Friday afternoon sees the 2023 U18 Schools Cup semi finals begin as Finborough and Oakham meet at Shelford RFC.
The 2.45pm kick off will be broadcast live here on NextGenXV, with the game available on our YouTube channel and embedded on this page as these two go head to head in their biggest game of the season.
A place in the final at Twickenham Stadium on Thursday 16th March is the prize for the winner, where they will face either Blundell’s or Trinity, the reigning champions, those two meet on Saturday at Aylesbury RFC in the other semi final.
For Finborough this is surely the biggest game in the schools history. Never before have the reached the finals of any of the RFU competitions at either U18 or U15 level, now they have the greatest chance in their history after an already historic season that has seen them claim some of the biggest scalps in schools rugby.
For Oakham the tale is a different one, they are one of the giants of the school game, winning back to back U18 Schools Cup titles in 2002 and 2003, finishing runners up in 2011, and reaching the final of the 2015 U15 Vase. Their history in this competition is undeniable, as is the list of high-flying old boys from Lewis Moody to Jack van Poortvliet via the likes of Tom Croft, Matt Smith, Alex Goode, Hamish Watson, and Sam Costello. This is a chance for this group to make their own history.
Like Finborough, it has been a stunning season from Oakham. Unbeaten to date and showing superb quality, such as in their 39-0 quarter final victory over RGS Newcastle, and intense grit and determination as we saw in their Round 3 comeback against Stowe (which you can watch again below) and their survival for a 29-29 draw against Stamford to cling on to their unbeaten record.
Finborough have done similar though, not least in this Cup run with a jaw-dropping 70-6 victory over Felsted and a 51-22 quarter final victory over the previously unbeaten King’s Macclesfield. They have proven their mettle too in tight games, their third round 12-7 victory over Bedford required them to strain every possible sinew.
In short these are two exceptional teams that can tear you apart when possible, and when not they can grit it out as well as anyone. The temptation is to paint it as David v Goliath given their respective schools rugby histories, but that suggests an unevenness to the contest that simply does not exist. Instead this is the new boys on the block against the old, the fastest rising power in schools rugby against one of the oldest, two very different sides, but two giants of today.
Collective brilliance is what marks these two out but there is plenty of individual talent to shine as well, including England players on both sides. Oakham’s Toby Cousins is in fact an U20 international as well as an U18 international, having come off the bench for England U20 against Scotland at the start of the season. The young Northampton Saint is found in the academy game most often on the wing, though was at full back in the Academy League final, and tends to operate most often in the centres for Oakham.
Finborough meanwhile have the giant second row Junior Kpoku in their ranks, the young Saracen was named in the latest England squad. Often selected at number 8 for Finborough, he will be a key player.
The Finborough backline is littered with Saracens U18s, Lance Kruger, Louie Sinclair, and Toby Clinch all shining for school and academy, while hooker Sol Moody knows all about Toby Cousins, being a teammate of his at Northampton Saints.
He is also a teammate their of Oakham’s Alfie Hoyles, while Oakham have a number of players involved in Leciester Tigers U18s as well not least captain Ben Taylor, who skippers both Tigers and Oakham, and his school co-captain second row Felix Starkey, as well as flanker Seb Fernandes-Smith.
So both individually and collectively these are two outstanding teams. History of different sorts is on the line for both. Each has been phenomenal so far this season and that will never be forgotten from the outside nor, most importantly, from within each group. Victory on Friday afternoon would make things even more special though.
Semi finals are always big, but 2.45pm on Friday feels even bigger than usual. Join us live here on NextGenXV.
