The North of England Schools 7s takes place this Sunday, one of the most prestigious tournaments of the year and the key stepping stone on the road to the Rosslyn Park National School 7s for everyone in attendance.

Sedbergh won last year’s tournament with some utterly stunning performances, with this year’s skipper Ben Redshaw starring. The England U18 international was named joint player of the tournament with Barnard Castle’s Harry Williams. The two shared the Graeme Marrs Memorial Trophy.

This year Sedbergh will be among the favourites again and, in a new dawn for the tournament, which first began in 1989, NextGenXV will be live streaming all of the action from pitch 1 on the main Birkenhead Park FC site.

That will include the Bowing Trophy and the Boodle and Dunthorne Salver finals, all the Trophy semi finals and quarter finals, and all of the Salver quarter finals, and all of the Group A action. The action will all be available on our YouTube Channel as well as embedded within this article.

Live Stream Schedule

10am Austin Friars v Sedbergh

10.18am Ampleforth College v Shrewsbury

10.36am Hereford Cathedral v Sedbergh

10.54am Ampleforth College v Austin Friars

11.12am Hereford Cathedral v Shrewsbury

11.30am Ampleforth College v Sedbergh

11.48am Austin Friars v Shrewsbury

12.06pm Ampleforth College v Hereford Cathedral

12.24pm Sedbergh v Shrewsbury

12.42pm Austin Friars v Hereford Cathedral

1.50pm Salver Quarter Final 1

2.08pm Salver Quarter Final 2

2.26pm Salver Quarter Final 3

2.44pm Salver Quarter Final 4

3.02pm Trophy Quarter Final 1

3.20pm Trophy Quarter Final 2

3.38pm Trophy Quarter Final 3

3.56pm Trophy Quarter Final 4

4.14pm Trophy Semi Final 1

4.34pm Trophy Semi Final 2

4.55pm Bowl Final

5.13pm Salver Final

5.30pm Trophy Final

In total there are 40 schools competing in this flagship event in the north west of England, split into eight groups of five. The 8 Group winners will progress to the Bowing Trophy Quarter Finals, with the eight runners up entering the Boodle & Dunthorne Salver quarter finals, won last year by King’s Worcester, meanwhile third placed sides will progress to the Bowl quarter finals, which was won last year by Old Swinford Hospital in the first ever edition of the Bowl.

The tournament is split across three sites, Birkenhead Park FC, Birkenhead School, and St Anselm’s College. Birkenhead Park FC is the main site for the tournament and will host all of the knockout rounds as well as all the action from Group A. Groups B, C, D, and E will compete at Birkenhead School, while St Anselm’s College will host Group F, Group G, and Group H.

With forty sides involved, including some of the very best in the country, this really is one of the toughest test on the school calendar. Sedbergh have been the strongest force through the competition’s history, winning ten titles and finishing runner up in another three, plus a couple of Salver victories as well.

Kirkham Grammar School have been hunting them down though, earning four titles, most recently in 2015 and 2017. They reached the final in 2020 and would have been a force last year too were it not for their appearance in the Schools Cup final a few days later.

More striking though is that despite the tournament running since 1989 only two other sides have claimed multiple titles, Stonyhurst, who won three in the 90s, and Cowley, who won the first two tournaments but have since slipped off the radar. Other than that it is a carousel of one-time champions, showing just how competitive and unpredictable this tournament can be – though Barnard Castle must feel somewhat unlucky, they had reached three finals before finally getting their hands on the Trophy in 2020.

North of England Schools 7s Draw

As champions, Sedbergh are drawn in Group A and will be first up on the live stream at 10am against Austin Friars. Joining them in the Group are Hereford Cathedral School, Shrewsbury, and another of those schools rugby giants, Ampleforth College, who won the Salver in 2011.

Over at Birkenhead School, are four-time champions Kirkham Grammar School in Group B. Alongside them are AKS Lytham, who won the title in 1994 under the guise of Arnold School and have also twice more reached the final under different guises. It’s a group with plenty of North of England Schools 7s history, Lancaster RGS reached the Salver final in 2020, while Dame Allan’s reached it in 1996, King’s Hospital complete the group.

Group C has a bit of international flavour, Llandovery College travel from Wales and look to add to their 2003 title, while Loretto come down from Scotland and will hope to go one better than their Salver runners up finish of 2014. They are joined by three English Schools, Yorkshire’s QEGS Wakefield and Pocklington, and last year’s Salver winners, King’s Worcester, who also reached the Salver final in 2017.

2020 champions Barnard Castle will begin their quest for a second title and fifth final from Group D, where they are joined by two other former champions, Manchester Grammar (2002) and Ellesmere College (2011). Alongside them are Birkdale and two time Salver runners up Calday Grange Grammar.

The final group at Birkenhead School is Group E, which includes 2014 champions Woodhouse Grove. The Yorkshire side are joined by 2017 Salver winners Malvern College and a Mount St Mary’s College side that will fancy a real shot at a first piece of silverware here. Alongside those three are The Grange and ACE side Stourport High School.

Over at St Anselm’s College, Group F sees the well travelled Ipswich School as one of the favourites. They are in a group that knows its way around this tournament, containing 2001 Salver winners Wirral Grammar, who reached the Trophy final in the tournaments inaugural year, and Hymers College, who have finished runners up four times, all in a five year period from 2008 to 2012 having won the Salver in 2007. Also in the group are Bishop Vesey’s Grammar, late replacements for last year’s inaugural Bowl winners, Old Swinford Hospital, who have the small matter of a Schools Vase semi final to contend with. Compeleting the group are the fast-rising Newcastle-School for Boys.

Group G contains Denstone College, who were runners up last year for the second time and have a real chance of going one better this year. They have a bit of a Welsh flavour to their group with Coleg Llandrillo and St David’s College both drawn alongside them. Joining those three are Queen Ethelburga’s and Repton, two schools that will add plenty.

The final group is Group H, which contains the hosts of Groups F, G, and H, St Anselm’s College. They are joined by one of the competition’s most successful sides, Durham, who won the title in 1997 and have lifted the Salver four times, most recently in 2020, plus another two runners up finishes in that competition, and the runners up spot in last year’s Bowl. There are some strong sides alongside them, Harrogate Grammar are having a year to remember, while Merchant Taylors’ are always strong, and RGS Newcastle have had a brilliant season and would love to go one better than their runners up finish in 2015.

Overall it promises to be, as always, an absolutely fantastic day of school 7s, one of the great events on the schools rugby calendar and an honour that when won will always retain pride of place in any school’s Trophy Cabinet.

Roll of Honour

Bowring Trophy

2022 Sedbergh

2021 Cancelled – Covid

2020 Barnard Castle

2019 Cancelled – Weather

2018 Cancelled – Weather

2017 Kirkham Grammar

2016 Cancelled – Weather

2015 Kirkham Grammar

2014 Woodhouse Grove

2013 Sedbergh

2012 Sedbergh

2011 Ellesmere College

2010 Sedbergh

2009 Kirkham Grammar

2008 Kirkham Grammar

2007 Sedbergh

2006 Cancelled – Weather

2005 Sedbergh

2004 Sedbergh

2003 Llandovery College

2002 Manchester Grammar

2001 Sedbergh

2000 Sedbergh

1999 Stonyhurst

1998 Cancelled – Weather

1997 Durham

1996 Stonyhurst

1995 Stonyhurst

1994 Arnold

1993 Sedbergh

1992 Rossall

1991 Trent College

1990 Cowley

1989 Cowley

Boodle & Dunthorne Salver

2022 King’s Worcester

2021 Cancelled – Covid

2020 Durham

2019 Cancelled – Weather

2018 Cancelled – Weather

2017 Malvern College

2016 Cancelled – Weather

2015 Bradford Grammar

2014 Sedbergh

2013 Trent College

2012 Manchester Grammar

2011 Ampleforth College

2010 Bromsgrove

2009 Barnard Castle

2008 Sedbergh

2007 Hymers College

2006 Cancelled – Weather

2005 St Ambrose College

2004 QES Hexham

2003 Rydal Penrhos

2002 Bromsgrove

2001 Wirral Grammar

2000 RGS Worcester

1999 Durham

1998 Cancelled – Weather

1997 Ermysted’s Grammar

1996 Trent College

1995 Durham

1994 Durham

1993 King’s Macclesfield

1992 Lymm High

Bowl

2022 Old Swinford Hospital

Graeme Marrs Memorial Trophy (Player of the Tournament)

2022 Ben Redshaw (Sedbergh) & Harry Williams (Barnard Castle)

2021 Cancelled – Covid

2020 James Naylor (Sedbergh)

2019 Cancelled – Weather

2018 Cancelled – Weather

2017 Connor Doherty (Kirkham Grammar)

2016 Cancelled – Weather

2015 James Maddrell (Kirkham Grammar)

2014 Jack Maplesden (Woodhouse Grove)

2013 Oliver Field (Sedbergh)

2012 Marcus Webber (Manchester Grammar)

2011 Matthew King (St Ambrose College)

2010 Sam Stuart (Sedbergh)

2009 Tommy Banks (Kikrham Grammar)

2008 Charlie Simpson-Daniel (Sedbergh)