The 2023/24 Schools Rugby Season takes its first tentative steps this weekend ahead of next week’s official start.
Sides up and down the country are in pre-season action, notably at several festivals including the King’s Macclesfield, Kingswood, Norwich, Churcher’s College, St Albans, and South Coast Kings Festivals, while a few hardy sides begin the season competitively a week in advance of others.
There are games on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and while at many festivals scores will not be recorded, these are welcome chances to fine tune preparations for the season ahead and indeed an early chance to assess how various XVs are looking.
Ten to Watch
Our ten to watch will begin next weekend for the full start to the season, with this weekend very much being about pre-season, preparations, and observations for most, though do look out for the odd competitive game through the weekend, there are some huge fixtures to get us started.
Earlier Festivals
There have already been some big Festivals this week as Wednesday saw the annual Esher President’s Cup and the Hartpury College pre-season Festival both take place.
At Esher RFC there were some of the biggest names in schools rugby involved, among the Clifton College, Hampton, Millfield, Newman College, St Benedict’s, Tonbridge, Whitgift, and last year’s champions Ipswich.
Many had key figures absent due to this weekend’s 2nd Round games in the U18 Academy League, but that scarcely affected the enjoyment factor of the action as all sides put in some thrilling displays.
It was a surprise package that took home the Cup though, the 2023 AOC champions Newman College, beating one of the President’s Cup most consistent challengers in the final, Whitgift. A sign perhaps of just how competitive this season could be.
There was also action at Hartpury College for their Pre-Season Festival, which was live streamed here on NextGenXV (see below, and please get in contact if you have any games that you would like to be live streamed).
Teams came from far and wide, with the likes of Coleg y Cymoedd and Coleg Gwent travelling from Wales, Brooksby Melton College from Leicester, Truro College from the tip of Cornwall, and St Joseph’s College all the way from Ipswich.
There were no knockout games or trophies to be one, but each side played a minimum of three fantastic games of rugby where a range of different styles were on show. We will certainly be hearing plenty more about each and every one of the teams involved as the season progresses.
Weekend Preview
Friday 1st September
There are three fixtures to get things kicked off this weekend in England. A cracking Yorkshire derby whets the appetite on Friday as Hymers College welcome Scarborough College for a pre-season clash that should set the tone nicely for the weekend, and indeed the season.
Down the A1 Oundle welcome Sutton Valence, which should be a fascinating. The rise and rise of Sutton Valence rugby in recent times has really been one of the big stories in schools rugby, Oundle will be a fun test of where both they, and their host, are for the season ahead.
In Berkshire there is an absolute cracker of a pre-season game to get things started as one of school rugby’s most established rugby institutions, Wellington College, host one of the school games fastest rising stars, Ipswich. It should be a cracking game, both sides will likely be short of players to the U18 Academy League, but both are still packed with outstanding players nonetheless and both are likely to be knocking around right at the upper echelons of the school game come the end of the season. A brilliant game to get the season started with.
1st September Fixtures
Hymers College v Scarborough College
Oundle v Sutton Valence
Wellington College v Ipswich
Saturday 2nd September
Saturday is a busy day and features some great Festivals with which to finish off the pre-season preparations for many sides.
King’s Macclesfield Festival
King’s Macclesfield’s annual festival features fifteen teams, split across three groups of five. The scores will not be recorded but the rugby is likely to be of top quality and those lucky enough to be there will certainly be witnessing one of the great events that kicks off the school season.
The hosts are in a fiercely strong group after an incredibly impressive 2022/23 season. Joining them are another of last season’s great stars, Oakham, who won the 2023 Continental Tryres Schools Cup. Alongside those two are Bloxham and Solihull, two side that always seem to impress, and one of Yorkshire’s finest, and indeed the whole nation’s, Woodhouse Grove.
In Group 2 are another Yorkshire giant, QEGS Wakefield, and another side that really stood out last year from the region in the form of Harrogate Grammar. Cheadle Hulme and Lancaster RGS will represent the other side of the Pennines competitively, while Old Swinford Hospital, who had a cracking side last year, make the trip north.
Group 3 features a couple of sides putting in huge trips to compete, Hampshire’s Lord Wandsworth College and Surrey’s Reed’s. Joining them are Wirral Grammar School, who keep impressing year on year, as well as two sides that we suspect will be worth keeping a real eye on this year, Bradford Grammar and Mount St Mary’s College.
Overall it promises to be a fantastic day of action at King’s Macclesfield.
Kingswood Festival
Over at Kingswood there fourteen sides in action, again grouped in three sections. Each side will play three games, with two section of four all playing each other and the hosts, Kingswood’s, section a group of six where each side plays three of the others.
Kingswood will take on Downside, Monkton Combe, and Millfield, who have had a busy week of pre-season after also taking in the President’s Cup. Downside meanwhile take on Millfield, as well as Kingswood, and also meet QEH. Millfield, as mentioned, face Kingswood and Downside, and will also face Sherborne, whose other two fixtures are Monkton Combe and QEH. Monkton Combe’s three fixtures are Sherborne, QEH, and Kingswood, with QEH facing Downside, Sherborne, and Monkton Combe.
In the other section Blundell’s, Bristol Grammar School, Sir Thomas Rich’s, and Wales’ Cathedral School Llandaff will all meet, while in the final section it is Cheltenham College, KES Bath, Monmouth, and a Millfield 2nd XV that will all be competing.
There will be plenty of room for experimentation, with no conversions taking place and scope for any law adaptations subject to agreement by the referee and both teams.
Other Festivals
Churcher’s College will be welcoming, among others, Canford, Pangbourne College, and Ryde for what should be a strong outing to get the season moving.
Norwich School are welcoming a number of different sides along, among them Framlingham College and Royal Hospital School from Suffolk, and Bishop’s Stortford College will be among the other attendees.
In Hertfordshire St Albans School, fresh from the pride of having three players in England U18 action this summer, will be welcoming several schools, including the Bedford pair of Bedford School and Bedford Modern, as well as Mill Hill, and Surrey’s St John’s Leatherhead.
There is also a triangular at Brighton College, which will see both KCS Wimbledon and Tonbridge make the trip for an afternoon of games that will likely see plenty of experimentation and law adaptation as all three makes their final preparations for the season.
Other Fixtures
There are a couple of early Daily Mail Trophy fixtures taking place this weekend, notably a cracker between Warwick and Stowe, both of whom had strong sides last year and will be eyeing a strong 2023/24 as well. With plenty of personnel changes, a strong start would be a great confidence boosting way to begin the season for both.
In Stowe’s home county, Buckinghamshire, RGS High Wycombe and Reading Blue Coat go head to head in an exciting Daily Mail Trophy clash, these two should be hugely competitive against one another, with RGS one of the most established rugby names around, and Reading Blue Coat coming off the back of a couple of utterly sensational seasons.
In Cumbria there’s a brilliant Anglo-Welsh pre-season fixture as Sedbergh welcome Christ College, Brecon. Sedbergh’s reputation needs almost no introduction, one of the most well regarded names in all of school rugby, but this is a huge fixture to add to their list as Christ College have burst back into serious competitiveness in the last couple of years and are a welcome fixture back at the very pinnacle of the school game. A fixture to keep an eye on, without doubt despite several absences due to the U18 Academy League.
Felsted v Dulwich College this traditional curtain-raiser tends always to be more pre-season than regular season, with inflated squads and plenty of experimentation. One to watch though as these two always have bags of potential.
Scotland features some big competitive games, Edinburgh Academy travel to Dundee High School and George Heriot’s welcome Morrison’s Academy. Meanwhile Kelvinside Acadedmy host Balfron High and Lomond welcome Glasgow High.
It will be worth keeping a close eye of the Scottish Schools Cup this year and Saturday sees two early games there as St Columba’s High School head to Marr College and Queen Victoria welcome St Aloysius’ College.
There are also two huge Anglo-Scots clashes to look out for as well. Dame Allan’s make the trip north to take on Fettes College, while the annual meeting between RGS Newcastle and George Watson’s College returns again, with RGS hosting.
Elsewhere in Scotland Dollar Academy and Stewart’s Melville get together for wat must be one of the most competitive pre-season games possible, similarly Loretto host Strathallan. Pre-Season is not being taken lightly in Scotland.
The same can definitely be said in England as well though, where Bromsgrove host Kirkham Grammar, two huge sides going head to head in what is still technically a pre-season game. There are similarly competitive games all over, Malvern College hosting RGS Worcester, and Merchant Taylors’ Crosby welcoming Scarisbrick Hall among them.
Recently crowned Esher President’s Cup champions Newman College are in action at Hurstpierpoint College, who will be looking forward to testing themselves. Staying South of London, RGS Guildford are hosting Duke of York’s Royal Military School, and in the capital itself Tiffin welcome Reigate Grammar, while Emanuel host Gordon’s for a game that is always a great watch, UCS welcome Robert Clack, and there is the now annual St Paul’s v Campion clash, a game that has become a real favourite for schools rugby observers.
Moving North, King’s Grantham welcome Leicester Grammar, that one should be a cracker, while in Yorkshire Hill House travel to one of school rugby’s giants of decades gone by, Ampleforth College. One to keep a real eye on though is in the North West, where Grammar School at Leeds head from Yorkshire to take on Stockport Grammar, who last year put in some performances that in reality deserved far more air time that they probably got.
2nd September Fixtures
Ampleforth College v Hill House
Brighton College Triangular: Brighton College, KCS Wimbledon, Tonbridge
Bromsgrove v Kirkham Grammar
Churcher’s College Festival
Dollar Academy v Stewart’s Melville
Dundee High v Edinburgh Academy
Emanuel v Gordon’s
Felsted v Dulwich College
Fettes College v Dame Allan’s
George Heriot’s v Morrison’s Academy
Hurstpierpoint College v Cardinal Newman
Kelvinside Academy v Balfron High
King’s Grantham v Leicester Grammar
King’s Macclesfield Festival
Kingswood Festival
Lomond v Glasgow High
Loretto v Strathallan
Malvern College v RGS Worcester
Marr College v St Columba’s High (Scottish Schools Cup)
Merchant Taylors’, Crosby v Scarisbrick Hall
Norwich School Festival
Queen Victoria v St Aloysius’ College (Scottish Schools Cup)
RGS Guildford v Duke of York’s RMS
RGS High Wycombe v Reading Blue Coat
RGS Newcastle v George Watson’s College
Sedbergh v Christ College
St Albans Festival
St Paul’s v Campion
Stockport Grammar v Grammar School at Leeds
Tiffin v Reigate Grammar
UCS v Robert Clack
Warwick v Stowe
Sunday 3rd September
Sunday sees the annual South Coast Kings tournament take place, hosted, as ever, by KES Southampton.
Among those in attendance are some of the biggest names in schools rugby in recent times, the likes of Marlborough College and Seaford College, both of whom had some fantastic outings last year.
Also in action are two former Continental Schools Cup high flyers in the form of Bishop Wordsworth’s and St Benedict’s, and also, like St Benedict’s, travelling from London are London Oratory.
Among the other attendees are Cornwall’s Truro School and Wiltshire’s Warminster, for what should be an absolutely brilliant day of rugby to round of a cracking weekend.
3rd September Fixtures
South Coast Kings at KES Southampton
