The newly created John Green Trophy will be competed for the first time on home soil, as Seaford take on Northampton School for Boys, perhaps the best school side in the country this year.
What a way to honour departing head John Green, who will be leaving Seaford after 13 years as Headmaster. In an action-packed festive season, with 4 live games in the week to come, Seaford will be keen to take a huge scalp in their penultimate game of the season
The former England Age-Grade and Saracens star Green will hope his south-coast side can grab a famous win against the national cup semi-finalists, which would no doubt be one of the best results of Seaford’s season. Read on for the full preview of this historic day, and catch all the action on the NextGenLive Youtube channel, or through the embedded video here:
We will start with the hosts, who will hope to defend the first ever bout in the John Green Trophy at their beautiful playing fields, which we will soon be returning too in the new year for the Seaford Tens. For the moment, lets focus on their form coming into what can safely be considered, a difficult fixture. They started the season fantastically well, only losing one of their opening 5 games, and that was a competitive defeat to NSBs fellow National Cup Semi-finalists, Epsom. Unfortunately, the St Joseph’s College festival interrupt their fine run of full XVs fixtures, and Seaford just couldn’t quite swing the momentum at St Jo’s, though in a sign of their quality, just a conversion was all that separated them and eventual champions Wellington College. This sort of weekend has the potential to disrupt a sides seasons, but Seaford responded jubilantly after the half-term break. They put 40 points on RGS High Wycombe, 50 on fellow costal competitors Canford, and 30 on Henley College, before being beaten by Clifton by just ten points at the end of a very successful November. Australia Winger Harry Potter dropped in to offer some guidance to the U16s in a really special training session a few weeks ago, but it will be up to the seniors on Tuesday to hold down the fort. They do have a talented squad this season who should be able to match up to a star-studded NSB side. Both wingers, Karr and Cosgrove, start for Harlequins in the Academy league, while Captain Josh Andrews and back-rower Kean Lourens are also involved in the senior set up. The home side will be well up for this one, with a shiny new trophy on the line.
However, we know all about what Northampton School for Boys will offer in response. They have only been beaten twice all year long, and even then they were far from full strength in both those games. Phil Beaumont has managed to keep NSB in the green despite being without key-players at every point of the campaign, due to injuries or international representation. They have waltzed into the national cup semi-finals, even putting almost 50 points on a very good Kirkham Grammar School side on the way through. In terms of the contest at hand, these two teams rarely meet on the school-boy circuit. In fact, there is not a single record of the two coming together since 2000, so this is a unique and exciting opportunity for NSB, which they have earnt through their fantastic performances. Everyone wants to test themselves against the nations best, and a test they will deliver. A number of players are coming back from England duty and skipper Hugh Shields is sadly injured, but NSB will still pack a punch, in the likely form of stand-in stars Chin, Panariello and Sheilds the younger, who ran the show from key positions in teams most recent win, over Stowe School at 9, 10 and 13, They are bright players from across the NSB age groups, who all rep Northampton Saints at one level or another, as most of the schools first XV do.
With games at Worcester’s Sixways Stadium side of this fantastic clash on Tuesday, do not miss a moment of December’s action. Kick-off in this tie, the inaugural John Green Trophy between hosts Seaford College and Northampton School for Boys, is scheduled for 2pm!
