, with some terrific performances, incredibly competitive fixtures, and some real statements of intent from some of the top sides in the country.
Many had a quick turnaround from a busy midweek schedule and yet were still able to put in a huge shift, it was a fantastic effort on the part of so many.
Ten to Watch
Abingdon 19-30 Radley College
Bedford 24-40 Oakham
Clifton College 43-12 Wellington College
Harrow 24-8 Tonbridge
Merchant Taylors’ 21-28 Reading Blue Coat – Live Streamed (Friday)
Millfield 26-17 Cheltenham College
QEGS Wakefield 24-15 Bradford Grammar
Stonyhurst 24-13 Ampleforth College
Trinity 38-21 Hampton
Warwick 10-21 Sedbergh
Our Ten to Watch certainly lived up to expectation this week, and it all began on Friday night with our live stream of Merchant Taylors’ v Reading Blue Coat, which you can watch again below. In 2021 we were treated to an absolute classic that went down to a late kick to hand Reading Blue Coat the victory, and this year it was even more dramatic, a stunning try at the death handing Reading Blue Coat the victory, 28-21 with the conversion, having been behind and then pulled level before plugging away and plugging away some more for victory. In the end it became one of the great showcase events for the school game, a wonderful evening and a game packed full of drama.
Talking of drama, Sedbergh’s trip to Warwick provided plenty. Sedbergh were itching to get back on the horse after that defeat to Denstone College last week, but they faced a confident Warwick side who built a 10-0 lead to take into half time. 10-0 it stayed until ten minutes from the end when a Ben Redshaw inspired Sedbergh side came roaring onto the scoreboard to turn the game around in a short, sharp, and clinical flurry to claim a 21-10 victory.
The victory keeps Sedbergh in the top four of the NextGenXV Schools Rugby Table, and all three sides ahead of them were again in formidable form this weekend. Clifton College hosted Wellington College with memories of last year’s dramatic late victory still pretty strong, however this year there was to be no such drama as Clifton once again showed just what an outstanding side they really are as they marched to a stunning 43-12 victory.
Midweek had seen Harrow knock Hampton out in the Cup with a stunning performance, and both had a quick turnaround on Saturday. Harrow kept their momentum up with another good performance, beating an in form Tonbridge side 24-8. Hampton played well too, giving Trinity a really stern test, but Trinity are one of the few sides that can compete with Harrow this year and they showed that again on Saturday as they took a 38-21 victory, a brilliant result for Trinity and a tough one for Hampton who must be given enormous credit for competing so well considering probably the toughest back to back fixture schedule that anyone in the country has faced this year.
Millfield and Cheltenham College went head to head in advance of live streamed games this weekend, and both gave a good account of themselves. Millfield are on NextGenXV in their Schools Championship game against Whitgift on Saturday, and are well prepped after an impressive 26-17 victory, Cheltenham College meanwhile face Sir Thomas Rich’s live on NextGenXV on Thursday night at Kingsholm, they ought to be feeling good ahead of that one too, having run one of the best sides in the country, the St Joseph’s Festival champions, so close.
https://youtu.be/oMChcsNZWco
Oakham were another of those sides with a tough turnaround on Saturday, on Wednesday NextGenXV live streamed their incredible Cup victory over Stowe, which you can see again below, and on Saturday they were off to Bedford, a side that has been in great form too. Buoyed by that performance against a great Stowe side though, and the fact that they are cementing a reputation as one of the best around, Oakham were on form again to secure an impressive 40-24 victory.
The Oxford derby went the way of Radley College, who impressed for their 30-19 victory at Abingdon, though Abingdon can be satisfied with having put in a great shift. Meanwhile in Yorkshire QEGS Wakefield had one of their best results of the season as they secured a 24-15 victory over Bradford Grammar, who have had some truly outstanding performances this season.
In the ‘Benedictine derby’, Lancashire’s Stonyhurst got the better of Yorkshire’s Ampleforth College in a cracking game of rugby, securing a 24-13 victory and a memorable day for all involved.
Around the Grounds
Saturday
Altrincham Grammar 7-24 Manchester Grammar
Austin Friars 17-33 Dame Allan’s
Barnard Castle 26-12 St Peter’s, York
Berkhamsted 22-31 Northampton School for Boys
Birkenhead 29-14 Wilmslow High
Bishop Vesey’s Grammar 25-21 RGS Worcester
Bishop Wordsworth’s 26-10 Pangbourne College
Bloxham 14-19 Old Swinford Hospital
Brentwood 26-12 Bishop’s Stortford High
Brighton College 50-5 St John’s, Leatherhead
Bromsgrove 13-12 Rugby
Caterham 13-10 St George’s College, Weybridge
Christ College 25-14 Monmouth
Christ’s Hospital 0-48 Sutton Valence
City of London Freemen’s Triangular
Claremont Fan Court 33-21 The Cedars
Collegiate 33-7 Bristol Grammar
Coopers’ Coborn 29-12 Bancroft’s
Cranbrook 48-7 Dartford Grammar
Cranleigh 19-20 Epsom College
Exeter 31-20 King’s College, Taunton
Felsted 34-0 Royal Hospital School
Framlingham College 29-0 Bishop’s Stortford College
Glasgow Academy 14-17 Glasgow High
Grammar School at Leeds 50-0 Pocklington
Gunnersbury 26-57 Windsor Boys’
Haileybury 51-12 St Edward’s, Oxford
Ipswich 45-20 Norwich
Isleworth & Syon 0-26 Cardinal Vaughan
KCS Wimbledon 43-26 Hurstpierpoint College
KES Bath 39-14 Warminster
KES Stratford 18-22 Magdalen College
KES Southampton 10-64 Churcher’s College
King’s Bruton 19-0 Clayesmore
King’s Canterbury 19-0 Simon Langton Grammar
King’s Gloucester 22-7 Hereford Cathedral School
King’s Rochester 21-20 Colfe’s
King’s Worcester 13-12 Bablake & King Henry VIII
Kingswood 45-15 Dauntsey’s
Kirkham Grammar 55-19 Cheadle Hulme
Lancaster RGS 50-0 Giggleswick
Langley Park 19-17 Sir Joseph Williamson’s
Lord Wandsworth College 16-13 The Oratory
Loughborough Grammar 31-15 KES Birmingham
Maidstone Grammar 22-21 Skinners’
Malvern College 0-7 Dean Close
Marlborough College 36-17 Sherborne
Merchant Taylors’ 14-55 St Anselm’s College
Mill Hill 47-12 Emanuel
Newcastle-Under-Lyme 32-5 Liverpool College
New Hall 28-5 Eltham College
Nottingham High 12-22 Solihull
Pate’s Grammar 17-36 Sir Thomas Rich’s
Plymouth College 14-10 West Buckland
Portsmouth Grammar 8-17 Bryanston
Princethorpe College 31-13 Wellingborough
Prior Park College 10-14 Wycliffe College
QEH 10-22 The Crypt
RGS Guildford 35-12 Reed’s
RGS High Wycombe 24-31 Seaford College
Richard Hale 43-26 QES Barnet
Robert Clack 0-58 St Columba’s College
Sevenoaks 3-54 The Judd
Shiplake College 10-24 St Benedict’s
Stamford 54-9 Oundle
Stewart’s Melville 12-46 George Heriot’s
Stowe 56-7 Uppingham
Strathallan 12-33 Merchiston Castle
St Albans 33-5 St George’s, Harpenden
St Lawrence College 28-17 Duke of York’s Royal Military School
St Paul’s 12-21 Eton College
Taunton 22-24 Canford
The Perse 27-22 The Leys
Trent College 60-5 Ratcliffe College
UCS 10-21 Watford Grammar
Wallington County Grammar 12-12 Halliford
Whitgift 38-0 Dulwich College
Wisbech Grammar 19-22 Wymondham College
Woodhouse Grove 35-14 Durham
Worth 7-32 Eastbourne College
Around the grounds on Saturday the list of impressive performances and great games just kept growing and growing as the results came flooding in. One of the most impressive being Northampton School for Boys outstanding 31-22 victory at Berkhamsted, the reigning Daily Mail Trophy champions. After a really tough trio of fixtures, Harrow, Clifton, and Berkhamsted, NSB are showing that they really can mix it with the very best.
Indeed one side that NSB have mixed it with and beaten are the Merchiston Festival champions, Ipswich, who have been in such great form through most of the season and were again on Saturday in a classic Suffolk/Norfolk derby that saw them beat Norwich 45-20.
Another side in really fantastic form this year are RGS Guildford and they demonstrated that once again on Saturday with a superb 35-12 victory over Reed’s. Two of the performances that have really cemented RGS Guildford’s reputation this year were victories over Cranleigh and Epsom College, and on Saturday the two went head to head in one of the games of the weekend, with neither side yielding an inch and visitors Epsom College just emerging as victors with a 20-19 victory.
That was far from the only particularly tight and exciting encounter this weekend, Canford won 24-22 at Taunton in a real thriller and Maidstone Grammar took on a strong Skinners’ side and just emerged on the right side of the score, 22-21. Wallington County Grammar and Halliford meanwhile drew 12-12.
The Midlands saw some of the most thrilling contests of the weekend, not least a great game at Bromsgrove as they just edged out Rugby 13-12, meanwhile Old Swinford Hospital continue to impress, they won 19-14 at Bloxham.
Stowe recovered from midweek disappointment at Oakham by taking on Oakham’s greatest rivals, Uppingham, and putting in an outstanding performance for a 56-7 victory. Stamford were equally magical on Saturday, beating Oundle 54-9.
Kirkham Grammar School have meanwhile never dropped out of the Top 10 in our NextGenXV Schools Rugby Table and won’t be this week either after another outstanding performance, beating Cheadle Hulme 55-19
The Judd are another side that has just been irrepressibly brilliant this season and they were again on Saturday, heading to Sevenoaks and winning by an incredible 54-3 margin.
Things were tighter in the Cambridge derby where home side The Perse edged out visitors The Leys 27-22, while in London Eton College got their second victory of the season over a St Paul’s side that were in spirited form on home turf, Eton taking that one 21-12.
There was also a great triangular this weekend between City of London Freemen’s, Gordon’s, and Reigate Grammar. Gordon’s claimed victory after defeating both other sides, while City of London finished second with one victory and one defeat.
One of the games of the day was surely RGS High Wycombe v Seaford College, both sides throwing absolutely everything at each other in a thrilling game that Seaford College just edged, 31-24.
Another great game was Barnard Castle’s 26-12 victory over St Peter’s York, a game that saw two brothers playing against one another. Meanwhile Woodhouse Grove out in an outstanding shift to beat Durham 35-14.
In Scotland Merchiston Castle bounced back from that tight defeat to George Watson’s last time out with a strong 33-12 victory over Strathallan, while in Wales Christ College and Monmouth went head to head in a heavyweight tussle, Christ College just taking the spoils 25-14.
Eastbourne College are riding the crest of a wave after defeating Brighton College last week and they were impressive at Worth this weekend with a 32-7 victory. Brighton College were meanwhile outstanding too, putting in one of their best displays of the year to beat St John’s Leatherhead 50-5.
Sutton Valence were also loving live, beating Christ’s Hospital 48-0 away from home, and Churcher’s College were absolutely flying too, beating KES Southampton 64-10 away from home.
Haileybury had an outstanding Saturday with a great 51-12 victory over St Edward’s Oxford. Old rivals and friends Felsted were also excellent, beating Royal Hospital School 34-0. Closer to home for Haileybury, Richard Hale continue to be astonishingly good, they beat QES Barnet 43-26, and St Albans are also in brilliant form, they beat St George’s Harpdended 33-5.
There were big performances on either side of the Pennines, Lancaster RGS winning 50-0 against Giggleswick and Grammar School at Leeds winning by the same margin against Pocklington.
Whitgift were in top form against Dulwich College, a 38-0 victory that should fill them with confidence ahead of Saturday’s trip to Millfield, while KCS Wimbledon had one of their best days of the season with a 43-26 victory at home against Hurstpierpoint College. Marlborough College have a real sense of momentum about them at the moment, they were on song again on Saturday, beating Sherborne 36-17.
Staying in that park of the world, Bishop Wordsworth’s were in good form as they beat Pangbourne College 26-10 and deeper in to the South West there were some cracking close games, Plymouth College beatingWest Buckland 14-10 and Wycliffe College winning at Prior Park College by the exact same score.
Collegiate continue to play well, they beat Bristol Grammar 33-7 and Kingswood were exceptional this weekend, beating Dauntsey’s 45-15. KES Bath enjoyed a 39-14 victory over Warminster, while The Crypt on 22-10 at QEH. Sir Thomas Rich’s live stream preparations look bang on course, they beat Pate’s Grammar 36-17.
Dean Close won a really tight one at Malvern College, 7-0, while there was a little more breathing room to King’s Gloucester, 22-7, at home to Hereford Cathedral. So too King’s Bruton, who beat Clayesmore 19-0. Meanwhile in Devon Exeter saw off King’s College Taunton in a great game, 31-20.
Along the South Coast to the East, Bryanston won 17-8 in a good contest against Bryanston, while there was a really close game in Hampshire as Lord Wandsworth College beat The Oratory 16-13.
Further East Caterham were equally tight victors at home to St George’s Weybridge, 13-10, while in Kent, Cranbrook won 48-7 against Dartford Grammar, King’s Canterbury beat Simon Langton 19-0, and St Lawrence College won a good one at home to Duke of York’s Royal Military, 28-17. Things were really close at King’s Rochester though, where they just edged Colfe’s 21-20.
Langley Park were in a close one too, beating Sir Joseph Williamson’s 19-17, while Claremont Fan Court beat The Cedars 33-21. In West London Cardinal Vaughan impressively won 26-0 at Isleworth & Syon, and Windsor Boys were on fire in a thriller at Gunnersbury, 57-26. North London saw UCS go down 21-10 to Watford Grammar, while Mill Hill were brilliant for a 47-12 defeat of Emanuel.
St Columba’s College enjoyed a 58-0 victory at Robert Clack, and further east, Cooper’s Coborn won 29-12 over Bancroft’s and Brentwood beat Bishop’s Stortford High 26-12. New Hall meanwhile won 28-5 against Eltham College, and Framlingham College were 29-0 victors over Bishop’s Stortford College, while in the fens Wymondham College beat Wisbech Grammar in a thriller, 22-19.
On the other side of the country King’s Worcester won a thriller, 13-12 v Bablake & King Hennry, while Bishop Vesey’s Grammar won a tight one v RGS Worcester, 25-21. Magdalen College also won a close one, 22-18. Princethorpe College meanwhile won 31-13 over Wellingborough, and in Henley St Benedict’s won 24-10 at Shiplake College.
In Nottingham Trent College were flying, 60-5 over Ratcliffe College, but it was a tougher day forNottingham High, who went down 22-12 to Solihull, meanwhile along the road Loughborough Grammar won 31-15 v KES Birmingham. In the North East there was a good result for Dame Allan’s, 33-17 at Austin Friars, while in Scotland George Heriot’s had a storming 46-12 victory at Stewart’s Melville and the Glasgow derby went the way of Glasgow High, just edging Glasgow Academy 17-14.
In the North West of England Manchester Grammar looked good, wining 24-7 at Altrincham Grammar, while Birkenhead won 29-14 v Wilmslow High, Newcastle Under-Lyme won 32-5 v Liverpool College, and St Anselm’s College were sensational, travelling to Merchant Taylors’ and winning 55-14.
Still to Come:
Blundell’s v Downside
Calday Grange Grammar v Ellesmere College
Fulham Boys v Latymer Upper
John Fisher v Campion
Morrison’s Academy v Lenzie Academy
Sandbach v St Ambrose College
Scarisbrick Hall v King William’s College
Wellington School v Monkton Combe
Wimbledon College v London Oratory
Wrekin College v Haberdashers’ Adams
