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The Kings School Worcester have continued their fine form by beating local rivals RGS Worcester 52-0 in a one sided final at the Marches. It was a tremendous result and backed up their display in winning the Christ College Brecon 7s last weekend.
As always the Marches was brilliantly organised and passionately contested. At the end of the group stage we had already seen some excellent rugby. In perhaps the stand out result on a great morning of rugby The Worth School upset Coleg sir Gar to top their group. Going into the match as underdogs against perhaps the best 7s side of last year they started well and scored two well-constructed tries early on. The Sussex School didn’t panic, looking confident having already beaten Monmouth that morning, and they were starting to find their rhythm. Some excellent and elusive running saw Coleg sir Gar fight back but they were always at least a score behind and a went down 33-22 in the end. After the heroics of the group they went out in the next round to the excellent Sir Thomas Rich’s but that win will fill them with confidence for the rest of the season.
Another team that stood out in the groups was Dean Close. Coached by ex-Bristol Rugby supremo Paul Hull they were very well organised and a 47-0 win over Old Swinford Hospital certainly raised eyebrows. They went out to eventual finalists RGS, Worcester in the quarter-finals but will be looking ahead to the Nationals where they could well top their group.
In the PTA Bowl (for teams that came third in the group) the pick of the quarter-finals was Monmouth vs Christ College Brecon. It’s one of the oldest rivalries in rugby history and Monmouth edged an exciting match 19-12. They went on to win a tense final against Hartpury College 14-12. Monmouth have made a habit of going behind this season and didn’t disappoint in the final, going behind early before two converted tries saw them home. If they could hold their concentration at the start of the big matches they will be hard to beat; it’s particularly important in the big matches where fatigue plays a part. After the disappointment of missing out on the cup this will be a fillip before the West of England 7s on March 10th.
The second placed teams in the group go into the plate. In the closest of the quarter finals Colstons , having already beaten a Welsh grandees Llandovery College in the group, beat a spirited Rydal Penrhos side 26-21. The Bristol School has not won as much silverware this decade as their heyday in the 1990s but they still play exciting rugby and had pace to burn. They beat a good Cheltenham College side in the semi-final to make the final. On the other side of the draw the surprise inclusion of Coleg sir Gar made them favourites and they didn’t slip up again. Having put 40 points on Old Swinford Hospital in the quarter-final they beat SGS Filton in the semi to face Colstons in the final. It was a brilliant match, maybe the most exciting of the three finals on the day, and the Welsh School triumphed 24-21. Both teams can be proud of themselves for providing such a compelling spectacle and we look forward to watching them both again soon. You can see Colstons next at the West of England 7s whilst Coleg sir Gar play in the Llandovery 7s on the 6th March.
After Coleg and SGS Filton had not made the Cup draw the route to the final suddenly opened up to Sir Thomas Rich’s, Worth, RGS, Worcester and Dean Close. Worth looked a little jaded after their heroics against Coleg sir Gar and were comfortably beaten by Sir Thomas Rich’s, whilst Dean Close narrowly went down to RGS Worcester. The semi-final is often the most agonising round to go out and so it proved for Sir Thomas Rich’s. They played with adventure and were physical in contact but RGS Worcester kept their composure under pressure and they defended brilliant to win 19-14.
On the other side of the draw were the hosts and Christ College 7s winners Kings Worcester, the always superb Millfield School and Welsh giants Llandovery College. Kings ran away with their quarter-final 36-0 but in the other match Millfield and Llandovery fought each other to a standstill. In one of the games of the day Millfield eventually won in extra time to set up a quarter final with Kings. The Semi-final was a classic. Much like the Semi-Final at CCB Kings gave themselves some work to do by going behind. But they kept their shape and the magic of George de Cothi unlocked the Millfield defence time and again to see them win 17-12.
This set up a tantalising final between the two Worcester Schools and whilst it wasn’t a close game both sides gave their all and will be happy with their days work. But the day belonged to Kings Worcester. In defence they are physical, patient and aggressive on the floor. In attack they have a number of players capable of offloading in contact and they are masters at running switches to bring the ball back into the centre after a foray out wide. Their lineout, often an overlooked part of the 7s game but crucial in ensuring possession, was almost faultless in the matches we saw. Whilst they didn’t hit the heights of their performance at Christ College in the groups, like many good sides they peaked at the right time. They next play in the North 7s next weekend and if this squad stays fit there is no reason why they couldn’t go onto to win the Nationals.
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