News
It will be the Midlands against the North in the first NatWest Schools Under 18 Cup semi-final at Allianz Park next Saturday (March 8) when Warwick School take on Durham School (12pm).
Warwick won the competition in 2007 when they edged out Barnard Castle School in the final and Mark Nasey, their head of rugby, is relishing playing on the 4g surface at Saracens’ home ground:
”We’re looking forward to giving it a good go on a good surface at Allianz Park. For me, these pitches are the way forward in Britain, particularly at the high end of competitions like this,” Nasey said.
“We don’t know a lot about Durham, but I’m sure they’ll pose us plenty of challenges. We saw them play Wilmslow last year where they were unlucky to lose. But there is not much crossover in fixture lists so it’s hard to know what to expect.
“The tight matches we’ve played in this year and won mean that the boys grow in confidence as games go on, but it certainly hasn’t done my heart and grey hairs any good. We’d much rather lead from the front.”
Meanwhile Durham School’s head of rugby Ben Mason believes the loss of injured captain Ruari Bell earlier in the season has helped pull the team together.
He said:”We lost our captain Ruari before the Stonyhurst game, so everyone has had to pull together and step up as he is someone the lads have looked up to since year seven.
“But other than that we’re in good shape, we had a hit out against the Newcastle Falcons academy which helped keep the contact skils up, so we’re very grateful for that.
“With schoolboy rugby players, they have a funny way of showing their emotions, but there is definitely excitement and the boys are looking forward to playing at Allianz Park. They just want to get there and get on with it now.
“We’ve got a couple of buses making the long trip. They’ll be leaving the school at 5am, so we’re absolutely chuffed they’re coming to support us. We also have an old boys community in the city that will hopefully come support as well.
“Warwick are a much bigger school than we are, so the laws of average say that they will be a good side with some big units.
“But at this stage of the tournament, and on the fast surface at Allianz Park, I’m sure both sides will be looking to play a similar style of rugby.”
In the NatWest Schools Under 18 Vase both Trent College and QEH Bristol will be in unchartered territory when they take to the synthetic turf at Allianz Park for their semi-final on Sunday March 9 (2.15pm).
Both teams will be playing on a 4g pitch for the first time but they will also be one step away from reaching a final Twickenham Stadium for the first time.
Director of Sport at Trent College Adam Benstead is hoping things won’t be made harder before they even make it to North London as they wait to hear on whether hooker James Fish is called up for England’s international with Scotland.
He said:”We only have one issue and that’s whether England take any players from us, other than that everyone’s fit and looking forward to it.
“We came through a tough quarter-final in appalling conditions against Bishop Vesey’s, so it will be nice to play on a fast 4G pitch which will suit our style.
“It’s great that the match is being played at Allianz Park. The boys are excited to play at a Premiership ground, and it means that win or lose their efforts have been valued.
“It will be like a final. We’ll have a couple of coaches coming down along with teachers and parents, which will be nice as we’ve had to play some tough away games this season without any support.”
Head of Rugby at QEH Bristol Paul Joslin says his side will be no stranger to playing in front of a large crowd on the big occasion.“The boys did play in front of 1,000 people at a memorial game with Clifton College under lights at Clifton RFC last term” he said, “However, I am sure that this will be a whole new experience and one that they will remember whatever the result.
“We know little about Trent College but we are looking forward to an exciting game. The boys are really looking forward to playing at Saracens and there is a good vibe in the school about the whole experience.”
On Saturday, in the second of the U18 Cup semi-finals, RGS High Wycombe will take on Cup holders Dulwich College.
Dulwich have won the competition for the last two seasons, whilst RGS High Wycombe will feature Upper Sixth players who won the competition when they were U15s. Head of Rugby at RGS Simon Copeland is hoping they’ll be able to overcome recent injury problems to produce a good performance on the day.
”We are very excited about being in the latter stages of the NatWest Schools Cup once again” he said, “We know that we will face a seriously strong challenge from Dulwich College, but we would expect nothing less at this stage of the tournament.
“Playing at Allianz Park will make it a great occasion for all spectators, and we hope to be bringing a decent supporter base of our own to cheer on our lads. We have a few injury concerns at the moment, but we will cope with any injury losses as we have done all season.”
Head of Rugby at Dulwich College Sam Howard says there is more excitement this season at the South London school, with the lower pre-season expectation levels for the team, and with the semi-final taking place in London.
He said: “There’s probably more excitement around the school than last year as the semi is in London so hopefully more people can come and watch.
“There was also a presumption that we would win last year with the team we had, whereas this year our success has come as a surprise to many people. Preparation has been superb, we have everyone fit and have Hector McKimm our top scorer from last year back from an injury in September.
“It was nice to have a game against Saracens this week to get used to Allianz Park and get a game under our belts.RGS are probably favourites for the tournament and rightly so after the results they have had this year and their two year groups winning and getting to the final as U15s.
“We saw them up at the St Jo's (St.Joseph’s Festival) tournament and they are a massive side with some outstanding players."
In the semi-finals of the U18s Vase on Sunday, Exeter College will meet Wirral Grammar Schools for Boys and although the two sides have not met before in the competition, neither of them is new in terms of experience in the latter stages. Exeter College won the U18 Cup when they beat St. Peter’s, York in 2005, whilst Wirral Grammar reached the Vase semi-final in 2012 when they were soundly beaten by The Leys School.
Exeter College’s Head of Rugby Jon Hill is hoping the experience they gained from winning a close quarter-final against Worth School at the same venue will give them a small advantage.
He said: ”We played against Worth at Allianz Park in a very close game, so we know what to expect from the pitch. There’s a massive amount of excitement among the players and around the college - there will be supporters’ coaches going over, so it’s our job to make sure we’re fresh and well prepared.
“We know nothing about Wirral. They’re a grammar school with lots of tradition so we won’t be underestimating them.”
Wirral Grammar reached the Vase semi-final in 2012 when they were beaten by The Leys School. It was that humbling defeat which has served as a source of motivation according to Director of Sport at Wirral Grammar Phil Crowley.
”We’re very excited. We reached this stage two years ago and were well beaten, so we’re determined that won’t happen again,” Crowley said.
“We’ve had some very tough games against Crossley Heath, Altrincham Grammar and Sandbach along the way which will hopefully put us in a good place for what will be another tough game.
“It’s fantastic that it’s being played at a Premiership ground. Hats off to the organisers, it will give the boys a piece of the big time.”
Semi-finals draw in full - Allianz Park
U18s Cup – Saturday March 8
Durham School v Warwick School - 12pm
RGS High Wycombe v Dulwich College - 2.15pm
U18s Vase – Sunday March 9
Wirral Grammar School v Exeter College - 12pm
QEH Bristol v Trent College - 2.15pm
U15s Cup – Saturday March 15
Whitgift School v QEGS Wakefield - 12pm
Warwick School v Wellington College - 2pm
U15s Vase – Sunday March 16
Altrincham Grammar School v Lymm High School - 12pm
Graveney School v St George’s College, Weybridge - 2pm
Finals - Twickenham Stadium - Saturday March 29
U15 Vase -11am
U15 Cup - 12.30pm
U18 Vase - 2.00pm
U18 Cup - 3.40pm
Entry is free
For more information, go to: www.rfu.com/natwestschoolscup
www.facebook.com/natwestrugby and https://twitter.com/SchoolsCup
