Whitgift are drawing on the experience of players who have already tasted success at Twickenham in the final stages of this season’s Daily Mail Under-18 Cup.

Two years ago an outstanding junior side beat Millfield 24-7 for captain Tim Hegarty to lift the Daily Mail Under-15 trophy.

Most of those players are now in the Croydon school’s first team and a 26-18 win over Brighton College ushered them into the last 16 – and a sixth round meeting at St Paul’s Barnes next month.

The survivors include key players like flanker Hegarty, centre Neville Edwards, who scored two tries in the final against Millfield, England Under-16 wing Nick Canty and scrum-half Joshua Corneilson.

And Whitgift have yet to deploy Junior National Academy star Danny Cipriani, the England Under-19 fly-half who has been away at the Commonwealth Youth Games this month.

“If they’re all fit there will be about 10 of those players who won the Under-15 final in the side,” said coach Adrian Norris.

“Although Danny hasn’t played in the Daily Mail Cup this season but we’re hoping to bring him in for the big game next term.

“In actual fact it hasn’t been easy in the Cup for us this season, but there are good signs there.

“They’ve really come together as a team and when they faced a real test against Brighton they raised their game.”

Whitgift don’t normally play rugby after Christmas but have broken with tradition to organise warm-up games before facing St Paul’s.

“We’re quite focused on it and we’ll be playing St Benedict’s, Ealing and Peter Symond’s from Winchester in the build-up,” added Norris.

The other sixth round tie in the London and South East Division sees two experienced contenders meet head on.

Former quarter-finalists John Fisher, from Purley, beat Tiffin 11-7 and now host 2001 winners Campion, from Hornchurch, who saw off Richard Hale 22-5.

Details

Fifth round results:

Barnard Castle School 18 St Peter's School, York 22

Lancaster RGS 15 St Ambrose Keswick 10

RGS, Worcester 36 Stowe 10    

Adams Grammar School 24 Welbeck College 3                                       

Downside School 11 RGS High Wycombe 13

Colston's Collegiate School 15 Truro College 8    

St Paul's School Barnes 16 London Leisure College 0

Whitgift School 26 Brighton College 18   

Tiffin School 7 John Fisher School 11

Campion School, Hornchurch 22 Richard Hale School 5   

Exeter College 15 St Peter's HS, Glos 10

Aylesbury Grammar School 18 Bishop Wordsworth's School 8

Northampton School for Boys 8 Old Swinford Hospital School 17  

Oakham School 25 Solihull School 17

Bradford Grammar School 8 Lymm High School 0

Outstanding result: Keswick v Durham.   

Sixth round draw:

St Peter's School, York  v Lancaster RGS

RGS, Worcester v Adams Grammar School                    

RGS, High Wycombe v Colston's Collegiate School

St Paul's School Barnes v Whitgift School 

John Fisher School v Campion School, Hornchurch

Exeter College v Aylesbury Grammar School

Old Swinford Hospital School v Oakham

Keswick or Durham v Bradford GS

ends

Under-15 Cup

HURSTPIERPOINT MAKE DREAM DEBUT IN DAILY MAIL CUP

Hurstpierpoint will attempt to crown an outstanding debut season and end cherished unbeaten record to reach the quarter-finals of the Daily Mail Under-15 Cup.

The Sussex school entered the competition for the first time this year with spectacular results to earn a last 16 tie at St Benedict’s, Ealing, on Thursday, December 9.

Hurstpierpoint have won all 14 games they’ve played this term and cruised through to the sixth round with a 41-6 win against Dartford Grammar School.

“It’s the first time we’ve ever entered it and if we were to get to the quarter-finals we’d be delighted,” said Rob Kift, the master in charge of rugby.

“I’m not sure how good they are. They asked me after a couple of rounds if they could win it and I said ‘no, there must be bigger fish’ but they’ve kept on winning.”

Something has to give against St Benedict’s, an outstanding team who haven’t been beaten in four years of playing together and eased into the last 16 with a 19-3 win over KCS Wimbledon.

But with Twickenham now just three wins away and Hurstpierpoint’s Sussex champions bang in form, who knows?

“We’ve got a strong set of forwards who look after the ball and a backline who’ve all got good hands,” said Kift.

“They beat Dartford fairly comfortably and if they put it all together on the day, which is always the question with teams at these age groups, they could do well.”

The side have a footballing pedigree in centre Jack Maybank, son of former Chelsea, Fulham and Brighton striker Teddy Maybank, who “could have a real future in the game” according to Kift.

Other who have impressed this seson include captain and fly-half Harry Appleton and dynamic back-row players Ed Bowden and Jordan Trayfoot.

The other London & South East Division sides closing in on the closing stages are St Paul’s, Barnes, who play Judd, from Tonbridge.

The sides met at the same stage last season and this year’s crop at Judd have a 41-5 defeat to avenge.

Details

Fifth round results:

King's College School, Wimbledon 3 St Benedict's Ealing 19

Dartford Grammar School 6 Hurstpierpoint College 41

Wellington College 10 Millfield School 24            

Bishop Wordsworth 13 Sheldon School    0                     

Chosen Hill School 17 King's School, Grantham 12

Bedford School 0 Old Swinford Hospital School 14

St Peter's School York   30 Keswick School 3

Durham School  0 Bradford Grammar School 36              

Merchant Taylor's School 34 Lymm High School 19

Linton Village College 0 Bishop of Hereford's Bluecoat 10

Loughborough Grammar School  10 Wellingborough School 26     

St Peter's High School, Glos 32 Colston's Collegiate School 12    

RGS, High Wycombe 43  Sherborne School 5                 

Judd School 10 City of London Freemen's School 0                     

St Paul's School, Barnes 20 Whitgift School 16

Outstanding result: St Ambrose College v RGS Lancaster

Sixth round draw:

St Benedict's Ealing v Hurstpierpoint

Millfield v Bishop Wordsworth's   

Chosen Hill School v Old Swinford Hospital School

St Ambrose College or RGS Lancaster v St Peter's York

Bradford Grammar School v Merchant Taylor's School

Bishop of Hereford's Bluecoat v Wellingborough School    

St Peter's High School, Glos v RGS High Wycombe

Judd School v St Paul's School, Barnes

ends

Under-18 and Under-15 Vase details

Daily Mail Schools Under-18 Vase

Third round ties:

St George's, Harpenden v Caterham School        

Gordon's School v Wimbledon College    

Richmond-upon-Thames Coll v John Hampden Grammar School   

Alton College v Lord Wandsworth College

Third round results:

Isleworth & Syon School v KEGS Chelmsford                                          

St Joseph's College, Ipswich 10 Verulam School 18

Christ's Hospital School 14 Langley Park School 11

St Olave's Grammar School 42 Sir Joseph Williamson's School 3

Fourth round draw:

Isleworth & Syon School or KEGS Chelmsford v Verulam School  

Christ's Hospital School v St Olave's Grammar School                 

St George's Sch Harpenden or Caterham School v Gordon's School or Wimbledon College 

Richmond-upon-Thames Coll or John Hampden Grammar School v Alton College or Lord Wandsworth College

Daily Mail Schools Under-15 Vase

Third round ties:

Downlands Comm Coll v Brighton College           

Gordons School  v RGS, Guildford          

Tiffin School v Dover Grammar School                             

Maidstone Grammar School v St Peter's, Guildford

Chatham Grammar School v