Harrow School became the first side to seal back to back Continental Tyres U18 Schools Cup titles since before the pandemic with a superb display for a 22-14 victory over QEGS Wakefield at the Allianz Stadium in Twickenham.
In so doing, Harrow join the pantheon of greats that have won back to back titles, the likes of Oakham, Bradford Grammar School, Bromsgrove, Warwick, and Whitgift, as well as those great Dulwich College and Collegiate School teams.
For QEGS Wakefield it was a remarkable sixth U18 final, this school has become so synonymous with this tournament at both U18 and U15 levels, heart-breakingly for them though, it was a sixth U18 final defeat.
They were magnificent though, showing fight and grit in a game that could so easily have started to really get away from them, with skipper Jack Bailey stepping up magnificently to haul them to within 8 points come the final whistle.
In truth though, this fantastic Harrow side had already done all that they needed to do, three first half tries and an early second half try had taken them out to a 22-0 lead, and with utterly biblical conditions in the second half, 22 points was a margin that few, if any, in the country could haul back.
Some of the play was magnificent, not least from Saracens U18s fly half Patrick Keaveney, full back in last year’s final, now with the keys to team at fly half and playing with a flair and authority that was at times nearing perfection. A pass behind his back was a highlight, a chip and gather with an offload to Ollie Moran for the crucial fourth try, in the driving rain another, but it was the way he fed those outside him in the first half and then ran the game with his boot in the second that marked him out as special.
He was far from the only survivor of last year’s side to step up, Cam Knight was excellent, James Talamai too, indeed it was Talamai that got the ball rolling, capitalising on a stunning 30 metre driving maul after just 3 minutes that really set the tone, giving his side a 5-0 lead. Henry Dargan, skipper this year, and Ashton Ilincic, his vice, were both huge too, building on last year’s performances. A thought too to the likes of Sam Winters and Charlie Hammick, superb but sadly absent for the final.
There were many making their debut at the Allianz Stadium though, and there lay other fantastic performances, Harrison Dunne was magnificent throughout, scoring the second try and controlling the tempo, Talal Nsouli showed his finishing prowess in picking up the third, while second row Gus Chukwuemeka was an utter colossus.
QEGS were up for it, their roaring last few minutes before emerging to the field could be heard throughout the bowels of the stadium, and both sides entered into a stunning atmosphere. Harrow responded quickest to it though, scoring that early try through Talamai, and building from there, keeping the pressure on with powerful forward play and slick attacking phase play as Dunne and Nsouli added theirs for a 15-0 lead at the break.
At the break the rain came hammering down and stayed, that 15 point lead suddenly felt twice as big and when Keaveney’s magic created the score for Moran for 22-0, it felt like a mountain for QEGS.
No mountain is too big for QEGS though, this remarkable Yorkshire side is not just a top quality side, they are mentally as tough as they come and that is epitomised by their skipper Jack Bailey at number 8, who was ably joined in that attitude by his team, not least Jacob Story.
That attitude seized the momentum for a period, with some huge efforts, including a big bust from vice captain Charlie Rust. Shortly after his skipper, Bailey, scored, and QEGS kept pushing for more. With the clock deep in the red up stepped Bailey again for his second, a score that might not have made any difference to the outcome but that was a statement of pure defiance. Lance Barker’s two touchline conversions were a sign of his quality too.
Ultimately though, the game had already been won long before that try scoring prowess of the first half allied to the control of the third quarter from Harrow.
In those periods they won the game, and in so doing they earned their spot among the greats. No longer a one off brilliant team, they are now back to back Continental Tyres U18 Schools Cup champions, an achievement that marks a school forever as one of the greats of schools rugby. James Melville and his coaching staff must take huge credit too, the hours and effort put into this team have been superb, and the quality of play is at times utterly stunning.
What they have achieved is special, it is a height that only that handful of schools mentioned before have reached. Surely now Melville has to considered one of the great coaches of the modern era of schools rugby.
His team certainly do. A finals performance to be proud of and a day that will live with them forever. Harrow have joined the greats.
Full Time: QEGS Wakefield 14-22 Harrow School
Teams:
QEGS Wakefield:
15 Will Hunter, 14 Sam Wood, 13 Connor Dale, 12 Jack Ounsley, 11 Sam Mackenzie (vc), 10 Lance Barker, 9 Marcus English, 1 Ollie Whyte, 2 Harrison Powell, 3 Sam Haywood, 4 Joe McCann, 5 Charlie Rust (vc), 6 James Gibson, 7 Ewan Walsh, 8 Jack Bailey (c).
Replacements: 16 Finn Smith, 17 Ollie Mountain, 20 Jacob Story, 21 Jayden Kalambay.
Harrow:
15 Rory Griffin, 14 Talal Nsouli, 13 Will Codrington, 12 Fraser White, 11 Cam Knight, 10 Patrick Keaveney (vc), 9 Harrison Dunne, 1 Hal Hersee, 2 James Talamai (vc), 3 Tom Dargan, 4 Gus Chukwuemeka, 5 Elliot O’Sullivan, 6 Ollie Moran, 7 Ashton Ilincic (vc), 8 Henry Dargan (c).
Replacements: 16 Ittetsu Hoshi, 17 Toye Kolawole, 20 Seb Boreham, 24 Joshua Oliver-Willwong, 25 Algy Royle.
