The first full weekend of the second half of term certainly brought some big performances, with a bit of rest clearly doing a number of sides some good.
There were some glorious performances, and a number that were desperately unlucky not to make the Ten to Watch, not least from our LIVE game, where King’s Macclesfield earned a tight 19-15 victory over Denstone College.
Elsewhere in our Ten to Watch, Stonyhurst and Brighton College both had good away performances, while Sedbergh were strong at home, likewise Stowe and Bromsgrove.
In Scotland, George Watson’s College booked their place in the Cup quarter finals with an excellent display at home to Edinburgh Academy.
Away victories are always impressive, and Princethorpe College impressed away from home on Friday. On Saturday, Exeter School were outstanding away from home, likewise Dean Close, Bloxham, and a brilliant performance from Harrow at Tonbridge.
The Leys were sensational in the Cambridge derby at The Perse, while tight away victories for Woodhouse Grove at Durham, and Barnard Castle at St Peter’s York both merited real consideration for the Top 5. Likewise, Haileybury’s brilliance at Merchant Taylors’.
Solihull won an epic at Monmouth, 50-35, while Sherborne again impressed with a 28-15 victory at Marlborough College. All were up for consideration. Sizeable home victories for Birkenhead, Bishop’s Stortford High, Gravesend Grammar, Reading Blue Coat, St Benedict’s, St George’s Weybridge, and St Ambrose College were all seriously considered too.
Likewise, the continued brilliance of Sir Thomas Rich’s, Skinners’, Campion, and the Duke of York’s Royal Military. Seaford College’s outstanding performance over RGS High Wycombe was impressive as well.
Mill Hill at home to Uppingham and Stamford against Oundle, both also made strong cases for Top 5 inclusion. Ultimately, though, only five sides can make the Top 5, a tricky task at the best of times, let alone when so many brilliant performances have been put in.
Top 5 School Teams of the Weekend: Week 9
Cheltenham College
Director of Rugby Olly Morgan hosted his old school, Millfield, in a massive game. Millfield had narrowly beaten Cheltenham at the St Joseph’s Festival, but such were Cheltenham’s performance levels at that Festival that there was plenty of hope ahead of this fixture.
Hope, but Millfield were favourites, so any Cheltenham victory was expected to be tight. What came instead was one of the outstanding performances of the season as Cheltenham swept to an outstanding 35-7 victory, a magnificent effort from the Gloucestershire side.
Clifton College
It seems as though every time Clifton College and Wellington College meet, it is tight and dramatic. Who can forget Bristol Bears’ Sam Worsley’s late drop goal of a few years ago? There was a sense heading into Saturday’s game, though, that Wellington College might just have the edge in the fixture this year.
Clifton College were not having a bit of that, throwing everything at it in an epic game of rugby. As ever, it went right down to the wire, a superb contest and one for the ages. It couldn’t have been tighter, and almost whichever way it went, the winner would be in the Top 5; it was Clifton College that just had the edge, 18-17.
Epsom College
Epsom College hosted Cranleigh on Saturday in a huge game. Epsom’s only defeat this season was to Radley College, who had been beaten by Cranleigh not long after. These were two top sides going head-to-head in a massive game.
It was another where the winner was always likely to be in the Top 5, but nobody was expecting a victory with as much breathing room as Epsom’s 28-12 effort. A fantastic shift from Epsom, who deservedly make the Top 5.
Oakham
Oakham travelled to Bedford on Saturday in a game that probably had them as the narrow favourites. However, Bedford had been in excellent form of late, reaching the final of the Eltham College Festival before half term and beating a good Warwick side the week before.
So Oakham were favourites, but narrow, yet they defied those expectations in an epic performance that saw them storm to a stunning 50-10 victory on the road, a quite exceptional display from the Rutland side.
Radley College
Derby day between Radley College and Abingdon is always a big day, on Saturday it was even bigger as the game doubled as a Continental Tyres U18 Schools Cup tie in Round 3 of South West B.
Radley were the narrow favourites, such has been their form this year, but Abingdon were expected to push them hard and to be in position to potentially nick this – after all, they arrived unbeaten and playing glorious rugby. What few same coming was the dominant display of Radley, who stormed to a 35-0 lead before easing off as Abingdon narrowed to 35-14. A brilliant performance from Radley College.
