The penultimate round of the RFU ACE Boys league has set up a thrilling finish, which will be brought to you live on NextGen’s YouTube channel! But how did events unwind on Wednesday to lead us to such a thrilling conclusion?
Pool A
Loughborough 14-29 Hartpury
Gosforth 10-26 Beechen Cliff
These two results are the most significant in deciding the fate of the ACE league, so we ought to do them together. A solid performance on the road was exactly what the Acorns were after as they chase yet another championship. They stay 5 points behind Beecehn after the two sides picked up identical points away from home. There will, of course, be a full preview of the final round out on Monday, a day early ahead of our double-live stream, but these two games were actually remarkably similar. Hartpury and Beechen both put out very strong teams, but had long journeys north, and both had to work awfully hard to grind out a 4-2 victory in tries scored. It sets up a fascinating final round!
Oaklands 21-19 Gordons
A dramatic win for Oaklands against the defending champions is a result worth savouring! The Wolves snuck into Pool A with a fantastic run of results, but now they have the chance to round out their second stage with a positive record if they can beat Hartpury next week, and hand the ACE title to Beechen for the very first time. Gordon’s faint hopes of challenging for their title are now officially over, but breaking into Pool A was the first job that needed doing. Since then, they have performed well overall, considering their tough injury records and long list of leavers from last season.
Pool B
Coventry 5-55 Bishop Wand
A shock result in this pool, as Bishop Wand have continued to improve, but few expected such a dominant performance. They have emerged as one of the best sides in the Pool. Coventry have experienced a rather sharp learning curve since facing off with some of the best sides in the south, but these last few weeks have been all about the Wand, who have improved massively since the first stage, and will keep their place in the top tier.
Exeter 51-0 Moulton
Exeter’s unbelievable, undefeated run has continued. One begins to think that if they had begun the season in tier 1 they might have sauntered into Pool A. Promotion into the top tier will have to be reward enough for their hard work in the second stage. It has been a difficult week for the sides up north this week, so now the hat has been hung on Stourport who play this evening.
SGS v Stourport (Friday 28th)
When SGS approached the RFU about moving this fixture to Friday night, they were all for it. A big night under the lights in Bristol is not to be missed, and SGS will be the favourites as Stourport or are on a difficult run. Can the Bears side grab a big win in front of hopefully an even bigger crowd?
Pool C
Bishop Burton 50-0 Bede
Bishop Burton have not enjoyed a season stocked full of big results, but this will be a victory they remember for some time. A massive win, against a northern rival who themselves were on the back of their best result in the ACE league this year. Although the season may be winding down, and their position in the table cannot change too much with a week to go, they will be pleased to have notched up such a positive result
Cardinal Newman 19-19 City of Oxford
A great result for Cardinal Newman, who scored a final play equaliser against a strong Oxford side. Newman have been on the wrong end of a couple of incredibly narrow contests in the second stage of the season and, while they were not able to get over the line and pull off a famous comeback, they were able to claim some points and solidify themselves in mid-table. Oxford’s pursuit of Truro might be at an end after slipping up away from home!
Myerscough 17-38 Truro
Truro have been excellent in pool C and continued their undefeated run, which matches the likes so Beechen and Exeter in the second half of the season. For Myerscough, this is a better performance after a tough run of form in the second stage, taking the game to perhaps the most inform side in ACE; however, Truro had enough to rally away from home.
Pool D
Ashton on Mersey v Richard Huish
Peter Symonds 40-7 Wath
Peter Symonds pull off another win at home, and this time it was a confident win. As the end of the first season of the new ACE system comes to a close, Peter Symonds of Bath will be glad for the big results that have highlighted their season, but will be hoping for a few more close games in the first phase, and a few more games at all in the second. Unfortunately, no results could be found for the second game in this pool.
You can find the full fixture list and last week’s results via the NextGenRugby Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, or via the RFU website, found through this Link: https://www.englandrugby.com/fixtures-and-results/search-results?competition=1664&season=2025-2026&division=66041#fixtures
