It had been mentioned in the build up to last weekend that Week 3 was always a pivotal one, the weekend where patterns begin to emerge, and there is certainly some evidence of that in this week’s Top 5 School Teams of the Weekend.
It is a Top 5 School Teams of the Weekend that sees a number of sides miss out due to not playing over the weekend, the likes of Sedbergh with a tight victory over Clifton College or Millfield with their stunning performance against St Joseph’s College would have been shoe-ins had they played on Friday or Saturday.
Nevertheless, that certainly did not make selecting the Top 5 any easier! As ever, it’s very subjective so please do get in touch on @nextgenxv across social media to let us know who would make yours.
Top 5 Schools Teams of the Weekend – Week 3
Campion
It was an emotional one for Campion on Saturday as they took on one of the other great state school rugby teams in the country, Skinners’. The game was played in memory of Paddy Dear and Campion did his memory proud in an outstanding 43-19 victory. The former Continental Tryes Schools Cup champions are in top form at the start of this season, and it is to that competition where their attention turns next as they take on Haileybury in a massive second round game on Thursday.
Epsom College
Epsom College are unbeaten and, at the time of writing, currently in charge against Caterham and on their way to Round 3 in the Continental Tyres Schools Cup. Their round 1 opponents were St John’s Leatherhead and on Saturday they faced them for the second time this season and once again they had the same outcome, a barnstorming victory. They are looking every inch one of the toughest sides in the country. The second half of term will provide some stern tests that will decide just how highly they are judged come the end of the season, but at the moment they look unstoppable. Before that, Seaford College in ten days time is a massive game.
King’s Worcester
It has quietly been an incredibly impressive start to the season from King’s Worcester, who currently sit at the top of the Daily Mail Trophy table. On Saturday a brilliant 36-6 victory over Sir Thomas Rich’s was another top performance, their fourth victory on the spin. This Thursday they face Solihull in the Continental Tyres U18 Schools Cup and, having beaten Solihull already this season, they must surely feel confident of a strong performance that could take them into round 3.
Northampton School for Boys
There was an argument for Northampton School for Boys making the Top 5 School Teams of the Weekend last week after a terrific performance against one of last year’s top sides, Ipswich. They nearly did, and this week they do after an outstanding 55-5 victory over King’s Macclesfield. In some ways it’s the more impressive of the two, for over the years it would probably be fair to say that King’s Macclesfield are more of a peer to NSB. That NSB performed so well is a sign of just what a fantastic group this is, and how far they have progressed year on year. The face The Perse for a place in the Cup next before a huge game against Berkhamsted in 10 days.
Wellington College
When you host the best team in the country over the last two years in front of a packed stand, swathes of old boys, and a huge tv audience, and you win by defending a goal-line stand at the death, there’s a fair chance that a place in the Top 5 School Teams of the Weekend will follow. Wellington College showed fantastic spirit once again on Saturday to defeat a strong Harrow side 22-15. Harrow made them fight all the way for it, right up to that final play on the line, but Wellington were up to the challenge. They have faced Whitgift and Harrow now and have a draw and a win to their name, they are looking strong. The challenges keep on coming too, Dulwich College next up followed by the visit of a Millfield side that is currently playing arguably the best rugby in the country right now – indeed if we had bent the rules to stretch all the way to Wednesday for this Top 5, Millfield would be in it.