This weekend fifteen U15 Schools Rugby sides will gather at Langley School in Norfolk for their annual Festival.
Running on Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th October, the annual Festival will feature some of the best U15 sides from around the country and is likely to be a spectacular weekend of rugby.
The Festival has been running for a decade now, with Wellington College the reigning champions, they also won it in 2021. Joining them in returning are 2022 champions Hurstpierpoint College and 2019 champions Brighton College, among many others.
Speakig ahead of the Festival, Head of Rugby at Langley School, Steve Pope said, “We are excited to see the next generation of players gather in what promises to be a brilliant Langley U15 National Rugby Festival. We want to see players showing off their skills and creativity, while having fun too.”
The fifteen sides are drawn into three pools of five teams each. On Saturday 19th October each side will play the other teams in their pool. On Day 2, Sunday 20th October, there are then mini-pools, with the winners of the three Day 1 pools grouped together in one, second from Day 1 in another, and so on down to fifth place, meaning every side will play six games over the two days.
Group Draw
| Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3 |
| Langley School | Bradford Grammar | Gresham’s |
| John Fisher | Trinity | Dulwich College |
| Abingdon | RGS Newcastle | Woodhouse Grove |
| Hurstpierpoint College | Brighton College | Seaford College |
| Dame Allan’s | Wellington College | Bedford |
Hosts Langley have 2022 Champions Hurstpierpoint College to contend with, alongside John Fisher, who have their own U18 Festival this weekend, Abingdon, and one of the furthest travellers, Dame Allan’s.
Two recent champions are pooled together in Group 2, Wellington College and Brighton College, so it’s a stiff task for Trinity, and two of the furthest travelling sides, Bradford Grammar and RGS Newcastle.
There’s more impressive commitment to travel in Group 3, with Woodhouse Grove one of the contenders, alongside Dulwich College, Bedford, Seaford, whose are a great Festival side, and the closest side to Langley in the competition, Gresham’s.
Big crowds are expected for what should be a fantastic occasion, with food and drink stalls, merchandise on sale, face painting, glitter and henna tattoos, and forest school sessions running on Saturday with the evening culminating in a live music performance. A shuttle bus service will also be running from school to local hotels Dunston Hall and Sprowston manor on the Saturday evening for those who wish to leave their cars on site. With entry into the festival being free, as is on-site parking, it is well worth the trip along!
