An unbelievable week of live rugby kicks off on Monday night, as Malvern College face new opponents in the Border Shield, under the lights at SixWays Stadium in Worcester. Hereford Cathedral School are the opponent, as the green army looks set to entertain another eventful night of first-class schoolboy sports!
Named The Border Shield as the contest is always between two sides from the counties on the Welsh-English border, it is the term of Herefordshire to battle with Worcestershire. This is also the first of two games live from Sixways this week, as the Modus Cup returns to our cameras at the same venue, but Malvern’s big day out is first on the docket! Let’s take a look at both sides ‘ seasons so far, and try to predict how this huge game might go down. You can catch the full stream, including our pre- and post-match coverage, via the embedded link below and through the NextGenLive YouTube Channel:
Where else to begin than with the side that can claim Sixways as their home for the evening! It will be a wonderful evening for Malvern College members, past and present, as the school puts on a star-studded luncheon in the build-up. The likes of Anthony Watson (Ex-England, Leicester, Bath & British & Irish Lions), Chris Pennell (Ex-England & Worcester Warriors) and Rob Cook (Ex-Gloucester & Cornish Pirates) will all be in attendance before the big game!
But how do the hosts shape up this season? It has been a frustrating year for Tisdale’s army, who have not picked up a win since September, but their campaign has been more complicated than that. It began with a 29-10 victory of Wycliffe College, before a narrow 33-point defeat to Cathedral School, Llandaff. Their best result of the season followed, with a confident victory over Wrekin, a huge game in both senses. Good results continued, as Bromsgrove knocked them out of the national cup, although it was a very competitive performance against a top team. These are the sort of performances that Malvern would love to replicate on Monday night. However, one doubts that head coach Nick Tisdale will spend too much time focusing on past results. In charge at Malvern since 2009, after a stint at Old Swinford Hospital, the former Worcester Warrior will know exactly how to get his side in the right mindset for their biggest game of the season. For the last few years, it has been Monmouth who have been the competitors in this tie, and games against the Welshmen have rarely gone Malverns’ way, but perhaps new opponents will inspire a win for the hosts.
Hereford Cathedral School have only faced Monday’s opposition twice in the 21st century. These were strong performances for the men in yellow, but their last meeting was over ten years ago, and does not offer us much in the way of perspective. Hereford’s season has been similar to Malvern’s, strong victories and some tough defeats. The most significant results in relation to this game are probably their most recent fixture, a 47-17 win over the Crypt school, and their first game of the campaign, a 4-point loss to Wrekin. The former was a fine performance that should leave them full of confidence heading into their next game, but the latter result is the only one between the teams that both sides have played, and Malvern picked up a win, while Hereford were defeated.
One should never read too much into results, especially ones from the very start of the season, but one expects this to be an even fixture, one that really could go either way. Is it time for Malvern College to claim the Border Shield for the first time this decade?
Either way, it is going to be one of the most special days in both side’s rugby lives.
Catch all the action from the Border Shield, with Kick-off Scheduled for 7 pm on Monday evening!
