The schools rugby season creeps closer and closer into view as the Pre-Season Festivals continue to build ahead of the 2024/25 season.
This weekend sees two big festivals taking place, with King’s Macclesfield host 20 teams in the North West and Kingswood School hosting 16 in the South West, two key preparatory tournaments for the season ahead.
They follow two excellent competitions from midweek, where Whitgift won the Esher Presidents Cup ahead of a strong field that included Tonbridge, Seaford College, and St Benedict’s in their pool and Millfield, Hampton, Newman College, and Ipswich in the other.
Always a strong indicator of form heading into the season, given the strength of the field, it suggests an exciting Whitgift side for 2024/25.
Meanwhile, the NextGenXV Live Broadcast cameras were at Hartpury College on Wednesday for their annual pre-season Festival. A huge affair consisting of 32 teams with both a men’s and women’s festival, with sides from the ACE Colleges, Welsh Schools & College League, and schools and college from across England.
Hosts Hartpury College were in outstanding form as ever, in both men’s and women’s competitions, while Cardiff and Vale College in particular looked strong from Wales. On the English schools circuit Denstone College looked highly impressive, likewise Cranleigh and Bromsgrove, look out too for Oakham who brought a huge 45 man squad – they look deep.
There was no tournament winner, this was all about getting those competitive minutes under the belt, but the rugby was outstanding in the glorious Hartpury sunshine, you can relieve all the Pitch 1 action on the NextGenXV YouTube Channel or below.
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King’s Macclesfield Pre-Season Festival
Twenty-one teams will be in action at King’s Macclesfield, playing 2 minute games. All sides will play four games apart from three, who will play extended minutes.
Alongside King’s Macclesfield are eighteen other English schools, alongside Wales’ Ysgol Dyffryn Aman and Ireland’s Rockwell College.
Host King’s Macclesfield will meet Dyffryn Aman, as well as Harrogate Grammar School, Reed’s, and Prince Henry’s Grammar, while Dyffryn Aman will have a real international flavour to their fixtures as, in addition to English side Solihull and Reed’s, plus the King’s Macclesfield fixture, they will meet Rockwell.
Rockwell’s day will also see them take on Dame Allan’s, and two sides expected to be among the strongest in England, Kirkham Grammar School and Denstone College. Denstone are fresh off the back of an impressive outing at Wednesday’s Hartpury Festival, as are Oakham, who will be taking on four strong sides in Mount St Mary’s College, QEGS Wakefield, Stonyhurst, and Wirral Grammar.
Oakham’s closest rivals Uppingham are also in attendance, facing Woodhouse Grove, Old Swinford Hospital, Lancaster RGS, and Manchester Grammar School. Cheadle Hulme meanwhile have some really challenging fixture, with Dame Allan’s, Denstone College, and Kirkham Grammar School their opponents.
Being in Macclesfield, the North dominates the entry list, with Stonyhurst, Manchester Grammar, Kirkham Grammar, Lancaster RGS, Wirral Grammar, and Cheadle Hulme attending from the North West. From the North East, Yorkshire, and Lincolnshire come Dame Allan’s, Harrogate Grammar, Prince Henry’s Grammar, Woodhouse Grove, QEGS Wakefield, and Mount St Mary’s.
The Midlands also provides plenty of sides, Solihull, Old Swinford Hospital, Denstone College, Oakham, and Uppingham, but England’s furthest travellers are Reed’s from Surrey, regular attendees at the Festival.
Teams Playing:
King’s Macclesfield, Cheadle Hulme, Dame Allan’s, Denstone College, Harrogate Grammar, Kirkham Grammar, Lancaster RGS, Manchester Grammar, Mount St Mary’s College, Oakham, Old Swinford Hospital, Prince Henry’s Grammar, QEGS Wakefield, Reed’s, Rockwell College, Solihull, Stonyhurst College, Uppingham, Wirral Grammar, Woodhouse Grove, Ysgol Dyffryn Aman.
Kingswood Pre-Season Festival
Kingswood once again host their annual festival, and after such a strong year last year and a promising squad again this, they are going to be a side to watch. The tournament is a 17 team festival primarily for sides from South West England, though Cathedral School Llandaff and Monmouth travel across from Wales to take part.
Two of last year’s other strongest sides are involved, Clifton College and Millfield, with Millfield fresh from the Esher President’s Cup on Wednesday. Clifton College and Kingswood will actually be live here on NextGenXV in a few weeks time when Clifton host Kingswood in their annual Ryan Bresnahan Memorial Game at Clifton RFC.
Being relatively localised there are plenty of rival sides in action, not least Cheltenham College and Sir Thomas Rich’s, whose annual game at Kingsholm has become legendary.
Others to keep an eye on include Blundell’s and Sherborne, Blundell’s have had some excellent sides in recent years and Sherborne are never far from having a side that can compete with the very best.
Being at Kingswood, there are plenty of sides from near Bath competing, Downside, King’s Bruton, Monkton Combe, and Prior Park, all of whom will be keen to set themselves up for strong seasons, likewise KES Bath, who could have a very strong group. Look out from Bristol Grammar School and QEH too, travelling across from Bristol.
There is also ACE League representation in the competition in the form of Beechen Cliff, who will be looking to perform well as fellow ACE sides did on Wednesday at Hartpury and Esher respectively.
Teams Playing:
Kingswood, Beechen Cliff, Blundell’s, Bristol Grammar, Cathedral School Llandaff, Cheltenham College, Clifton College, Downside, KES Bath, King’s Bruton, Millfield, Monkton Combe, Monmouth, Prior Park College, QEH, Sherborne, Sir Thomas Rich’s.
Overall, it is going to be a huge Saturday and one in which plenty will be learned ahead of the big season kick off on Saturday 7th September. A huge term of fifteen-a-side rugby awaits, and the final preparations will be key.
We can’t wait to get going!