The South Coast 7s at Portsmouth Grammar School takes place this Sunday, one of the first major 7s tournaments of the season.
Sixteen teams will gather on the south coast, and they are divided into two competitions, a Cup competition and a Shield competition.
Each competition has eight teams, split into groups of four. Both competitions will run on the same format, with every side qualifying for a quarter final and every side guaranteed five games, and finalists playing six.
In both the Cup and Shield, the quarter finals will see the winners of Group 1 face the bottom side from Group 2, second from Group 1 face third from Group 2, third from Group 1 face second from Group 2, and last in Group 1 face first in Group 2.
Losers of the Cup quarter finals will head to the Plate semi finals, while losers of the Shield semi finals will head to the Bowl semi finals.
Cup Groups
| Group 1 | Group 2 |
| Brighton College | Bishop Wordsworth’s |
| Canford | Seaford College |
| Epsom College | Sherborne |
| Millfield | Whitchurch High |
Brighton College head up Group 1 after they claimed the 2022 title with a 33-17 victory over Canford to back up their tittle from 2018. Both sides are in the same group along with Millfield, the 2017 champions who won last year’s Plate. Completing the Group are Epsom College, who came closer than anyone to defeating Trinity at last week’s Seaford 10s.
Like Epsom, Seaford College reached the semi finals at their 10s last week and are in Group 2 at the South Coast 7s. Joining them are Whitchurch High School, the Welsh side that claimed the title in 2020. Alongside those two are Sherborne, who had former pupil and England 7s star Ed Coulson running some sessions this week, and Bishop Wordsworth’s, who were also in action at last week’s 10s.
Shield Groups
| Group 1 | Group 2 |
| Dauntsey’s | Bryanston |
| Royal Hospital School | Gordon’s |
| Portsmouth Grammar | Marlborough College |
| Wimbledon College | RGS Guildford |
Host school Portsmouth Grammar are in Group 1 in the Shield, a tricky group that includes Dauntsey’s, last year’s Bowl winners Wimbledon College, and a Royal Hospital School side that last been getting some practice in this week in a triangular with Framlingham College and Langley.
Group 2 looks pretty fierce, last year’s Shield winners Gordon’s, who host their own tournament in a few weeks, are lurking dangerously alongside a Marlborough College side that ought to be very strong. RGS Guildford are also in Group 2 and after such a superb fifteen-a-side season there will be plenty of interest in how they fare in the shortened format. Bryanston complete what is a very tricky looking pool.
All in all across both sections of the competitions it looks as though there are going to be some incredibly competitive fixtures across the board and a real chance for teams to start to get into 7s mode ahead of what is going to be an epic season of 7s.