The 2023 Rosslyn Park National School 7s is almost upon us and the excitement around the county is palpable as over 100 teams from five different age categories and 11 different competition prepare to head to South West London.
In previous years the opening day has sometimes been somewhat of a ‘soft opening’, with no silverware up for grabs. Not so this year with the introduction of the brand new U16 Girls Cup competition, which will see the final take place at the close of Day 1, and one of the key tournaments of the week, the U18 Boys Vase, moved from it’s previous Tuesday starting slot to kick the tournament off on Monday.
What that means then is that the 2023 Rosslyn Park National School 7s is going to come absolutely flying out of the traps on Monday morning.
NextGenXV will be bringing out all of the action from Pitch RE2 Live throughout the week and the games will all be available on the NextGenXV YouTube channel and links will also be embedded in each day’s preview and review articles, with the Day 1 Live Stream RE2 link below in this article.
RE2 Day 1 Live Schedule – Monday 20th March
10am JESS v Mill Hill (U16 Girls)
10.20am Cardinal Newman v QEGS Penrith (U16 Girls)
10.40am Haileybury v Ivybridge (U18 Boys Vase)
11am Tonbridge v Ysgol Y Preseli (U18 Boys Vase)
11.20am Park House v Sevenoaks (U18 Boys Vase)
11.40am Didcot v Dubai College (U16 Girls)
12pm Bryn Celynnog v Kingsdale (U16 Girls)
12.20pm Epsom College v Northampton SfB (U18 Boys Vase)
12.40pm Duke of York’s RMS v John Colet (U18 Boys Vase)
1pm Clayesmore v KCS Wimbledon (U18 Boys Vase)
1.20pm King’s Taunton v Reigate Grammar (U16 Girls)
1.40pm Cardiff High v Wellington School (U16 Girls)
2pm Coleg Sir Gar v Haileybury (U18 Boys Vase)
2.20pm Campion v The Perse (U18 Boys Vase)
2.40pm Quarter Final 2 (U16 Girls)
3.20pm Elimination: Winner E v Winner F (U18 Boys Vase)
3.40pm Semi Final 1 (U16 Girls)
Monday’s Action (U18 Boys Vase, U16 Girls Cup)
U18 Boys Vase
As mentioned, the U18 Boys Vase moves from it’s old Tuesday slot to Monday, with the group stages being played on Monday. The winners of those groups head to an elimination round on Monday afternoon, from which the winners will qualify for their Vase 8th Round Pools on Tuesday.
Stowe are the reigning champions and are in a tricky Group A alongside Coleg Sir Gar, Haileybury, and Ivybridge. Two of Group A’s games will be on the NextGenXV live stream, Haileybury v Ivybridge and Coleg Sir Gar v Haileybury. It’s a tricky Vase draw all round, a very strong Epsom College side lurks in Pool B, while Pool D contains Candian side Shawnigan Lake, one of a number of teams that will also be at the Rugby School U18 International 7s next weekend, from which NextGenXV will be broadcasting every single game live.
Another of those sides, Nelson College of New Zealand, are in Group G, likewise Australia’s St Kevin’s College in Group K. Scotland’s Merchiston Castle are always worth keeping an eye on, they are in Group M, while Group N contains Schools Cup semi finalsists Blundell’s, the side they defeated in the quarters, Marlborough College, are in Group Q.
Mount St Mary’s College in Group S and Monmouth in Group T are also going to Rugby School and have cracking groups here at Rosslyn Park, and Rugby School themselves are in a fun Group Q.
Everywhere you look the competition, quality, and sheer enjoyment factor of this Vase draw is high, just look at Group HH where recently crowned Schools Cup champions Oakham lurk alongside their closest, oldest, and most historically fierce rivals Uppingham.
A group to keep a really close eye on in terms of tight competition could well be Group WW. Reading Blue Coat, St Albans, Wallington County Grammar, and Worth looks like one of the most finely balanced groups of all.
It’s a brutally tough competition in the Vase this year 216 teams whittled down to just 28 by the close of the day’s play. To reach that second days sides are going to need to be on real form, be consistent, and have no little amount of luck. It is going to be great fun and an epic way to kick off the 2023 Rosslyn Park National School 7s.
Group Draw (Pool winners to elimination round, where winners qualify for Vase 8th Round Pools)
| Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D | Group E | Group F |
| Coleg Sir Gar | Christ College | Reed’s | Campion | Duke of York’s RMS | Coleg Sir Benfro |
| Haileybury | Epsom College | Saint Cecilia’s | Shawnigan Lake | John Colet | Newcastle-Under-Lyme |
| Ivybridge | Fulham Boys | Tonbridge | The Perse | St Paul’s | Park House |
| Stowe | Northampton SfB | Ysgol Y Preseli | Warwick | Victoria College | Sevenoaks |
| Group G | Group H | Group I | Group J | Group K | Group L |
| Clayesmore | Repton | Abingdon | Emanuel | Gordon’s | Coopers’ Coborn |
| KCS Wimbledon | Richard Challoner | Brynteg | Langley Park | JESS | Ravens Wood |
| Nelson College | The Grange | Colfe’s | Langley | St Kevin’s College | RGS Worcester |
| Cwm Rhymni | Winchester College | Colyton Grammar | Loughborough Grammar | St Olave’s Grammar | Westcliff High |
| Group M | Group N | Group O | Group P | Group Q | Group R |
| TBC | Blundell’s | Ampleforth College | Coleg Gwent | Giggleswick | Embley |
| Eton College | Durham | Bedford Modern | Felsted | Hayes | Grey Court |
| Merchiston Castle | Exeter | Ellesmere College | Hereford 6thform College | Marlborough College | St John’s, Leatherhead |
| Mill Hill | King’s Worcester | George Watson’s | Latymer Upper | New Hall | Ysgol Gwyr |
| Group S | Group T | Group U | Group V | Group W | Group X |
| Bishop Wordsworth’s | Monmouth | Cardiff High | Bradford Grammar | KES Stratford | St Ambrose College |
| CoL Freemen’s | King’s College, Taun | Monkton Combe | Dollar Academy | Rugby School | Taunton School |
| Claires Court | Kirkham Grammar | Orleans Park | Shrewsbury | Shiplake College | Thomas Hardye |
| Mount St Mary’s | Leicester Grammar | Worksop College | Bryn Tawe | Wellingboro | Wimbledon College |
| Group Y | Group Z | Group AA | Group BB | Group CC | Group DD |
| Harris City Academy | Coventry College | Rydal Penrhos | Gower College | Gateshead College | TBC |
| Ibstock Place | Eastbourne College | Richard Collyer | Radley College | Reigate Grammar | Ipswich |
| Solihull | Gresham’s | King’s Macclesfield | RGS Guildford | Sidcot | Stockport Grammar |
| Portsmouth Grammar | St Peter’s, Gloucester | Trinity, Sevenoaks | Windsor Boys’ | Wycliffe College | Watford Grammar |
| Group EE | Group FF | Group GG | Group HH | Group II | Group JJ |
| Cardinal Newman | Collegiate | Bishop’s Stortford Col | Farnborough 6th | Queen Mary’s Coll | Hymers College |
| Coleg y Cymoedd | Hills Road | Dean Close | Oakham | RGS Newcastle | KES Bath |
| Plymouth College | Queen’s College, Taun | St George’s, Weybridge | The Leys | Sir Joseph Williamson’s | Lancaster RGS |
| Salesian | St Edward’s, Oxford | Wellington College 2VII | Uppingham | Wrekin College | Pangbourne College |
| Group KK | Group LL | Group MM | Group NN | Group OO | Group PP |
| Brentwood | Birdgwater & Taunton | Graveney | Scarisbrick Hall | QEHS Carmarthen | Birkdale |
| Caterham | Churcher’s College | Royal Wootton | Grammar Sch at Leeds | Stonyhurst | Chislehurst & Sidcup |
| Eltham College | Dame Allan’s | St Peter’s, York | Tiffin | King’s Canterbury | Halliford |
| Glenalmond College | Neath Port Talbot | Weston College | Rhydywaun | Wirral Grammar | Peter Symonds’ |
| Group QQ | Group RR | Group SS | Group TT | Group UU | Group VV |
| Aylesbury Grammar | Alcester Grammar | Bristol Grammar | Prior Park College | Cathedral Sch, Llandaff | Gravesend Grammar |
| Haberdashers Elstree | Bromsgrove | Lord Wandsworth | Samuel Ryder | Skinners’ | Haverford West |
| Magdalen College | KES Birmingham | Pocklington | Sherborne | Sutton Valence | King’s Bruton |
| Oundle | Nottingham High | St Joseph’s College | West Buckland | King’s Gloucester | Malvern College |
| Group WW | Group XX | Group YY | Group ZZ | Group AAA | Group BBB |
| Reading Blue Coat | QEH | Bryntirion | Ashville College | Bloxham | Bryanston |
| St Albans | Royal Hospital Sch | Hereford Cathedral | Cheltenham College | Framlingham College | Bhavsic |
| Wallington CGS | Torquay Boys GS | Hill House | Kingswood | Millfield 2ndVII | St Lawrence College |
| Worth | Wellington School | Glantaf | Ryde | QEGS Wakefield | The Oratory |
U16 Girls Cup
The brand new U16 Girls Cup takes over from the old U15 Girls Cup, which was won last year by Ivybridge Community College, making them a key side in this year’s U16 competition. They are drawn in Group A in a tricky one alongside England’s Mill Hill, Wales’ Bro Teifi, and Dubai’s JESS.
There are 8 groups in all, each with four teams, and only the winners will progress to the knockouts in this one-day competition. Each group winner heading to the quarter finals.
It means that the U16 Girls Cup will be the first trophy to be handed out this week, and the competition is going to be absolutely fierce as Girls School Rugby continues to grow and grow, something that will be spoken about at length through the week, not least on Thursday when NextGenXV regular Rachael Burford joins us in her capacity as an ambassador for our kit partners Limitless.
One of the great aspects of this Girls competition is the relative unknown aspect of the competition, it is wide open and a good start from any side could see them mount a serious charge. It is going to be exciting and there is going to be plenty on the live stream too, with the opening two games on the NextGenXV RE2 live stream coming from the U16 Girls, JESS v Mill Hill and Cardinal Newman v QEGS Penrith, along with plenty more including one of the semi finals at 3.40pm.
Group Draw (Pool winners qualify for quarter finals):
| Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D |
| Ivybridge | Didcot | Bablake & King Henry | Caterham |
| JESS | Dubai College | King’s, Taunton | St John’s, Leatherhead |
| Mill Hill | Langley | Reigate Grammar | Maynard |
| Bro Teifi | King’s High | Samuel Whitbread | Ysgol Bryngwyn |
| Group EE | Group FF | Group GG | Group HH |
| Cardinal Newman | Cardiff High | Bryn Celynnog | Clifton College |
| Lutterworth High | Holyrood Academy | Denstone College | Millfield |
| QEGS Penrith | Kingsbridge | Kingsdale Foundation | Robert Clack |
| Glantaf | Wellington School | Royal Wootton Bassett | Kings of Wessex |