News
Today in perfect rugby conditions at Broadstreet RFC Dulwich College and Northampton School for Boys booked their place in the final of the Daily Mail Cup at Twickenham.
In the first of the two semi-finals Dulwich College held off a spirited fight back from Hampton School to cling on for an 11-5 win. In a dominant first half display some powerful running from Josh Ibuanokpe saw Dulwich go into the break with an 8-0 lead. They had a player sin binned just before the half time whistle and were punished again straight after the break with another yellow. This allowed the excellent Alex Lundberg in for a try and suddenly it was all Hampton. At 8-5 with a player still in the bin Dulwich showed great rugby nous to keep the ball and after some powerful mauling they won a penalty which extended their lead to 11-5. It was brilliant play whilst down to 14 men and ultimately it won them the match.
Hampton spent the final 20 minutes attacking and only the excellent scramble defence of Dulwich saw them keep them out. Hampton were able to get over the line after a powerful break from Alex Tavener but were judged to have been held up by the referee. It proved to be crucial as Dulwich hung on for a great win. Either side would have made a deserving finalist but it is Dulwich who can now look forward to another Twickenham appearance. They have a brilliant set piece and will be very hard to break down in the final. Hampton were excellent and left it all out there on the field. Its heartbreaking to lose a semi-final but we hope the boys are proud of themselves.
After such a thrilling climax to the first match the Second Semi-Final of the day started off relatively quietly. Both sides have excellent defences and so it’s no surprise that it was a cagey affair. Handling errors and 13 penalties didn't help the game flow but Warwick managed to put some phases together and were rewarded with a penalty which they kicked for a 3-0 half-time lead.
The game needed a spark and it came from Andrew Rusher in the second half. Northampton tried to launch an attack from half way but the pass directed to Segun was careless and Rusher pounced on it to score an interception try under the posts for a 10-0 lead. To the great credit of the Northampton team their heads didn't drop and they managed to put some phases of their own together to win a penalty. Conor Bullivant, who had been excellent in attack all day, kicked it to make the score 10-3. With 20 minutes remaining Rotimi Segun and Bullivant took the game by the scruff of the neck. First Bullivant made a great break and then offloaded to Segun who floated a pass to Hartfield for a try. Bullivant converted to tie the scores at 10-10 with 10 to go. Then in the moment of the day Segun used his pace and power to beat three defenders and set up a penalty in front of the posts. Bullivant held his nerve to kick it and give them the lead. Some excellent defence and more good work from Segun saw Northampton hold on for a famous win.
Warwick and Hampton will be disappointed but their coaches and players should be proud of themselves after a great season and so much hard work.
For Dulwich College and Northampton School for Boys the hard work continues but they can now look forward to the final and dream of Twickenham.
