U16s come close in All England Rugby 7s

Last weekend our U16 Rugby 7s team headed off to compete in the All England Rugby 7s Tournament. 

A very early start and a two-and-a-half-hour drive on Sunday morning brought them to the impressive Grasshoppers’ rugby ground in Isleworth, London. 

Despite some atrocious weather and challenging conditions, the boys put together some good performances that saw them finish third in the group. Their efforts were most impressive, full of skill and determination, with a strong win against Marlborough being the highlight.

This put them into the Plate Competition, where they faced the hosts, The Oratory School, in the quarter-finals.

The boys played some really nice rugby and went into the final minute of the game ahead. Hearts were broken when, with the very last play of the game, their opponents managed to grab the winning score, as the referee was unsighted and missed a major knock-on. 

Despite the disappointment of losing the competition in this manner, the boys learned many valuable lessons and certainly more than held their own in this high-level competition. This experience will help the team prepare for the National Sevens next week.

U16 Rugby 7s Coach, Mr Atkinson added, “After a long journey and some very challenging weather, the boys can be pleased with their performances and count themselves more than a little unlucky to go out of the competition in the way that they did. We look forward to competing in the Nationals next week”.