This Sunday Sixways Stadium will host the 16th Annual Modus Cup between King’s Worcester and RGS Worcester LIVE here on NextGenXV, kicking off at 2pm.
The game sees these two old rivals go head to head once again at the former home of Worcester Warriors and it has a new slot. Previously held in the October half term, it now forms the season finale for both schools in this Sunday afternoon slot.
The game will be LIVE here on NextGenXV through the NextGenXV YouTube channel and through the embedded video below, with kick off at 2pm on what is due to be a wet but mild afternoon.
Since the Modus Cup was introduced in 2007 it has been a pretty even contest, with King’s Worcester having won eight of the fifteen titles so far and RGS Worcester’s 20-17 victory last year (see below), taking them to seven titles, meaning a victory on Sunday would level things up. In the early years RGS were the more dominant side, winning three of the first four Modus Cups, but from 2011 to 2016 King’s had a strong few years, winning five of the six contests.
Reading into these fixtures is always hard, the stadium environment, the occasion, and indeed the nerves and tension all serve to make prior form go out of the window. These games become as much about passion and the ability to keep your head amidst the maelstrom. They are fantastic occasions.
They are fantastic in part because of the crowd, thousands are expected to pack into Sixways and thousands more to turn on the live stream, and they should all be in for a treat.
The sides look well matched, both having had fairly even seasons, King’s winning eight of fourteen, RGS four of nine. This being the end of the season, we have more information than ever before about both sides heading into this one, which only serves to ramp up the excitement.
Perhaps crucially, the two sides have played four common opponents, Solihull, KES Stratford, KES Birmingham, and Malvern College. Against all four they have had the same outcome, beating KES Stratford, KES Birmingham, and Malvern College, and both losing to Solihull. This game looks incredibly tight.
Perhaps then the residual memory in the RGS squad from those that took part in last year’s 20-17 victory may hand them a narrow edge. However on the other hand while King’s may not have happy memories of last year, on every other occasion that one of the players in Sunday’s side has faced RGS they have won well, as U16s the Upper 6th form 31-0 while the L6th won 31-7, as U15s the L6th won 33-0, while as U14s the U6th won 55-3. How will those past victories sit in the minds of both sides?
In reality, predicting this is a fool’s errand. There are reasons to lean either way, but more importantly form and the past are almost irrelevant, it is all about how each individual and collective team responds to the unique environment that is the Modus Cup.
It is one of the great occasions in schools rugby, a stunning climax to the school season, and an example of just what the school game means to those involved. It is an afternoon that is, quite simply, not to be missed.
King’s Worcester v RGS Worcester: 16th Annual Modus Cup – LIVE on NextGenXV, Sunday 10thDecember, 2pm KO
