Rugby School take on arguably the biggest challenge of this bicentenary year so far as they welcome high-flying Ipswich School to The Close on Tuesday afternoon, LIVE on NextGenXV, 4pm Kick Off.
It is the first time that these two sides will ever have met, something that Rugby School have been trying to encourage during these 200 years of Rugby Football celebrations, welcoming as many new schools to The Close as they can.
The game will be LIVE on the NextGenXV YouTube Channel and also through the embedded link below.
It makes for a fascinating encounter, the founders of the game and school rugby’s original giant, Rugby, against arguably the school game’s newest giant, Ipswich. A fitting fixture for this celebratory year of the game’s origins.
Rugby were battling illness in the camp over the weekend as they went down 35-10 to Stowe (see below), but will hopefully be recovered by Tuesday’s game. They have been involved in some epic contests this season, tight defeats to Haileybury, Bedford, and the unbeaten Eton College, and a 27-14 victory over Oundle.
It has been a busy schedule, and a relentless wave of intensity, such is the sense of occasion accompanying each fixture and the determination of every visiting side to make their mark on this bicentenary year.
Almost every game has felt dramatic and in the balance, adding to the drama and showing us exactly what makes schools rugby so special.
That is something that Ipswich School are familiar with too after their game a little over a week ago at home to Sedbergh. They produced a spellbinding performance for a 32-10 lead, but then Sedbergh came roaring back into it. Ipswich held on though for a 32-29 victory, the most significant victory in the school’s rugby history and marking a new order in schools rugby.
Now they head to the founders of the game with an unbeaten record and a determination to once again show their quality at the place where it all began.
Everything about this fixture is exciting, and it’s an exciting little spell on The Close ahead of half term as Rugby forgo Saturday fixtures to welcome first Ipswich and then a week on Tuesday, Wellington College.
Rugby School v Ipswich School – Tuesday, 4pm, LIVE on NextGenXV
