Following a weekend of pre-season festivals and some excellent fixtures, this midweek sees the season proper begin for some and those final pre-season preparations completed for others.
It was a fantastic weekend, not least at the Kingswood Pre-Season Festival where 18 sides where involved and there was live coverage here on NextGenLive – which you can check out on the NextGenLive YouTube Channel and embedded below.
Now though attention turns to midweek and fixtures across the country as the final bits of prep for the season are completed.
Midweek Fixtures
Tuesday 2nd
Of course in Scotland the season is already well underway, and that continues on Tuesday as Bell Baxter High School welcome High School of Dundee, usually a fantastic occasion and a key one as both look to build early season form.
Bell Baxter HS v Dundee HS
Wednesday 3rd
Wednesday is, as usual, the busiest day of the midweek and there are some great fixtures this week, including some ACE sides facing school sides. Among those games are a competitive one by the look of it in Northamptonshire as Moulton College, the Northampton Saints ACE side, welcome Northampton School for Boys, one of Saints’ most productive schools in recent times and arguably the strongest state school in the country right now. It should be a cracking game.
Further north, Wath Academy, who are new to the ACE league this year, take on Worksop College, another game that ought to be hugely entertaining and superb prep for both sides.
There is also an all-ACE encounter as Gordon’s welcome City of Oxford College. Gordon’s are the reigning champions after a brilliant campaign last year and will be eager for a similar level of performance this year, while City of Oxford College will be keen to prove themselves a top tier side as well. The ACE season starts a week on Wednesday, with each round previewed here on NextGenRugby.
The Welsh Schools and Colleges League begins next week too, but two of their most famous sides go head to head this week too as Christ College, who just announced that two time British and Irish Lions and Welsh Grand Slam winner Jonathan Davies is joining the coaching staff, take on Glantaf. It ought to be a superb occasion.
Back across the border, King’s Worcester and Hereford 6th form College go head to head – two teams that impressed last year and will be eager to do so again this year.
Down in the South East two of the best state school sides of the last half a decade go head to head, Campion and Hayes, which should be a serious contest. In Kent, Oakwood Park Grammar welcome Bennett Memorial ahead of busy seasons for both.
In the North East, meanwhile, former Continental Tyres Schools Vase winners Yarm are hosting Scarborough College, who were outstanding last year and now have former England full back Ben Foden on their coaching staff. Up in Scotland, Glasgow’s St Aloysius’ College host Lasswade High School in a big early season game for both.
Campion v Hayes
Christ College v Glantaf
Gordon’s v City of Oxford College
King’s Worcester v Hereford 6th form College
Moulton College v Northampton School for Boys
Oakwood Park GS v Bennett Memorial
St Aloysius’ College v Lasswade HS
Wath Academy v Worksop College
Yarm v Scarborough College
Thursday 4th
There is just the one game scheduled for Thursday, a Devon derby as Blundell’s welcome Plymouth College. Blundell’s were in good form at Kingswood over the weekend and had 30 players in action so expect them to be well practiced heading into this one, though Plymouth College have been very strong in the last couple of years and will be aiming to kick off with a big scalp.
Blundell’s v Plymouth College
If you have any reports or contributions from the week’s games, or games coming up through the term, please do get in touch with us!
