March 28th, 2008

Wellington College could make Daily Mail Schools Cup history if they are crowned champions in both the finals of the Daily Mail Under 18s and Under 15s Cups at Twickenham on April 2nd.

The Berkshire college have battle their ways through eight rounds of tough cup rugby this season and they are now just one hurdle away from a possible end of season finale.

Director of Sport Matt Oakman said: “To have two teams through to the final is an unexpected bonus. We never thought this would happen but we are over the moon.
“We are aware that no team has ever won both competitions in the same year, but we’re not really thinking about that. We are just happy to have two teams through to the final and either way it’s going to be a great day. Obviously we want to win and if one team wins, we will be delighted and if both win, well at the moment I can’t describe what that would be like.

“It has certainly been a busy time since the semi-finals as we have got so much to organise both on and off the pitch but we are really looking forward to it. We are expecting a lot of support on the day, with around 3000 people coming to support the teams, from pupils, to parents and old boys as well.”

In the Under 18s Cup Wellington College are up against St. Benedict’s High School, kick-off 330pm. Wellington booked their place in the final after a 10-6 defeat of 2007 champions Warwick School. Twice behind from penalty kicks, Wellington came back with two tries in each half scored by their two England Under-16 players Sam Edgerley and Guy Armitage.

The game itself was a particularly tense affair and with neither side wanting to make a mistake, the expansive rugby for which Wellington is renown only occasionally broke out in the heavy winds that swirled around Banbury RFC. The win, however, ended two years of disappointment for Wellington, who had suffered consecutive semi-final defeats at Wolverhampton.

Oakman added: “I think our Under 18s are in a very good position. To be honest we didn’t expect to be here but after the disqualification of another school, we were delighted to get to the semi-finals and then earn our place in the final.

“Consequently, that situation has lifted the pressure off the boys and they are going into this match as underdogs and that’s a tag we are very happy with. I think it has taken the fear factor away for the boys.

“St. Benedict’s are a very impressive rugby school. Their Under 18s won the Daily Mail Under 15s Cup a couple of years ago so they have got experience of this sort of occasion. They also have 11 players who featured in the Under 18s semi-finals a year ago so that is definitely going to help them.

“However, that’s not putting us off. We have got a very strong front five, I think one of the strongest around and even though we haven’t got any players playing Under 18s representative rugby or affiliated to any academies I know we have got a very strong team here. Our backs have got the pace too and the team is boosted by the experiences of England Under 16s player Guy Armitage and Sam Edgerley. Who knows what will happen  in the final, but I know it’s going to be a good day.”

For St. Benedict’s they are led by dynamic flanker Rowan Halsall. St Benedict’s are England’s top-rated schools side with 22 wins in 22 matches – most recently when they scored 60 points against a Surrey Select XV last Wednesday (March 19) under lights at Sutton & Epsom RFC.

That took St Benedict’s to 1029 points for the season and in the U18 Cup they have already gone one better than last season’s semi-final defeat to the eventual winners, Warwick School.

The St Benedict’s boys have been in for training most days during the Easter holidays and two players are back from international duty.

Hooker/flanker Arthur Ellis – younger brother of England U20’s Grand Slam captain Hugo – was excused England U18 duty against Scotland in Melrose to play for his school in the 19-6 semi-final win over Barnard Castle.

Since then Ellis has taken part in the U18 AER Championship and he was the starting hooker for England when they secured third place by beating hosts Italy 21-5 last Saturday (March 22) in Treviso. Centre James Stephenson played at flanker for Ireland in the same tournament.

St Benedict’s scrum half Michael Simpson has recovered from a debilitating bout of glandular fever last autumn to play his part in the later rounds of the Daily Mail Cup and his combination with fly half Stuart Pearham is one to look for.
In the Under 15s Cup it is an all South West affair with Somerset’s Millfield School, Wellington’s opponents. Millfield earned their place in the final after a convincing 19-0 defeat of Old Swinford Hospital School while Wellington were celebrating after a 23-3 victory over Oundle School.
“We are possibly labelled as favourites for this match but we are not taking any notice of that,” added Oakman. “We know Millfield have also got a very strong rugby pedigree and they are certainly a very strong team when it comes to the big matches.

“Our Under 15s though are also an extremely talented bunch. They are certainly the best year group we have had for several years. Our Under 15s teams have also enjoyed a rich history in this tournament. We won it in 2001 and also shared the cup in 1994. We were also losing finalists in 1988, 1996 and 1999. Hopefully we won’t be on the end of another finals’ defeat, but either way this is going to be a great day for Wellington College.”

Ends…