The fixture come thick and fast in this Bicentenary year at Rugby School, they host Bedford School on Saturday at 3.30pm LIVE on NextGenXV.
As part of the celebrations for the 200th anniversary of the game of Rugby Football, founded of course at Rugby School, every game Rugby play this year is at home and every game is live streamed on the NextGenXV YouTube channel, Saturday’s 3.30pm kick off against Bedford can be found there and in the embedded video below.
If last year’s fixture between the two sides is any indication of what to expect this year, then we are in for a cracker because the two sides could not be separated in a thrilling 29-29 draw at Bedford School.
Indeed both sides had a bit of a fondness for a draw last year, each recording two, once against each other and Rugby then 36-36 with Warwick, while Bedford drew with Eton College en route to both having fairly similar seasons and each picking up a little bit of silverware, Bedford winning the Bowl at the Merchiston Festival and Rugby winning the Vase at the Rosslyn Park National School 7s.
Rugby’s opening game of the season, see below, against Oakham was a tough old test, with the reigning Continental Tyres U18 Schools Cup champions taking a 42-24 victory, meanwhile Bedford went down in an absolute thriller at home to Oundle, 24-21 for Oundle first away win in five years.
On Wednesday Rugby were in action again, this time taking on Haileybury (see below). It was a stunning game, one of the great adverts for schools rugby. Rugby surged to a 21-8 half time lead only for Haileybury to come scorching back in the second half to lead 27-21. Rugby hit back though to close to 27-26 and were inches from sealing a dramatic late win.
As it was, it was Haileybury who got to celebrate. Though heartbreaking for Rugby, in many ways it summed up the purpose of this Bicentenary year, to allow as many schools as possible to make lifelong memories on The Close, the birthplace of the game.
That being said, those in the famous white shirt of Rugby aren’t going to hand happy memories out for free and they will be determined to secure a first victory of the season this Saturday at 3.30pm and keep a hold of a record that hasn’t seen Bedford beat them since 2012, and hasn’t see Bedford win on Old Bidside, the main pitch on The Close, since 2010.
Rugby School v Bedford School – 3.30pm, Saturday
