Rugby School and Cheltenham College meet on The Close this Saturday in a 2.15pm Kick Off, the penultimate game of the season for both sides in the Bicentenary year.
The game will be LIVE here on NextGenXV and can be viewed on the NextGenXV YouTube Channel and through the embedded video below as these two historic sides go head to head.
Rugby School are founders of the game, and as such have been celebrating this 200th year of Rugby Football with gusto throughout, while Cheltenham College are one of the oldest rugby playing schools in the world, making this one of the most perfect games for such a celebration.
It should make for a magnificent occasion as this incredible season and spectacular year head towards a close. Perhaps just as importantly though, the on field looks set to be outstanding as well.
Rugby are in their best form of the season as they gear up for an incredibly special game against the Barbarians U18 next weekend, a first ever assembling of a Barbarians U18 side in what will be a stunning occasion that will also see the Barbarians U18 Women’s side go up against Rugby’s own Girls 1st XV.
They will be fully focused on Cheltenham this weekend though, not least because they would love to carry the momentum they have started to build. After a tricky first half of term Rugby have been excellent in this second half, running two over the best around, Stamford and Bromsgrove, close before dominant back to back victories against Marlborough College and Uppingham.
Last weekend they lost out to Warwick but it was still a sign of their form, and absolutely epic contest that went right down to the wire (see below) and almost saw Rugby claim victory at the death.
They will need to be at the level they have been in this second half of term because Cheltenham College are excellent. Having been in the group of death at the St Joseph’s Festival they made it to the Bowl Final, while in the regular season they have been absolutely outstanding – evening in defeat they have been within a whisker of victory.
The high point was in mid-November when an epic performance saw them earn an historic victory over Millfield, 27-24. Backing up that level of emotional buy in was always going to be hard and they slipped up at Kingsholm against an outstanding Sir Thomas Rich’s side (see below), the only time this season when they have not either won or been in the game at the death.
In a sign of their quality though, they bounced back in style last time out against Sherborne, winning 43-10 away from home to send them to Rugby School this Saturday with a real spring in their step.
Everything suggests a wonderful day on Saturday, from the action on the field to the occasion off it and the history that surrounds it. As a final regular season fixture for this Bicentenary Celebratory year at Rugby School, it quite simply could not be better.
Do make sure to tune in!
Rugby v Cheltenham College – LIVE on NextGenXV, Saturday 2nd Dec, 2.15pm KO
