The Leys School U16 Rugby Sevens team successfully reached the Semi Finals of the Rosslyn Park National Schools Sevens Tournament on Wednesday 22 March.
This places them in the top four from a total of 216 schools who entered the tournament; the furthest a side from the school has gone in this competition.
The tournament at Rosslyn Park has been held annually since 1939 and is the largest school rugby tournament in the world. Each year the country’s top sporting schools compete in a full Cup format.
This year’s tournament started well for the Leysian side, with victories over The Cathedral School Llandaff, Perins School and West Monmouth School, progressing from the Group Stage with ease. They then faced Worth School to qualify for Day Two, cruising to victory over a strong side 36-5.
On Day Two opponents were much tougher, however the team continued their streak with a 14-12 win over Trinity Croydon, a 12-10 win against Bromsgrove, and a comfortable victory over Haileybury 24-12. Another solid performance saw a 17-10 victory in the Quarter Finals against Whitgift and a place in the Semi Finals. Unfortunately, a narrow 7-10 defeat against Bromsgrove, who had qualified as best Runners Up, meant that was the end of the tournament for the team, but their performance throughout was nothing short of exceptional.
Head of Rugby at The Leys, James Clark, commented: “I cannot thank the boys enough for their attitude and approach to training and for their Herculean efforts over the tournament; they gave everything and left nothing out there. I also need to thank Mr Coe and Mr Murray for being the ultimate professionals and giving the boys their absolute best.
“They set the highest standards in all that they did, and when they combine that with their incredible ability, it is no surprise they performed as well as they did. I am so proud to have coached them and count myself very lucky to have been part of their journey.”
Squad: Mark M-A, James P, Ewan S, Arthur N, Ollie S, Yusef A, Zac R, William M, Ed S, Cameron F, Alex W, Sam W