Live Rugby: 2025 Seaford Southern 10s | Preview

The 2025 Seaford Southern Tens takes place this Sunday, the first major schools rugby event of 2025 and a huge opportunity for sides to get some early momentum as the short-form rugby season begins.

The Seaford Southern Tens has become one of the key dates in the schools rugby calendar, the starting gun in many ways for this term of rugby, and that is reflected in the quality of teams in the draw – and indeed the quality of past winners, Ipswich School and Trinity School have won the last three between them and in each year they were regarded as among the very best in the country.

As has been the case in recent years, NextGenXV will again bring LIVE coverage of two pitches, Oval 1 and Oval 2, which will hosts group games through the morning and both the Cup and Plate semi finals and finals in the afternoon. You will be able to watch all the action LIVE from 9.45am on both pitches through the NextGenXV YouTube Channel and through the embedded videos below.

Live Stream:

Oval 1 

Oval 2

There will be ample time between the end of the group games and the knockouts for some analysis and discussion, so do please get in touch through social media (@nextgenxv on all platforms) with any questions or talking points!

Seaford Southern 10s Groups

The 2025 draw sees three new sides involved, Mount St Mary’s College in Group 1, St Joseph’s College in Group 3, and KES Bath in Group 4, three very strong sides, each with real tournament know-how too – Mount St Mary’s competed well at the Merchiston Festival in October, St Joseph’s College of course have hosted their own wonderful St Joseph’s Festival every October since the 1980’s, and KES Bath are regulars at the Sedbergh 10s.

Mount St Mary’s have the longest journey to join, they come down from north Derbyshire. Their reward is a challenging group, featuring the hosts, Seaford College. Seaford are itching to claim the title and came so close last year, losing out to the eventual champions, Ipswich, in the semi finals. Alongside those two are Canford, who reached the Vase final last year, and the 2022 and 2023 champions Trinity. It is a seriously challenging group and is sure to provide some fireworks. Seaford in particular are going to be determined, they have an excellent side but were unlucky at both Merchiston and St Joseph’s and will be so eager to pull everything together on Sunday.

Over in Group 2 are the reigning champions, Ipswich, who also reached the final in 2023. At the moment it is a three-team group, with one spot due to be filled after a late drop out. It is another challenging group though, Solihull have played more rugby this term that almost anyone else and will feel very game ready ahead of Sunday, while Marlborough College are tournament stalwarts and the reigning Plate champions, how they would love to go one further

Group 3 is another brute of a group, featuring last year’s semi finalists, Dulwich College. Dulwich were somewhat of a short-form specialist side last year, turning a tough fifteen-a-side season into a very competitive short form season. After finishing this year’s main season in good form, they would love to build on that again. Alongside them are Gordon’s, last year’s Vase winners and a fantastic side. Their ACE side won the ACE league in December, and while much of that side will not be involved, their school 1^st XV have been superb as well and will be hugely competitive. Joining those two are one of Seaford’s great rivals, Hurstpierpoint College, and completing the group are newcomers St Joseph’s College, who performed well at their Festival in October and will add a huge amount to the Seaford 10s on Sunday, they will be eying up the Cup for sure.

Group 4 is perhaps the most challenging pool of the lot, RGS High Wycombe reached last year’s final and they have also reached back to back St Joseph’s Festival finals, and are in the semi finals of the Continental Tyres U18 Schools Cup. Perhaps more so than anyone else they are going to be determined, they are itching to turn these brilliant tournament performances into silverware, and it is hard to argue that they don’t deserve to at some point. They will have their work cut out though, alongside them are Epsom College, Plate finalists last year and one of the best sides in the country this year – they went through the first half of last term unbeaten. Last year’s Bowl champions Felsted are also in Group 4 and would love to climb the ranks from the Bowl, and completing the group are KES Bath, who had one of their greatest ever fifteen-a-side seasons, losing just once. They will be a major threat too.

Overall then it is going to be a seriously competitive day on the field, and it is likely to be tight as well. With five man scrums and 9 minute halves, the pace is going to be high (much like 7s there will be drop-goal conversions and 7s kick offs). Expect the groups to be very tight therefore, and it may well come down to head to heads – if teams are level on points at the end of the group, their head to head record will be the difference maker, followed by points difference, and then number of tries.

At the end of the Group stage, the top sides will head to the Cup semi finals, second to the Plate semis, third to the Vase semis, while the three fourth placed sides will play in a round-robin for the Bowl. In the Cup, Plate, and Vase semi finals sides from Group 1 will face sides from Group 3, while teams from Group 2 will play teams from Group 4.

Much like the groups, tight knockout games would be no surprise either, who could forget last year’s final, if things are level at the final whistle it goes to 12 minutes of extra time, with golden point in effect!

So it should be exciting and competitive on the field, but off the field the Seaford Southern 10s is known as a good one for players and spectators alike, with plenty of warm spaces for spectators to take in some much needed fuel, and a real sense of camaraderie between the players.

It should be a fantastic day of 10s – all live from 9.45am!

Seaford Southern 10s Schedule