Nerveless Northampton make Schools history with maiden title

By Rob Wildman   NORTHAMPTON School for Boys turned on the style to clinch the 2025  SOCS Daily Mail Schools Trophy.   In becoming the first state school to win this national title, NSFB fittingly showed their attacking ability on an uplifting Saturday morning.   Five tries in the first half left Sir Thomas Rich’s – a top 10 contender all autumn – looking thoroughly shaken.   The plaudits followed led by Rhys Williams, the visiting team’s head coach, who said: ‘We’ve played a lot of the good teams this season, including last year’s champions Clifton, but they are the best we’ve faced.’ Victory for NSFB reflected how the squad had improved since finishing 44th in the Trophy last season.   Since then a summer tour to South Africa, which is under taken every two years, helped develop a squad able to withstand the topsy-turvy ways of this competition which attracted a record number of over 160 teams.   It has been an autumn of close games and some brilliant rugby where no leading team has gone unbeaten and only three – Clifton, Sedbergh and Brighton College – have retained a place in the top 10 from last season. Only two weeks ago, Sedbergh and Wellington College looked to have the title between themselves only for results to work out in favour of the chasing NSFB who thought they had lost ground crucially when defeated by Warwick, 26-24.   Wellington grabbed the favourite peg when beating Sedbergh, 20-17, in an evening clash at Broad Street. However, they immediately lost ground themselves when Brighton College won another tight match thanks to a last-gasp penalty. That defeat meant NSFB now had the opportunity to jump up the table but they still needed to show resilience of champions on a trip to Seaford College where they fought back having fallen 15-0  behind.   It all meant that coaches, players, parents and supporters were  regularly studying the Trophy table which ended up showing NSFB in first place (6.65 average match points), Sedburgh in second (6.58) and Wellington (5.97) in third.   Such performances as the one against Seaford left head coach  Simon Hepher praising his squadgoing in the final weeks when it  seemed Sedbergh and Wellington were gaining the edge.   Hepher said: ‘It’s hat tips to all members of the squad. It just shows the depth we have created and the players coming through.   ‘We had three players from year 11 out there today (against Sir Thomas Rich’s) and they fitted easily into the way we wanted to play.’Hepher and assistant coach Adam Baker were hard task masters in this last Trophy match of he campaign. Even when the match was won, 56-21, Hepher  was shouting the orders, urging his players to finish on a high.    ‘I wanted them to keep going as it was the last Saturday match they would be playing on their home pitch.'    ‘That was the emotion I was trying to get across to them. We talk about leaving the jersey in a better place and I think we have certainly done that.'    ‘The players should be proud of their achievements.’   NSFB’s squad depth was in evidence until the end as eight players scored tries in Reuben Williams, Howie Barnett-Vincent, Caelin Chinn, Fin Shields, Ash Cox, James Civil, George Cooper and Malachy Renihan.   Sir Thomas Rich’s did fightback in the second half scoring four tries including two from No 8 Matt Jones who has been one of their outstanding players.   NSFB have reaped the fruit of three successive under-15 groups nurturing very talented players. This has been reflected in a trio gaining a place last summer on England under-18s trip to South Africa in No 8 Jack Lewis, prop Aiden Reid and fly half Hugh Shields.   Shields has been the most prominent though he broke a leg in a recent National Cup game against Kirkham.   His influence was reflected in Hepher commenting that Shields, whose younger brother Fin played on Saturday, had been instrumental in helping to mould the team.    ‘He’s like having an extra coach with me,’ said Hepher. ‘He’s a  player to look out for.’   NSFB’s most famous rugby-playing sons are led by Courtney Lawes, Steve Thompson and Ollie Sleightholme.   It will be fascinating to follow the crop of 2025 if they can follow  in those illustrious footsteps.