On Wednesday the Birkenhead School 7s takes place, just four days before the North of England Schools 7s at Birkenhead Park RFC.

As such, there is always a sense of it being a bit of a dry run for the flagship 7s tournament in the north of England, which will this year be live streamed here on NextGenXV.

There will be sixteen teams competing at the Birkenhead School 7s on Wednesday, split into four groups of four teams each, with the top 2 in each group heading to the Cup quarter finals and the bottom two to the Plate quarter finals.

Birkenhead are in Group 1 as hosts and it’s a tricky group containing The Grange and Scarisbrick Hall, as well as King’s Macclesfield, who must be considered among the favourites after an absolutely spectacular fifteen a side season.

Group B contains Stockport Grammar, who have two players in the recently named England U18 squad. Alongside them are a very strong Wirral Grammar side along with Newcastle-Under-Lyme and Manchester Grammar, who are always a threat.

Group 3 contains another of the key schools on the North of England Schools 7s hosting front, St Anselm’s College, they are joined by AKS Lytham and schools rugby giants Stonyhurst, as well as Welsh giants Coleg Llandrillo.

Group 4, meanwhile, includes one of the tournament favourites in the form of reigning champions Kirkham Grammar School, but they will have to work hard in the group with Alrincham Grammar, Calday Grange Grammar, and Merchant Taylors’ Crosby all looking to challenge them.

Birkenhead School 7s Groups