The Schools Championship returns on Saturday for Round 4 as Millfield host Whitgift in what will be Whitgift’s final game of the 2022 TSC.

As Official Media and Broadcast Partner to The Schools Championship, NextGenXV will once again be live streaming Saturday’s 1.30pm kick off on Millfield’s Sir Gareth Edwards pitch, with the game available on the NextGenXV YouTube Channel, TikTok Page, and via the embedded link below.

42 days have elapsed since the thrilling previous round of The Schools Championship, in what was actually Millfield’s first game of the TSC, where they held off two incredible Wellington College fightbacks to win 31-28 on Bigside, the home of Wellington rugby.

The anticipation then is absolutely at fever pitch for this one, and not least because the prior to that thriller on Bigside was another high-scoring see-saw game as Whitgift just missed out against Wellington College, on Wellington’s TSC debut at that point, 29-28. That followed the first game of The Schools Championship, where Sedbergh had put on a real show on the opening weekend of the season to beat Whitgift 46-10.

What all of that means is that Wellington College are top of the table, thanks in no small part due to amassing three bonus points in their two games, a try scoring bonus in victory over Whitgift and both a try-scoring and losing bonus in defeat to Millfield.

Tied behind them, separated only by points difference, are Sedbergh and Millfield, two points adrift of the leaders, with Whitgift two further behind with a pair of bonus points to their name after two defeats.

If the last two TSC games are anything to go by, Saturday’s 1.30pm kick off ought to be another classic. Since that dramatic victory over Wellington College, Millfield have been in exceptional form, winning the St Joseph’s Festival later that week and in doing so becoming the first side in over a decade to win back to back titles as they extended their number of Festival titles to 8, a record by two.

Since half term they have been good too, beating Llandovery College a fortnight ago and last weekend scoring a couple of late scores to turn a 17-14 deficit to Cheltenham College into a 26-17 victory.

Saturday’s game will be a step up again though, Whitgift have won back to back games since half term and in dominant fashion, 33-18 at RGS High Wycombe and 38-0 over Dulwich College. Indeed since that defeat to Wellington College back in Round 2 of The Schools Championship in September they have only lost to Harrow and Trinity, two of the very best teams in the country.

Certainly last year’s game suggests a thriller on the Gareth Edwards Pitch, and Whitgift in 2021 Millfield just edged it 28-26. It has been a back and forth fixture in recent times, Millfield winning in 2021 and 2019, with Whitgift winning in 2018 and, extraordinarily, in 2017, 46-8, ending a streak of four Millfield victories on the bounce.

2021 is the key year in all this though, and just as at 1^st XV level Millfield edged it 28-26, it was a tasty one at Colts level too, now making up the L6th contingent of the 1^st XV sides, Millfield winning 27-26 at Whitgift.

So recent history between these two groups suggests a thriller. Victory for Whitgift would mean everything to them, a first victory in The Schools Championship at the final attempt, and a victory that could see them top the table.

Victory for Millfield and this inaugural title looks within their grasp, and what a season that would make for if they could add The Schools Championship to their St Joseph’s Festival title.

Either way, the outcome of this one is going to set us up brilliant for an intense finale to The Schools Championship, which sees a fast turnaround to the penultimate round on the 23^rd November at Broadstreet RFC as current table toppers take on Sedbergh, in what will be Sedbergh’s second and Wellington College’s final game of TSC. Then all eyes return to Somerset, where Millfield host Sedbergh on the 7^th December in the final round of The Schools Championship.

So stay tuned, and catch it all live here on NextGenXV!