With the 2022 season officially over and the final mens rankings done and dusted we are now able to release our annual All Time Top 50 rugby Programs rankings.
Our rankings are based on specific measurements and are a living document, there will be changes as we get more information.
To view our rankings methodology please click here
To view last years rankings which will be updated at the end of the week please click here
40. Collegiate (England)
An absolute juggernaut of a rugby school in the 1990s, fewer schools have dominated national rugby in any country the way the then known Colstons team did.
Fast forward a few years and other programs managed to catch up but in recent times we have seen a revival of sorts in Bristol with this year being special with 2 England Under 18 internationals.
Are we in the midst of seeing a Phoenix rise from the ashes?
39. Knox Grammar (Australia)
Not the best year for Australian rugby but Knox Grammar managed to hold onto their place in the Top 40 thanks to Nick Frost gaining his national colours thus earning them 9 points.
Frost became the 13th Wallaby international produced by the school and although they did not achieve their goals in the CAS we are told that the lower age groups look solid so keep an eye out for this team!
38. St Michaels (Ireland)
St Michaels will no doubt fly up this list in the coming years, their program has grown in leaps and bounds and rival Blackrock in terms of quality of players produced over the last few years.
Although they may not have the pedigree of Blackrock (few schools do) they are a modern day powerhouse and nobody should take them lightly. Unlucky to have faced their rivals in the first round of the Leinster Cup Michaels still managed to jump 3 places in our rankings thanks to Jack Boyle and Conor O’Tighearnaigh playing for the Under 20’s and Jake O’Riordan, Sam Berman and Tom Stewart all repping Ireland Under 20.
Within the next 5 years it is almost certain they will be close to the Top 10 if they continue at this rate.
37. Rugby School (England)
The school that started it all, Rugby School’s place in folklore is well documented with the school hosting different forms of the game over the centuries.
The school was the primary producer of English internationals in it’s early existence and we have so far uncovered 30 English internationals produced by the school. Emeka Illione is currently their most famous alumni and looks set for a massive future in the game.
36. SACS (South Africa)
It has been some time since SACS managed to add to their points tally but with young Duran Koevort gaining his Under 20 colours they were finally able to add to their overall points tally.
Duran is the first South African international at any age group for South Africa in 20 years, the last being Paul Delport all the way back in 2002.
32 Springboks have called the school home which shows you the schools strong pedigree and they remain a top class program but with the emergence of the Winelands schools in recent years it has been tough for all Western Cape teams and SACS has been no exception. Hopefully a corner will be turned.
35. Methodist College (Ireland)
A successful 2021/22 season for the Irish outfit saw them rewarded with the Ulster Schools Senior Cup, a competition where they are considered a top tier outfit.
Further points were gained by Adam McNamee’s callup to the Under 20 Irish side and John Stevens earning his Under 18 colours.
Stevens was the 37th Methody old boy who has represented Ireland Under 18/Schools which places them among the leading producers in Ireland showcasing just how impressive this schools pedigree truly is.
34. Sydney Grammar (Australia)
No points for Grammar this year as they drop 2 positions in our all time rankings. In the schools early history they were truly the powerhouse of Australian rugby with 31 internationals produced at Wallaby level up until 1973.
Jake Gordon broke that duck in 2019 but with the school no longer a major force in the AAGPS one wonders if Sydney Grammar will ever be considered a “rugby school” again.
33. Maritzburg College (South Africa)
While 2022 was certainly not the year many in the community had hoped for in terms of results, especially when you consider the quality that existed in this squad one thing we can say is that the program at large is very much on the correct path and the future looks good. Maritzburg were a force to be reckoned with in terms of school rugby ever since Skonk Nicholson first took the reigns in the mid 20th century but things looked to have taken a wrong turn come the turn of the century.
The College managed to do a treble this year in terms of national reps with Ntuthukho Mchunu making his Springbok debut, Siya Ningiza earning another Under 20 callup and the highly promising Lili Bester earning his SA Under 18 colours.
These players helped catapult Maritzburg up 2 positions and if we look at the quality of player coming through one would imagine them continuing their upward trajectory in the future.
32. Sedbergh School (England)
A huge bump up in the rankings for Sedbergh comes courtesy of us being sent over 10 additional England international players meaning far more points for the Cumbria based outfit.
Sedbergh’s quality is known throughout the school rugby playing world. Besides their additional internationals the fact that 4 Sedbergh boys in Ben Redshaw, Finn Baker, Tom Burton and Will Wooton all received their England Under 18 colours as well as Louis Johnson at Under 20 level meant further increased for the school.
31. MAGS (New Zealand)
The Auckland powerhouse drop out of the Top 30 for the first time since this list was created. MAGS should be noted not just for the internationals they produce but the quality thereof with the likes of Olo Brown, Sonny Bill Williams and Jack Goodhue all alumni of the school.
Unfortunately they were not able to add to their overall tally this year but again the Auckland 1A is an unforgiving competition with only the best of the best being rewarded.
