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King's Worcester
16 March
England Rugby National Schools Plate Winners
Everyone at King’s Worcester is celebrating, following the exciting news that their U15 Rugby Team has won the England Rugby National Schools Plate.
On Tuesday 14th March our U15 Rugby Team travelled down to the StoneX Stadium in London, home of Saracens Rugby Club, to play in the Plate Final against Abingdon School.
The England Rugby National Schools competition is the premier and largest schools’ rugby tournament in the country, with over 450 school teams competing for the chance to play at an international stadium and clinch the coveted title. Last year’s final had over 35,000 live streams.
The competition didn’t start as King’s would have wished, with a narrow defeat in the first round; they quickly regrouped, setting themselves the goal of winning the Plate competition. There have been some exceptional performances on the way to the final, with over 130 points being scored and only three tries conceded in the five games.
In the first 16 minutes of the Final, pressure from King’s resulted in the first try of the game. Immediately after the restart, Seth E charged down an Abingdon kick, going over for a superb individual try. The next opportunity for King’s came in the form of a line out in the Abingdon 22. Will D stormed over the line to score. At half time, King’s were leading 19 – 0.
As the second half began, Will D beat six defenders on his way to his second score. King’s held their intensity and phase after phase, solid carries took the ball over the gain line and closer to the Abingdon goal zone. The build-up culminated in full-back, Haydn D sliding over for try number five.
The game continued at the same tempo, with Captain, Henry H charging past three defenders to score. Again, a good conversion gave King’s the 7 points. Abingdon came back after the restart, and their constant pressure led to their first score in the 50th minute. Their continuing efforts were rewarded with another try in the 55th minute, taking the game to 36-12. From there on, King’s held the game until the clock went red, and Seth E kicked the ball out to end the match.
Throughout the match it was fantastic to enjoy such strong support from family and pupils, who had travelled down to London to support their peers.
Director of Rugby and U15 head coach Mr Williams commented, ‘I’m extremely proud of the boys; this is nothing short of what they deserve after all the hard work they have put in this season. Winning a national title is an amazing achievement and taking the title at the StoneX Stadium is a memory that will stay with these boys forever. The travelling support of their peers, friends and families was excellent, making the occasion even more special.’
2014 World Cup Winner, Rocky Clark MBE was the commentator during the game and added,
“King’s have worked hard and done the basics well. There were strong carries from their forwards and all of them have just worked so well as a team. I’ve been really impressed with this school: they are a naturally a sporty group, who turn their hands to most sports.
“For me, Seth E was the standout player: balanced on the ball, with a good kick, good pass on the ball and good defence. Running off his shoulders, his distribution is incredible, and he has been on fire.”
The whole King’s Foundation congratulates the team on their amazing achievement.
