Wednesday sees one of the key tournaments in the build-up to the Rosslyn Park National School 7s as St Benedict’s host the Middlesex 7s.
The tournament has been dominated in recent times by Harrow, but the reigning champions have a Continental Tyres Schools Cup semi final to prepare for this weekend and are therefore unlikely to field many of the players involved in that.
That will leave the rest of the field thinking that there is a chance to wrestle this title from the North London side and, given the quality of the field, there will be no shortage of competitors.
Millfield reached the final last year and last week they reached the final of the Hampton 7s, they will be eager to go one further and claim the title. Meanwhile Gordon’s were sensational on Friday to win their own Floodlit 7s and would love to now go back to back. Fellow ACE sides Bishop Wand and Oaklands College will be keen to make marks of their own as well.
Hampton won the Plate on home turf last week and have won at the Middlesex 7s three times in the past decade, they would love to add another. Wellington College are one of schools rugby’s greatest sides, and the list goes on. This is a tournament that is going to have some real quality on show.
In all there are sixteen sides on show, split into four groups of four teams each, with the winners going to the Cup semi finals, second to the Plate, third to the Shield, and fourth to the Bowl. Six new sides enter the competition this year, the previously mentioned Wellington College and Oaklands College, as well as the excellent Northampton School for Boys, Grey Court, and Latymer Upper, plus a Seaford College side that will have real designs on returning home with the Cup. Those six replace Skinners’, Felsted, St Paul’s, last year’s Plate runners up Mill Hill, Shield winners RGS Guildford, and Bowl winners Beechen Cliff.
As hosts, St Benedict’s are drawn in Group 1 and it’s a tricky one as they look to build on last year’s Shield final. They are joined by ACE side Bishop Wand, newcomers Latymer Upper, and a Hampton side that, as mentioned, looks to be hitting form.
Group 2 contains last year’s finalists Millfield, who will be among the favourites. Alongside them are two challenging newcomers in Seaford College and Oaklands College, plus John Fisher, the 2014 champions and the only side other than Hampton and Harrow to win here in the last decade.
Group 3 sees reigning champions Harrow joined by the 2014 Plate winners, Tiffin, alongside newcomers Grey Court. Completing the group are Gordon’s, Plate winners last year but a side that will be looking for even more than that this year.
Over in Group 4 sit two incredibly competitive newcomers in Wellington College and Northampton School for Boys, both will believe that they could come home with the main silverware. Alongside them are two stalwarts of the competition, London Oratory and last year’s Bowl runners up, Windsor Boys’.
As always, it is going to be a high-quality and incredibly competitive afternoon at St Benedict’s, for one of the very top 7s prizes on offer!
Middlesex 7s Draw
Group 1: Hampton, Latymer Upper, St Benedict’s, Bishop Wand
Group 2: John Fisher, Millfield, Oaklands College, Seaford College
Group 3: Gordon’s, Grey Court, Harrow, Tiffin
Group 4: London Oratory, Northampton School for Boys, Wellington College, Windsor Boys’
